USC 1L Taking Questions Forum

[dangerousminds]

Wow. I just randomly discovered this treasure trove of information. Thanks to all the rising 2Ls who offered advice. As the months have now transitioned into mere weeks, I get more and more excited with every passing day.

[Arelikefoxes]

Wow. I just randomly discovered this treasure trove of information. Thanks to all the rising 2Ls who offered advice. As the months have now transitioned into mere weeks, I get more and more excited with every passing day.

Our pleasure! If anyone has any other questions as we close in on the school year, just ask.

I'm definitely getting excited about coming back...though I suppose our whole class has to first survive the preliminary stages of OCI....

[Element]

Wow. I just randomly discovered this treasure trove of information. Thanks to all the rising 2Ls who offered advice. As the months have now transitioned into mere weeks, I get more and more excited with every passing day.

Rising 2L here. It's a great place to study law, and the community was a lot more friendly and collegial than I imagined it would be (cut-throat). Now, if they could just do something about the building exterior...

[Arelikefoxes]

As I wrap up my last week of work, and things are slowing down, I figured I would throw on here a few other thoughts/unprompted pieces of random advice for the incoming class. Specifically:

(1) At orientation, you will be assigned a locker. Most of the lockers they give 1Ls kind of suck -- either on the lowest level, or midlevel, in the most busy thoroughfares. One of the lesser-known facts, however, is that if you identify a free locker elsewhere in the room (IE ones without locks on them), you can bring that locker number to the the locker registration person, and they will change it for you. I had a top locker away from the other 1Ls, which was really nice, since all the 1Ls tend to get out at the same time, and the top lockers are a fair bit larger.

(2) Starting very early on, you will hear people talking about their class prep/study habits. Most people just do it (1) to be friendly (I found all my classmates would be willing to talk class strategy and share notes if I asked), and (2) to try to gauge their work ethic against others. A lot of law school feels like you are operating in a bubble, and it can be stressful. Feel free to talk to people about these sort of things, but don't let other people's strategies / approaches to 1L freak you out. It's cliche, but I've seen enough mistakes of this nature to make note of it: people learn in different ways. I had many classmates approach studying / learning the material in very different ways, and had equal success. The only common demoninator of successful students was being willing to take the time to understand the law. Sometimes that takes a lot of time and heavy reading - sometimes it doesn't. Fight the urge to create busywork for yourself if you don't really need it.

(3) Upper classmen are great to talk to about classes, professors, or employment questions. Your peer mentors (which are the assigned upperclassmen who will be paired to your section for your first year) are great resources, and if they don't have an answer for you, they will often be able to put you in touch with someone who does. I even emailed a few upperclassmen cold when I had some specific questions for them, and all of them were more than willing to help out. Don't be afraid to talk to upperclassmen -- as we have mentioned a few times, USC's law school is a friendly place. (Incidentially, let me know if any of your TLSers want to grab coffee some time on campus...I will be around, just PM me.)

(4) Remember: Put together your resume and template cover letters for jobs NOW, if you haven't already. Before you can blink, the employment season will have started, and you really want to make sure (1) you are not distracting yourself too greatly from your classes, and (2) you don't short-shrift your application process. It is not uncommon to apply for over 100 jobs, and you really want to have that system automated so it takes up as little time as possible.

(5) I recommend finding a place to study outside the law library, preferrably outside, just to get away once in a while. I found the library had too many other 1Ls pouring over books for my taste, which, combined with the mandatory silence, I felt was stressful. Southern California sun can do wonders for a stress level, and I suggest you take advantage of it as much as possible in your 1L.

I'll keep posting as other random bits come to mind. Others feel free to chime in as well.

[sushirob39]

If we plan on using supplements and stuff, when should we buy those and how do we know if they're appropriate for a particular class?

[Arelikefoxes]

If we plan on using supplements and stuff, when should we buy those and how do we know if they're appropriate for a particular class?

I would advise you to hold off until you've had a chance to talk with some upperclassmen about what supplements they suggest for your specific professor. Absent that (most upperclassmen are going to be very willing to help), I would wait until you have your syllabus and reading list, so you can get a sense of what subjects your specific professor is going to cover, and what books you are using. Professors can vary by a surprisingly large degree in terms of the material they teach, and so some supplements will be better for certain profs than others. Some supplments are specifically keyed to certain casebooks. You can cross-reference the class info with advice here on TLS and Amazon reviews, and just keep an eye on what they are complaining about (for example, the Torts E&E gets knocked often for missing a bunch of causes of action and concepts, but was very well-keyed to my class.)

[sushirob39]

So the schedule for one of my classes says 01:25-02:40pm TWHF. Any idea what the H stands for?

