George Mason Class of 2012 Forum

[pomona]

I really liked Dittmar Company's apartments in and around Arlington. Relatively inexpensive mid to high rises. Moving into "The Amelia" in August.

How much for a studio? I'm having trouble locating information online.

[Bankhead]

Hey guys, check out Park Adams apartments on Adams St/Lee Highway. It's a pretty good deal. Not exactly close walking distance to GMU, but a 3 minute drive (you can walk it in about 20 minutes if you want) They have studio/1 bedroom/2 bedroom.

2000 North Adams Street, Arlington, VA 22201
703-524-7377

[AbsolutLax]

Thanks nitsudrx, hows the search for a place in NY- you're going to Fordham right?

[sapereaude2012]

I think I will be withdrawing on Monday. I mailed a deposit to GW today. I hope my seat goes to a TLSer on the waitlist!

[AbsolutLax]

saper, did you get into the part-time program?

Congrats either way!!

EDIT: I see your previous post, part-time it is. So you are going GW PT over Mason FT? Good luck with the decision, i'd be a tough one for me to make- i'm still on the GW waitlist myself.

[sapereaude2012]

saper, did you get into the part-time program?

Congrats either way!!

EDIT: I see your previous post, part-time it is. So you are going GW PT over Mason FT? Good luck with the decision, i'd be a tough one for me to make- i'm still on the GW waitlist myself.

Thank you!
I am starting part-time, don't know if I'll transfer to full-time or not yet. It was a tough decision, but I'd been going through it in my head for a while before I heard from GW. Mason didn't offer me any money whatsoever, despite my pleadings for ANY help. Add to it that I am not a Virginia resident, and Mason's affordability really isn't that affordable. My debt would be around $160 at Mason v. ~$200 at GW. It's a lot to consider, as $40k is more than I have ever made in a single year in my entire life, but I fell in love with GW on my visit. I am not locked in to a single geographic region, so a little national reach would help me too.

That being sad, it is hard to part with Mason, I was starting to feel comfortable seeing myself there. Best of luck to you and your decision! I think Mason has a lot to offer, and a nice niche market in NoVa, so you can't go wrong. I also think the new National and Homeland Security Law program looks really interesting.

[DCLabor25]

Hey TLS'ers --

I was reading on here that several of you are looking for housing for George Mason. My wife and I have a very nice 2 bedroom/1 bath condo that we are looking to rent in the Northern Virginia area. It's sort of a long story, we used to live in DC but I am going to law school out of the area now and our current renters just informed us that they can't renew their lease now. The place would be available mid-June, but we can be flexible with start dates and that sort of stuff. It's very close to the Orange line metro -- about a 15-20 minute commute total to George Mason. If your at all interested, PM me on here and I can send you the price, and other details. If you send me your email address, I can also send you some pictures we have of it. Overall, it's a very nice place -- big kitchen, fireplace, balcony, big bedrooms, etc. The entire condo was just renovated two years ago and everything is new. It's also in a nice community with a gym, great pool, etc. -- all of that stuff would be included in the rent price.

I just thought that I would try to help out another law school student here, I know how tricky housing can be, especially in Washington, DC!

[Bankhead]

saper, did you get into the part-time program?

Congrats either way!!

EDIT: I see your previous post, part-time it is. So you are going GW PT over Mason FT? Good luck with the decision, i'd be a tough one for me to make- i'm still on the GW waitlist myself.

Not so good, haven't started yet.

[reidmacharg]

Welcome to Mason, guys. I look forward to meeting you at the orientation barbeque next month. If I can be of any help in the mean time, please don't hesitate to PM me.

Also, I have all my books from last year, and I refrained from highlighting them. There are only pencil marks. Do you know your schedules yet? If so, and you're looking to save several hundred dollars, PM me about that too.

I hope you all have a great Fourth of July and the rest of your summer.

[byu85]

I finally have made my decision and I've decided on GMU over Pepperdine and USD. I couldn't justify paying an extra $8,000/year in tuition at the lower ranked Cali schools. I'm stoked for Mason now though. My main concern was that I wouldn't be able to get a job back west afterwards, but their career center helped resolve my concerns. Looking forward to August 14th!

[AbsolutLax]

pop bottles! congrats on your decision, see you there big guy

[byu85]

They recently posted our class schedules on Patriot Web. Does anyone know how many sections there are? My schedule is as follows:


Contracts Section 1, Prof Davies, 10-11:50 Monday
Property Section 3, Prof Mossoff, 2-3:50 Monday/Wednesday
Torts, Prof Krauss, 2-3:50 Tuesday/Thursday
Econ Section 3, Prof Hazlett, 4-5:15 Tuesday/Thursday
Legal Writing Section 3, Prof TBD, 3-4:50 Fridays

Anyone know anything about theses professors? Any advice? Anyone else in my section?

