Duke Law Class of 2016 Forum

[J90]

Still haven't received scholly info or a notification that it's been sent.

Feel free to call and check, I did a few days ago and she just asked for my name and told me what documents they had/that my scholarship info had just been sent.

I got the letter last night, submitted the required documents in mid-January.

[06102016]

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[risa]

Scholarship decision mailed today. Not sure what (if anything) to expect! Is Duke known for being stingy or generous?

[AnaMariana42]

Hey guys. Long-time lurker, first time poster. Got in early/mid February through PT and it's starting to look like I'll be headed to Duke in the fall, barring an unexpected Harvard acceptance later in the cycle. Still haven't gotten my scholarship package - my form was received 2/25, so based on the timeline I've seen from you guys and people in the 2016 applicants thread I'll be expecting that later this month Really excited about Admitted Students Weekend and getting a feel for the area and campus!

I know the TLS tendency to forget about Duke has been discussed earlier in this thread, but it also seems like it's explicitly bashed on in these circles with some frequency for a school with such a great reputation...why is that? Are there any current Duke students around to combat the occasional "even the kids who go to Duke don't like Duke" vibe on the boards?

[06102016]

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[BigZuck]

It has a small class, so there are fewer people represented on here to defend it. It's not located in a big city. It's not in the top 10, so it misses out on the arbitrary T10 distinction. It's Southern, which a lot of people are turned off by. There might be othere reasons, but these are major ones.

It's a great school, though. It's top 10 in both fed clerkships and biglaw. It's got some truly innovative interdisciplinary programs. It's got a lower cost of living than any other top school. There's not much rational basis for the Duke hate.

Yeah but there are fraternities at Duke!!!

Seriously though, Duke seems pretty awesome to me. But then again I'm old and lame so I don't need to be in a big fancy city. And they have done an excellent job of job placement in recent years and that should be the most important factor.

[AnaMariana42]

Haha, pretty much as I expected. But yeah, the school sounds legitimately awesome. Also digging their LRAP. Thanks for the opinions, though... I didn't want to be missing any obvious reasons that I should be less than excited.

[amsong]

Do you all know where you're living? Can anyone recommend neighbourhoods near campus? I'm trying to search for houses to rent and it's becoming clear that I know nothing.

[curious66]

Do you all know where you're living? Can anyone recommend neighbourhoods near campus? I'm trying to search for houses to rent and it's becoming clear that I know nothing.

I heard there is a bus tour of the areas at ASW. However, there was a list of potential apartments nearby -- alexan, trinity commons, lofts, pinnacle ridge etc. Might want to start there, I don't know about homes for rent, but I am sure there are some.

[amsong]

Aw man, I'm so sad I have to miss ASW. I guess I'll do a bit more research -- I've got a dog, so I'd prefer a house, but I could look into apartments too, I suppose. Thanks!

[AllDangle]

Do you all know where you're living? Can anyone recommend neighbourhoods near campus? I'm trying to search for houses to rent and it's becoming clear that I know nothing.

Check out the Duke Law Denovo link in the first post. They have a lot of housing info.

[amsong]

Thanks! Obviously, I didn't even think to read the OP.

[beachbum]

Are there any current Duke students around to combat the occasional "even the kids who go to Duke don't like Duke" vibe on the boards?

Checking in. I couldn't imagine doing law school anywhere else.

[WearyCartographer]

Are there any current Duke students around to combat the occasional "even the kids who go to Duke don't like Duke" vibe on the boards?

Checking in. I couldn't imagine doing law school anywhere else.

Ditto. Duke/Durham has a lot going for it. It's very underrepresented on TLS, but as was mentioned before, that's largely a result of its small size. When it comes to employment specifically - many firms are looking to fill their classes with one or two people from each law school (especially once you get past HYS and to a lesser extent CCN). This really benefits the smaller schools like Duke. Also, you have a lot less competition in many markets because unlike schools centered in big legal markets - Dukies largely are focused on a diverse set of markets. Also, Duke equals or outperforms basically every school outside of HYS in terms of federal clerkships. On top of all of this I've found that the Career Center is a fairly valuable resource, which doesn't seem to be the case at all of the top schools.

As far as housing goes, I'm a big advocate of houses versus apartments if you are looking for more than just one person. There's some great deals to be had in Durham. The apartments are fine, just pricey (by Durham standards) when compared to what you can get in a house. Feel free to PM me if you want specific housing advice. There are a couple of areas of Durham I'd avoid - but for the most part its very quickly becoming a very comfortable place to live (it seems like there is a new restaurant opening downtown every other week).

[AnaMariana42]

Thanks for the replies, guys! I'm specifically very interested in public interest and government, and the Duke in DC program sounds phenomenal and the LRAP sounds like it could be a major financial resource given my post-grad employment hopes.

Regarding housing, I'd definitely be interested in hearing about non-apartment housing options (I don't have a dog now, but I'm thinking about getting one at some point during grad school).

Can't wait for ASW!

[06102016]

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[hinakas]

This might be a rather silly question, but how necessary is it to have a car in Durham? All of the housing information seems to suggest there are affordable options "a short drive away", but that would be a rather long walk/bike ride. Is the general consensus that you need a car to get around? Any reliable public transportation in the area?

[fallingup]

This might be a rather silly question, but how necessary is it to have a car in Durham? All of the housing information seems to suggest there are affordable options "a short drive away", but that would be a rather long walk/bike ride. Is the general consensus that you need a car to get around? Any reliable public transportation in the area?

I would say it's doable if you absolutely cannot afford a car, but if you have ANY way of obtaining a car, get one. There is some public transportation in downtown Durham and there is also a Duke bus system that has pickups and dropoffs by some area apartment complexes, but you would have to do a LOT of walking and it's really not convenient or safe to do so. I have taken the local public transportation (i.e., buses) a couple times, but very few students do it. You would be really hemmed in by the bus system in choosing where to live and grocery shop, and I can't imagine wasting my time planning my life around buses while busy with law school work.

[fallingup]

Booking a hotel for ASW. I know it's really late but... eh. Anyone have recommendations?

If you don't have a rental car, I would suggest staying at the Washington Duke Inn or the Thomas Center. They are the only hotels walkable to the law school.

[06102016]

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[fallingup]

That being said, I recommend getting a rental car because it'll probably cost you more to pay taxi fare to and from the airport than to rent a car.

[ryantw]

Checking in!
Looking forward to meeting everybody at ASW!

[DorianGray89]

Duke 2L here - working in DC this summer and looking to sublet my house or master bedroom in my house to a summer starter. If anyone is looking for a place to sublet for the summer hit me up. I pay $520 a month plus utilities.

[AllDangle]

I was just reviewing my scholarship award letter looking for info on loans. From the letter, it seems like we should expect another one here soon (late Spring) where it lists how much in loans are available to us and detailing how to apply?

[PM2353]

If any Duke students could answer some questions I have it would be much appreciated:

I was wondering if any Duke students could speak on how difficult it is to secure a biglaw position in Charlotte/NC? Do Duke students feel as if there is an upward trend in employment prospects in the future? Working in North Carolina is an important factor for me and I was curious to see what a Duke students take on trying to find work in North Carolina.

Thanks