Duke 1L (soon to be 2L) taking questions Forum

[BruceWayne]

I'm not a Duke student but I go to UVA and I'm familiar with the Atlanta market.

Atlanta is not like the rest of the Southern markets. They really don't care that much about ties because Atlanta is an international city with tons of transplants and it is extremely large. Plus going to Duke basically gives you as much of a connection as you need. Also, FYI Atlanta isn't really all that conservative either. Maybe in comparison to NYC but it's not conservative in comparison to cities across the country in general.

What Atlanta will care about is you making extremely good grades. Atlanta firms rather have someone with no ties to Atlanta with high grades than one with ties and average or below average grades. If you want a good shot at Atlanta you will need to be in the top 1/3 at the least, of your class. To really be safe you will want top 10 percent. Note that what I'm saying applies to the main line Atlanta firms--not the small ones. Good luck!

[palmtrees11111]

What schools were you choosing between? Are you happy w you're decision to pick Duke? (beyond what you've said about the education?)

sorry for the late reply

my #s were good enough to get into nearly all the top schools.

i definitely love it at duke there is no doubt about that. the only schools i would choose over duke, taking into account all relevant factors (ie employment statistics, prestige, quality of life, alumni relations etc etc) i would only have chosen HYS (MAYBE columbia) over duke.

[palmtrees11111]

What schools were you choosing between? Are you happy w you're decision to pick Duke? (beyond what you've said about the education?)

Because of my mediocre uGPA, I had to ED to break the T14. So the other schools I was seriously considering were Penn, UVA, and Michigan (in that order). But I went with my gut and used my ED on Duke (twice, actually - once in Round I and once in Round II).

I'm very happy with my decision. As lawyerwannabe noted, the quality of life here is just fantastic, and this counts for A LOT when you're stressing through 1L year. Durham offers a nice middle ground between city and small college town (that is, there's plenty to do when you have free time, but not enough to distract you). And the people here are generally relaxed and friendly.

So I guess for me, with the lower T14 (MVPBDCNG) pretty much equivalent in placement power and equal in cost, I decided to go for the school with the best weather/quality of life/personal fit. And now I can't really imagine attending law school anywhere else.

yeah all these guys definitely know what theyre talking about.

i cant stress enough how good of a life we have at duke. dont get me wrong you will work your ass off and youre surrounded by very intelligent people. but everyone knows how to have a good time. cant imagine having a better 1L experience anywhere else. ive heard UVA is great, but they have a larger class size. to me having a smaller class means a better, more tight knit community

[palmtrees11111]

What are you doing this summer?

Interning for a district judge

Have you heard of anyone landing a 1L biglaw SA?

definitely

off the top of my head, like the other person mentioned, we have a wachtell. we also have at least one person at shpeperd mullen (sp?), weil, hogan, and multiple amlaw 200 or whatever firms that pay near market. ive herad of at least 5 other people at firms paying around market, but i dont know what the names of the firms are

key to this is not just grades, but market ties, interviews, and applying early...emphasis on the first and last

[palmtrees11111]

Thanks for starting this thread! I'm going to be moving down to Durham at the beginning of August but am visiting for a weekend in early June to check out apartments and (hopefully) sign a lease. I really like the Belmont's proximity to campus, but I haven't been able to get as clear a sense of it as I have of other places (Alexan, Pinnacle Ridge, the Lofts etc.). I spoke with their leasing office today and they weren't too pushy about getting me to join a waitlist and were confident they would have apartments available. I didn't know if that might be a reflection of students not really living there/the Belmont not being of as good quality as they claim to be in comparison to other apartment complexes. I am probably reading into all of this too much, but if you by any chance know anything about the Belmont/people's opinions about it I would be very grateful to hear any info. Thank you!

a ton of LLMs (in short, international students) lived at hte beltmont. as a jd, i would NOT live at the belmont.

most of the 1Ls lived at pinnacle or alexan. live at one of those. the lofts are overpriced and suck, do NOT live there. trinity is overpriced but very nice. if you need luxury, live there. but very few 1Ls live there.

bottom line: pinnacle or alexan. if you dont mind paying a bit more, definitely alexan. newer, nicer.

if you have any other more specific quetsions about housing shoot

[palmtrees11111]

On a scale of 1 to 10, how much does it SUCK going to Duke? Let's say that 1 = not at all sucky and 10 = extreme suckitude.

confused by this. is this a serious question?

either way, 1. next question. now if being even more serious, i would say not at all sucky in terms of how not at all sucky going to a top law school can be.

there, i played your game.

[palmtrees11111]

On a scale of 1 to 10, how much does it SUCK going to Duke? Let's say that 1 = not at all sucky and 10 = extreme suckitude.

...didn't you go to Cornell?

Non-responsive, but yessir.

If 1 = the school is pretty awesome and 10 = "extreme suckitude", then a 2.

