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Re: Vanderbilt 2012

Posted: Mon Jul 06, 2009 8:57 pm
by observationalist
DSTned4Law wrote:
booker09 wrote:oh yeah and another thing. can anyone comment on the racial makeup of the student body? obviously, at all law schools, minorities are a minority. but i just have this idea of Vanderbilt being super white, more so than Emory or Duke. the stats on Vanderbilt's website seem to support; only 20% minorities (albeit a small overall class)

and, i really don't mean to offend, but while a lot of ppl seem to like that Vanderbilt is a southern school, i find that a huge turn off. DISCLAIMER: no, i am not being a provincial yankee here. i live in GA, so i know what (a part of) the south is like.

[will be posting in the "decision at Vanderbilt!!" thread, sorry for the repeat post]
I attended an HBCU in Georgia for undergrad so I understand what you mean. I will say that from my experience at Vandy's admitted student wknd, yes, there's an overwhelming (or at least it was for me, coming from an HBCU after all) amount of "the majority" at the school. But you're going to have that anywhere you go unless you're attending Howard Law. And you're probably going to feel like Vandy is "super white" compared to Emory or Duke because those schools have a larger student body, so there will clearly be more minorities. And though Vandy is a southern school - I think what sets it apart from most is that the student body/faculty/staff is just RIDICULOUSLY nice. I know you've heard that a thousand times over, but it's true. And the white people I encountered in the Nashville area were just as nice. Basically, you won't feel like the klan and/or a lynch mob is after you, lol. Don't worry. It's in the South, but aside from the incessant country music - it doesn't really feel like it.
If you're just concerned about the social scene and not how welcoming Nashville may or may not be, then that's going to come down to your gut. I wouldn't tell you to go spend three years with a group of people you didn't think you would identify with in some way or another. I think we're a fairly welcoming group and that everyone tends to get along and help each other enjoy the experience as much as any law school community can possibly accomplish.

Remember that 1) the law school is nothing like the undergrad, which has retained a large degree of its popped collar frattiness over the years (see Duke for a similar comparison), and 2) Nashville is one of the most liberal cities in the south, barring the occasional legislator seeking political gain by pointing fingers at various minority groups who for some reason have offended them. The groups that have it the worst in Nashville right now are the non-English speaking immigrant population and people who identify themselves as LGBT, judging by recent legislation (both of which failed) aimed at limiting the rights of those groups in various ways.

And regarding country, you can avoid the honkytonk if you want but I strongly recommend you embrace it... the city thrives on live music and a good amount of it is country/bluegrass. It's just too ridiculous to say you saw Kenny Chesney and Kid Rock drunk and jumping on stage to sing together at a random bar to avoid. Check out http://www.nashvillescene.com for a better idea of what goes on at night... there's plenty to do when you're not studying.

Re: Vanderbilt 2012

Posted: Mon Jul 06, 2009 9:01 pm
by Timmybb13
Just off the WL! Might be joining y'all in August. I loved my visit to the law school!

Re: Vanderbilt 2012

Posted: Tue Jul 07, 2009 2:35 pm
by microoli
Just accepted a place with $. All unexpected and fantastic. Can't wait!

Re: Vanderbilt 2012

Posted: Tue Jul 07, 2009 6:13 pm
by jayhawkai
Timmybb13 wrote:Just off the WL! Might be joining y'all in August. I loved my visit to the law school!
Huzzah!
microoli wrote:Just accepted a place with $. All unexpected and fantastic. Can't wait!
Huzzah!

Re: Vanderbilt 2012

Posted: Tue Jul 07, 2009 7:01 pm
by DCDeckard
Deleted.

Re: Vanderbilt 2012

Posted: Tue Jul 07, 2009 10:36 pm
by rezipsa
What are y'alls thoughts on this year's Obiter Dictum? Any particular sections or designs that you would like to improve for next year's version?

Re: Vanderbilt 2012

Posted: Wed Jul 08, 2009 8:54 am
by observationalist
rezipsa wrote:What are y'alls thoughts on this year's Obiter Dictum? Any particular sections or designs that you would like to improve for next year's version?
This is your chance, by the way, to make rez feel bad.

Rez, how was the J.'s keggar?