[fatedreality]

So the schedule for one of my classes says 01:25-02:40pm TWHF. Any idea what the H stands for?

Thursday

[071816]

.

[Arelikefoxes]

Why should I choose USC at sticker over a large scholarship at Loyola? Any insight would be greatly appreciated. I was just admitted off of the USC waitlist.

Congrats on the acceptance.

I know you have a poll elsewhere, and the general TLS consensus is to go to USC. Personally, I tend to agree, but these are always such individualized questions. USC is a more prestigious school, has better job prospects, has a smaller class size, etc. But attending USC does not guarantee you a biglaw job on graduation -- and the sheer amount of debt that comes with paying sticker at law school can be daunting.

That said, the stipulations for scholarships at Loyola are incredibly unforgiving. It would be unwise to take for granted that anything beyond the first year is guaranteed.

As you can tell from this thread, I am really happy to be at USC, and I know many others who feel the same way. But choosing a law school is a very personal experience. Good luck, and let us know if you decide to join us this fall!

[071816]

Nevermind.

[071816]

What's the general impression on this year's OCI? How's the job marketing looking?

[8ballistic]

What's the general impression on this year's OCI? How's the job marketing looking?

It's far too early to tell. People in the top 5% have got their Latham offers and whatnot, but it's really too early to tell because many offers haven't gone out. Callbacks are still going on. Don't ask a 2L about this for a month or two, you'll probably just end up stressing yourself and the 2L out more.

[071816]

.

[8ballistic]

What's the general impression on this year's OCI? How's the job marketing looking?

It's far too early to tell. People in the top 5% have got their Latham offers and whatnot, but it's really too early to tell because many offers haven't gone out. Callbacks are still going on. Don't ask a 2L about this for a month or two, you'll probably just end up stressing yourself and the 2L out more.

This question has been asked and answered in just about every other "X 1L Taking Questions" thread though and no one seems to be taking offense to it. Sucks that there are so few USC students on TLS.

I wasn't taking offense to it, it's just that at the time there was literally no way to know because people were still doing call backs. That said, my general impression is that probably 1/3-1/4 of the class received offers from OCI. I know a handful of people on law review with no offers. I don't know if that is better or worse than last year.

[071816]

Gotcha. Thanks.

[Arelikefoxes]

...my general impression is that probably 1/3-1/4 of the class received offers from OCI. I know a handful of people on law review with no offers. I don't know if that is better or worse than last year.

I agree. You won't get anything but anecdotal evidence until USC chooses to conglomerate the information later this year.

[joetheplumber]

i dunno if you answered this, but what were your numbers if you don't mind me asking, and URM?

[glitter178]

i dunno if you answered this, but what were your numbers if you don't mind me asking, and URM?

i think this question is probably not in the right place. It's about discussing the school, not about admissions to get into the school. Law School Numbers as well as the admissions forums on TLS would better serve your question.

[Fark-o-vision]

willing to take questions for a minute or two, if there is anyone out there.

[RELIC]

willing to take questions for a minute or two, if there is anyone out there.

I've got an artesian well on my property, and the water pressure is lousy-- any suggestions?

[Fark-o-vision]

willing to take questions for a minute or two, if there is anyone out there.

I've got an artesian well on my property, and the water pressure is lousy-- any suggestions?

Only one. Get money, homey.

[Yardbird]

USC students,

I'm making a calculator to help calculate COA with tuition/COL increases but I need some data to help the project (http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 2&t=208464). The data specifically needs to come from current students who can look at their budget for the past 1-3 years. I would like to know the average rent, utilities, food, cable/internet for the following schools. If you can help out, please fill out this form. Thanks!

Link to Form (LinkRemoved)

[bellbane12]

What's the school culture like? Are there a good mix of all kinds of people, like older/straight out of undergrad, preppy people/grungier hippie types, etc? I know law school isn't undergrad but USC undergrad has a big spoiled rich kids reputation and I don't want to feel like I'm stuck in Mean Girls.

[innernetp]

What's the school culture like? Are there a good mix of all kinds of people, like older/straight out of undergrad, preppy people/grungier hippie types, etc? I know law school isn't undergrad but USC undergrad has a big spoiled rich kids reputation and I don't want to feel like I'm stuck in Mean Girls.

You won't be stuck in Mean Girls. There will be a lot of Mean Girls quotes, but you won't be in Mean Girls.

People are very friendly and diverse. It's a pretty young student body, most people have been out of school for a year or so. The law school vibe is very distinct from that of the undergrad. No matter what type of person you are you'll be okay as long as you aren't an ass.