[reidmacharg]

Contracts with Davies is fun. You'll become a pro at the Waltz. Remember that the UCC and RST are way more important than the cases. Seriously, read all the comments for the assigned sections. Looking smart in class has little if any effect on your grade.

Krauss is an amazing teacher. However, I've never felt so at a loss. He calls this learning. The cases he writes on the board are just as important as those you read in the book. Read the note cases too. I don't think there's an easy approach to his class. He told me I should study 15 hours a day outside of class. I think he was serious. He gives a lot of bumps. Looking smart in class definitely affects your grade. Since it's a forced curve, not getting a bump is essentially a deduction.

Mossoff is a nice break from Krauss. He's straightforward. His exam is hard because it's so easy. Don't underestimate the value of spotting the issue in the terms, "the issue is whether..." followed by "under the law... " (rule) and "here, X stood on Y's land (application)," and concluded with, "therefore, X is liable for trespass." (IRAC is very important to Mossoff) It'll make up for not being able to fully apply the RAP. Get a good outline for class participation points.

I didn't have Hazlet. Yalie thought he was God though. I haven't heard anything in support of this because no one in my class had him.

Take LRWA in stride. Only worry if you're below the median. Being curved in a group of 7 sucks. You can be with those in the top quarter and get a C+ for gold or be with those in the bottom and get an A- for shit work. Don't take your grade too close to heart.

[byu85]

Contracts with Davies is fun. You'll become a pro at the Waltz. Remember that the UCC and RST are way more important than the cases. Seriously, read all the comments for the assigned sections. Looking smart in class has little if any effect on your grade.

Krauss is an amazing teacher. However, I've never felt so at a loss. He calls this learning. The cases he writes on the board are just as important as those you read in the book. Read the note cases too. I don't think there's an easy approach to his class. He told me I should study 15 hours a day outside of class. I think he was serious. He gives a lot of bumps. Looking smart in class definitely affects your grade. Since it's a forced curve, not getting a bump is essentially a deduction.

Mossoff is a nice break from Krauss. He's straightforward. His exam is hard because it's so easy. Don't underestimate the value of spotting the issue in the terms, "the issue is whether..." followed by "under the law... " (rule) and "here, X stood on Y's land (application)," and concluded with, "therefore, X is liable for trespass." (IRAC is very important to Mossoff) It'll make up for not being able to fully apply the RAP. Get a good outline for class participation points.

I didn't have Hazlet. Yalie thought he was God though. I haven't heard anything in support of this because no one in my class had him.

Take LRWA in stride. Only worry if you're below the median. Being curved in a group of 7 sucks. You can be with those in the top quarter and get a C+ for gold or be with those in the bottom and get an A- for shit work. Don't take your grade too close to heart.

Thanks a lot for the info, extremely helpful. I have a few questions. Can you explain UCC, RST, IRAC, RAP and Bumps. Sorry, I'm not down with all the lingo yet. Thanks again.

[SmurfyRey]

Contracts I (3) M 2-350 Zywicki
Property (1) MW 10a-1150 Eagle
Econ (1) TR 2-315 Johnsen
Torts (1) TR 10a-1150 Claeys
LRW (1) MWF 10a-1150

Anyone else? And Reid, how are these professors?

[SmurfyRey]

Contracts with Davies is fun. You'll become a pro at the Waltz. Remember that the UCC and RST are way more important than the cases. Seriously, read all the comments for the assigned sections. Looking smart in class has little if any effect on your grade.

Krauss is an amazing teacher. However, I've never felt so at a loss. He calls this learning. The cases he writes on the board are just as important as those you read in the book. Read the note cases too. I don't think there's an easy approach to his class. He told me I should study 15 hours a day outside of class. I think he was serious. He gives a lot of bumps. Looking smart in class definitely affects your grade. Since it's a forced curve, not getting a bump is essentially a deduction.

Mossoff is a nice break from Krauss. He's straightforward. His exam is hard because it's so easy. Don't underestimate the value of spotting the issue in the terms, "the issue is whether..." followed by "under the law... " (rule) and "here, X stood on Y's land (application)," and concluded with, "therefore, X is liable for trespass." (IRAC is very important to Mossoff) It'll make up for not being able to fully apply the RAP. Get a good outline for class participation points.

I didn't have Hazlet. Yalie thought he was God though. I haven't heard anything in support of this because no one in my class had him.