Re: Vanderbilt 2012

Posted: Wed Jul 08, 2009 12:50 pm
by tudo ben
rezipsa wrote:What are y'alls thoughts on this year's Obiter Dictum? Any particular sections or designs that you would like to improve for next year's version?
Absolutely loved the OD. Basically carried it around with me full time on both of my visits. Plus, none of the other schools that admitted me sent anything even close to the OD, which made Vandy stick out.

I guess if anything could have been more helpful it would have been the housing section. Maybe include some info about finding places that aren't apartment complexes, whether it's by Craigslist or whatever. But that part was still pretty helpful. Good stuff

Re: Vanderbilt 2012

Posted: Wed Jul 08, 2009 1:08 pm
by Slash2049
Sweet.. I think we expanded that for next years version.

Re: Vanderbilt 2012

Posted: Wed Jul 08, 2009 10:05 pm
by thegrandinquisitor
.

Re: Vanderbilt 2012

Posted: Wed Jul 08, 2009 11:00 pm
by jayhawkai
thegrandinquisitor wrote:Accepted off the waitlist today. Phone call yesterday to feel out interest.
Giving up Wash U at 60K to pay sticker at Vandy without even a hint of hesitation.

See you all in Nashville
Congrats and good decision

Re: Vanderbilt 2012

Posted: Thu Jul 09, 2009 1:43 am
by Timmybb13
thegrandinquisitor wrote:Accepted off the waitlist today. Phone call yesterday to feel out interest.
Giving up Wash U at 60K to pay sticker at Vandy without even a hint of hesitation.

See you all in Nashville
Good man. Did the same with Emory at 60K. Vanderbilt really is the place to be.

Re: Vanderbilt 2012

Posted: Thu Jul 09, 2009 10:28 am
by rezipsa
hope you guys have good lsat/gpa #'s :P

if not for '08 atrociously sucking at the NY bar, we prob would be 14 or 15 on USNWR given our low stu/fac ratio and awesome medians.

whatever though, y'all are gonna love the quality of life here. this is coming from someone who had only been used to big-city living ("anything other than manhattan is not a city"-esque thinking) pre-nashvegas. vandy's a great place, and you should look forward to an amazing three years. 8)

Re: Vanderbilt 2012

Posted: Tue Jul 14, 2009 1:16 pm
by steindle
Quick! Someone give me a good argument that I should break my lease in St. Louis and have my fiance re-start the job search in Nashville!

Seriously though, convincing arguments that I can forward to my fiance about Vanderbilt over WUSTL? I feel like she is going to kill me if we change the direction we've had for 3-4 months at this point and it looks like I just got off the WL.

Re: Vanderbilt 2012

Posted: Tue Jul 14, 2009 2:23 pm
by DSTned4Law
steindle wrote:Quick! Someone give me a good argument that I should break my lease in St. Louis and have my fiance re-start the job search in Nashville!

Seriously though, convincing arguments that I can forward to my fiance about Vanderbilt over WUSTL? I feel like she is going to kill me if we change the direction we've had for 3-4 months at this point and it looks like I just got off the WL.

Lol. Considering that I had to make a similar argument to my parents as to why I was giving up a little over $$$$$ at WUSTL for a not as generous offer from Vandy, I guess I can just give you a few things that current Vandy Law students told me to help in my decision/argument making.

First off - where do you hope to work after law school? Vandy's placement options range much further than Wash U's. I happened to notice that a large majority of students who graduated from Wash U were almost confined to the midwest area. Not to mention, Vandy's name offers a little more prestige than Wash U.
-Vandy's career service office is one of the best I've seen / heard about compared to a lot of other schools. The staff really does look out for you.
-IMHO St. Louis is just not much fun (idk how big of a deal that is for you and your S.O.)
-The quality of life at Vandy is one of the best (in regards to competition, students helping/encouraging other students, etc.)

I'd suggest you get some more insight from Observationalist or Rezipsa. They're unofficial Vandy TLS promoters, lol.

Re: Vanderbilt 2012

Posted: Wed Jul 15, 2009 1:12 am
by Timmybb13
steindle wrote:Quick! Someone give me a good argument that I should break my lease in St. Louis and have my fiance re-start the job search in Nashville!

Seriously though, convincing arguments that I can forward to my fiance about Vanderbilt over WUSTL? I feel like she is going to kill me if we change the direction we've had for 3-4 months at this point and it looks like I just got off the WL.
-You cannot put a price on the difference in national opportunities between the two schools.
-St. Louis is really really cold and drab.
-SEC football
-Vanderbilt is totally awesome.

Or just pick up and go, and see if she comes with... :lol:

Re: Vanderbilt 2012

Posted: Wed Jul 15, 2009 9:23 am
by steindle
So, were I to come to Vanderbilt...I'm sure that this has been asked many times, many ways, but: Where to live?

The place that we are leasing in St. Louis is a quiet 6-unit apartment building that's a 10-minute walk from the WUSTL campus and about a 10-minute walk from the Delmar Loop, which has lots of small businesses, record stores, bookstores, etc. The convenience is pretty incredible...I'm not too concerned about this, but obviously my fiance is going to want to live an interesting life while I have my nose in a dozen books.

So I know literally nothing about the neighborhoods of Nashville -- is there a comparable neighborhood that is close to both the law school and "the action" (i.e. bookstores, coffee places, potentially music venues, maybe art galleries)?

Thanks for your help.

Re: Vanderbilt 2012

Posted: Wed Jul 15, 2009 9:35 am
by mbw
steindle wrote:Quick! Someone give me a good argument that I should break my lease in St. Louis and have my fiance re-start the job search in Nashville!

Seriously though, convincing arguments that I can forward to my fiance about Vanderbilt over WUSTL? I feel like she is going to kill me if we change the direction we've had for 3-4 months at this point and it looks like I just got off the WL.
Steindle, I remember when we were both fairly set on UMN, so I'll jump in here. We moved to Minneapolis May 1, found a neighborhood, got our kids into school, and signed a lease. A month later, on June 1, found us driving 800 miles east to meet with admissions staff at Cornell. Two weeks later, we (myself, spouse and four kids) were in Ithaca for good.

You have to do what feels best for you (and your family, of course.) If you think, especially ITE, that Vanderbilt is best, then you should not let something like a lease et al. stop you. While it was balanced out by the much larger scholarship Cornell offered, I'm sure we lost $2-3000 with our last minute switch, but I don't regret it for a minute.

Good luck! (And sorry Vandy folk for barging in like this ;D.)

Re: Vanderbilt 2012

Posted: Wed Jul 15, 2009 4:38 pm
by Rusty McGuns
steindle wrote:So, were I to come to Vanderbilt...I'm sure that this has been asked many times, many ways, but: Where to live?

The place that we are leasing in St. Louis is a quiet 6-unit apartment building that's a 10-minute walk from the WUSTL campus and about a 10-minute walk from the Delmar Loop, which has lots of small businesses, record stores, bookstores, etc. The convenience is pretty incredible...I'm not too concerned about this, but obviously my fiance is going to want to live an interesting life while I have my nose in a dozen books.

So I know literally nothing about the neighborhoods of Nashville -- is there a comparable neighborhood that is close to both the law school and "the action" (i.e. bookstores, coffee places, potentially music venues, maybe art galleries)?

Thanks for your help.

I was just in Nashville a few days ago to find an apartment. Just south of the school is the Hillsboro Village area, and it's exactly the kind of place that you describe -- a used bookstore, an indie movie theater, local coffeeshop, etc. Bosco's is also just south of the school on 21st, and I had one of the best meals of my life and got rip-roaring drunk off of a freshly-tapped cask ale...

Anyways, I loved the area, and found a place a bit south of Hillsboro Village proper.

Sylvan Park is a nice area if you want a more residential feel.

Obviously, actual Vandy students should be able to help you out a bit more, but I noticed that no one had responded yet. HTH and good luck with your decision!

Re: Vanderbilt 2012

Posted: Wed Jul 15, 2009 6:40 pm
by rezipsa
steindle wrote:So, were I to come to Vanderbilt...I'm sure that this has been asked many times, many ways, but: Where to live?

The place that we are leasing in St. Louis is a quiet 6-unit apartment building that's a 10-minute walk from the WUSTL campus and about a 10-minute walk from the Delmar Loop, which has lots of small businesses, record stores, bookstores, etc. The convenience is pretty incredible...I'm not too concerned about this, but obviously my fiance is going to want to live an interesting life while I have my nose in a dozen books.

So I know literally nothing about the neighborhoods of Nashville -- is there a comparable neighborhood that is close to both the law school and "the action" (i.e. bookstores, coffee places, potentially music venues, maybe art galleries)?