Take LRWA in stride. Only worry if you're below the median. Being curved in a group of 7 sucks. You can be with those in the top quarter and get a C+ for gold or be with those in the bottom and get an A- for shit work. Don't take your grade too close to heart.

Thanks a lot for the info, extremely helpful. I have a few questions. Can you explain UCC, RST, IRAC, RAP and Bumps. Sorry, I'm not down with all the lingo yet. Thanks again.

UCC- Uniform Commercial Code- I think this will be the bulk of our contracts course.
IRAC- Issue Rule Assessment Conclusion- methodology for legal writing that definitely helps organize thoughts for essay responses.

[reidmacharg]

Contracts I (3) M 2-350 Zywicki
Property (1) MW 10a-1150 Eagle
Econ (1) TR 2-315 Johnsen
Torts (1) TR 10a-1150 Claeys
LRW (1) MWF 10a-1150

Anyone else? And Reid, how are these professors?

Zywicki was my favorite teacher last year. He takes you through every step without being condescending. I always left feeling like I had a much better grasp of the cases and issues.

I liked Johnsen last year, but most people did not. He could be hard to follow because his class wasn't tightly structured, and he doesn't follow the book closely. He basically free-associates his way through 75 minutes.

I didn't have Claeys or Eagle.

Re bumps: It's when the professor increases the student's grade by a plus for thoughtful contributions in class.

[AbsolutLax]

Smurfy, we have all the same classes, guess i'll be seeing you a bunch

[SmurfyRey]

Smurfy, we have all the same classes, guess i'll be seeing you a bunch

I guess so. It's beginning to look like our section will just comprise of us lol.

[sapereaude2012]

saper, did you get into the part-time program?

Congrats either way!!

EDIT: I see your previous post, part-time it is. So you are going GW PT over Mason FT? Good luck with the decision, i'd be a tough one for me to make- i'm still on the GW waitlist myself.

Thank you!
I am starting part-time, don't know if I'll transfer to full-time or not yet. It was a tough decision, but I'd been going through it in my head for a while before I heard from GW. Mason didn't offer me any money whatsoever, despite my pleadings for ANY help. Add to it that I am not a Virginia resident, and Mason's affordability really isn't that affordable. My debt would be around $160 at Mason v. ~$200 at GW. It's a lot to consider, as $40k is more than I have ever made in a single year in my entire life, but I fell in love with GW on my visit. I am not locked in to a single geographic region, so a little national reach would help me too.

That being sad, it is hard to part with Mason, I was starting to feel comfortable seeing myself there. Best of luck to you and your decision! I think Mason has a lot to offer, and a nice niche market in NoVa, so you can't go wrong. I also think the new National and Homeland Security Law program looks really interesting.

Hey guys, I just realized this morning when scanning this thread I never posted an update to the posts about choosing GW part-time over Mason. I decided to switch to full-time at GW, and I just wanted to update that in interest of full disclosure. I am still quite fond of Mason though, and a letter I recently received from the Cato Institute was chock-full of GMU prof. name-drops which makes me sad I won't get to have any of these guys as professors. Anyway, I'll be moving out to DC in early August, and I'd love to keep in touch with some of you throughout 1L year to share experiences/bounce off ideas/maybe drink our 1L sorrows away... I hope to see some of you in DC!

[PubIntLawyer]

I will definitely be at Mason in the fall! Last week I got into GW's full-time program (I was waitlisted), but after a LOT of deliberating I've decided on Mason (it's CHEAPER, closer, and has the same public sector starting salary as GW). I can't wait to meet you all in the fall, and couldn't be happier with my decision!

[AbsolutLax]

Congrats!

[PubIntLawyer]

This may be a silly question, but Mason will mail us a bill, correct? Or do we have to pay online? I think tuition is due at some point in August and I haven't received anything from them...

[georgiagirl82]

Hi - Any 2Ls out there want to sell their books?

Contact me via email: pcgrant87@gmail.com

Robert Scott & Jody Kraus, Contract Law and Theory (4th Edition)
James E. Byrne, Restatement 2nd and US UCC Article 2: The Texts, The Comments & The
Illustrations (3rd ed.)

Merrill & Smith,
Property: Principles and Policies (2007) (Foundation Press) (ISBN 1-59941-011-7).

EPSTEIN, Cases and Materials on Torts (Aspen, Ninth Edition), 2008

[byu85]

Just got accepted from the waitlist at my top choice school (Utah). I emailed Mason just now to inform them. Hopefully a fellow TLS'er gets my spot! I just couldn't turn down in-state tuition and free housing. DC would have been sweet but I think I made the right decision for me. Good luck to you all!