Thanks for your help.
Hillsboro Village or Demonbreun = very solid 'hoods. There's a brief overview of different apartments and neighborhoods in the Obiter. In the interim, this provides very brief, but accurate descriptions of the different neighborhoods:
--LinkRemoved--

West End's generally good too. A lot of my classmates live in a complex called the Grove. --LinkRemoved-- . Despite the nomenclaturally pretentious definite article, it's actually a pretty nice place to live.

The Gulch was also featured in the Times yesterday. Don't know any friends who live there, but the restaurants in that area serve gastronomically orgasmic food. http://themoment.blogs.nytimes.com/2009 ... ville/?hpw

Re: Vanderbilt 2012

Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 9:25 am
by steindle
Thanks for the links, rezipsa. I believe you were in a similar situation to me last year, if memory serves me?

Right now the best I can find is a house in "Historic Waverly." It looks almost perfect but is slightly out of my price range, sadly. Craigslist is virtually dry as far as I can tell. I guess I'll just have to keep trying hour by hour...unfortunately my fiance is not into the idea of living in a larger apartment building whatsoever, which would probably simplify things but also make my home life kind of nightmarish :).

Re: Vanderbilt 2012

Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 10:49 am
by Jojo
Reason to come to Vandy:

We are awesome and fun and friendly  Seriously – I talked to someone who graduated in 2008 and he told me that he had transferred from WUSTL and was so glad he did because it made his law school experience way more enjoyable. He said people at WUSTL were just too cutthroat and hid books and things – that may be an exaggeration, but it is what he told me.
Plus, a lot of the significant others at Vandy get involved with social events, so your fiancé might like that inclusion (not sure about whether this happens at WUSTL – it might).
As far as living. The Grove may be a large complex, but it is very residential feeling – lots of families, across from a school, lots of trees, lawns, pools, etc. Other than that, look for places on Acklen, Blakemore, Blair, etc. Craigslist might be quiet now, but there are usually places. Unfortunately most places are not listed online, you just need to find a realtor in the area or come visit and look for “for rent” signs. But there are definitely nice, cute neighborhoods around that have places.

Re: Vanderbilt 2012

Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 1:17 pm
by rezipsa
steindle wrote:Thanks for the links, rezipsa. I believe you were in a similar situation to me last year, if memory serves me?

Right now the best I can find is a house in "Historic Waverly." It looks almost perfect but is slightly out of my price range, sadly. Craigslist is virtually dry as far as I can tell. I guess I'll just have to keep trying hour by hour...unfortunately my fiance is not into the idea of living in a larger apartment building whatsoever, which would probably simplify things but also make my home life kind of nightmarish :).
Yep yep. Made an excellent decision, IMO. I probably would have been happy at both places, but definitely feel like I will have better employment options coming out of here, espec w/ the crappy economy. WashU also sounded gunnerish, based on a friend's account. She also transferred out a few weeks ago, but she could be unrepresentative of the rest of the student body there.

I also note vhalcyon's gchat status msg from earlier in the year:
so i went to lunch with _______ (who goes to wash u)today and we were talking about some of the people she goes to school with. apparently there are group of people who went to schools like harvard, yale, etc who call themselves the gunners...yes, they call themselves that. and they have a plastic squirt gun that they pass around/give out for the week to whoever made the most intelligent comments. and whoever has the gun holds it up in class when they raise their hands....wtf!!!!
Jojo, we're in the same Weds afternoon class! Congrats :D :wink:

Re: Vanderbilt 2012

Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 2:31 pm
by observationalist
rezipsa wrote:
Jojo, we're in the same Weds afternoon class! Congrats :D :wink:
Make no mistake: you will both rue the day you decided it was a good idea to sign up for the journal. :twisted: I am going to rule the one-hour-a-week sessions with an iron/environmentally-conscious fist. No squirt guns will be permitted, because that's too easy: you will be required to fight for the right to have your articles included in the summary book. Two staff members enter: one staff member leave.

Also, we are inviting ourselves to the journal beer-pong tourney this year. Our significant ties with the Brewing Guild will ensure it. It is unconscionable that the three more established journals would cut us out of such a time-honored tradition.

Re: Vanderbilt 2012

Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 2:58 pm
by Jojo
1) Rezipsa, how do you know this? Is there a list somewhere? I was wondering who is with us.

2) Looking forward to it. Should be a chance to learn a lot even if you do work us hard, Observationalist.

Also, do we need to be around before school for this? I need to know when to come back from Cali. And obviously I am too lazy to email you.