The parking situation isn't great and we get grades back later than most schools. Other than that, hard to complain about a good looking campus, an elite basketball team, great job prospects, beautiful weather and low cost of living.

okay yeah good point. parking fucking sucks at duke. like truly truly fucking sucks. and yeah we got our 1st sem grades back shittily late, but our 2nd sem grades were out first week of june which is very respectable. i know people at some schools that still dont have their grades (although, to be fair, we ended finals earlier than a lot of schools)

[palmtrees11111]

At the risk of sounding like a douchebag, how is the dating and party scene?

all questions are welcome, as long as youre not trying to be a dick, which it doesnt seem like you are trying to be.

either way, party scene is great. i would say a very respectable # of people know how to play hard but get their shit done and stay on top of things. the work/life balance is solid if you want it to be.

dating...

I remember when we first got to duke during a panel discussion 2Ls and 3Ls mentioned that people would start dating during the first semester and break up around 1st semester finals time. HAH…now that did not happen. I can think of a couple that started dating in the beginning and is still dating. Other people sort of coupled up a bit as the year wore on. Also, in terms of young people in our class (as in 22-25ish) I only know a few people off the top of my head that were married by the end of 1L year (to people not in our law school).

“dating scene” is very broad…if you have more specific questions id be happy to answer them.

[palmtrees11111]

Any Duke Law students know whether Atlanta Biglaw is likely out of Duke with very weak to no ties? My grandfather lives in Savannah, but that is the extent of my connection to the entire South. However, I have visited Atlanta numerous times, and I love it there, especially the summer humidity. Furthermore, I am fairly traditional, conservative, friendly and religious. Atlanta appears to be the best fit for me when it comes to major US cities. I have the grades and LSAT to get into Duke (barring a poorly put together application or yield protection), and Duke's Atlanta placement is something I would weigh next cycle if admitted. Could good grades help me overcome weak ties? Cheers!

Where are you from? You may have a hard time convincing southern employers that you want to work in the South if you are from the North or the West Coast. Like mentioned above, many employers assume, if you are not from the area, that you are interested in NY, DC, or CA.

Coming from California, would working in Atlanta during the summer between 1L and 2L be enough to convince Atlanta law firms that I want to be there?

this will DEFINITELY help

[palmtrees11111]

Any Duke Law students know whether Atlanta Biglaw is likely out of Duke with very weak to no ties? My grandfather lives in Savannah, but that is the extent of my connection to the entire South. However, I have visited Atlanta numerous times, and I love it there, especially the summer humidity. Furthermore, I am fairly traditional, conservative, friendly and religious. Atlanta appears to be the best fit for me when it comes to major US cities. I have the grades and LSAT to get into Duke (barring a poorly put together application or yield protection), and Duke's Atlanta placement is something I would weigh next cycle if admitted. Could good grades help me overcome weak ties? Cheers!

Where are you from? You may have a hard time convincing southern employers that you want to work in the South if you are from the North or the West Coast. Like mentioned above, many employers assume, if you are not from the area, that you are interested in NY, DC, or CA.

I am from California, but at this point I have very little interest in CA or NY. Thank you, lawyerwannabe and beachbum for your responses. I would greatly appreciate any other Duke Law students, especially 2L's or 3L's, that have any insight to add.

just took a very quick look at our oci list and we have around 20 big atl firms interviewing

[jmets890]

Can anyone post a sample of what their schedules were in the past? In terms of times of classes each day? Thanks in advance!

[dabbadon8]

Can anyone post a sample of what their schedules were in the past? In terms of times of classes each day? Thanks in advance!

Varied each semester, and section to section. This past spring I had legal writing, at 9:30 Monday and Thursday. Then class from 10:25ish (directly followed legal writing) till 12:00. Everyone has off from 12-1:30 for lunch. Then class from 1:30-4. Legal writing ended right before spring break. That being said, some people had legal writing at 8. Others had a class starting at like 5 till almost 7. So it really varies. I didn't have class on friday all year, but some people had legal writing meet then. My fall semester was pretty similar except everything was an hour earlier and lunch was an hour.

[etlien]

Can anyone post a sample of what their schedules were in the past? In terms of times of classes each day? Thanks in advance!

Varied each semester, and section to section. This past spring I had legal writing, at 9:30 Monday and Thursday. Then class from 10:25ish (directly followed legal writing) till 12:00. Everyone has off from 12-1:30 for lunch. Then class from 1:30-4. Legal writing ended right before spring break. That being said, some people had legal writing at 8. Others had a class starting at like 5 till almost 7. So it really varies. I didn't have class on friday all year, but some people had legal writing meet then. My fall semester was pretty similar except everything was an hour earlier and lunch was an hour.

Except legal writing, I think most people had both Wednesdays and Fridays off this Spring which was sweet.

[lawyerwannabe]

Can anyone post a sample of what their schedules were in the past? In terms of times of classes each day? Thanks in advance!

Varied each semester, and section to section. This past spring I had legal writing, at 9:30 Monday and Thursday. Then class from 10:25ish (directly followed legal writing) till 12:00. Everyone has off from 12-1:30 for lunch. Then class from 1:30-4. Legal writing ended right before spring break. That being said, some people had legal writing at 8. Others had a class starting at like 5 till almost 7. So it really varies. I didn't have class on friday all year, but some people had legal writing meet then. My fall semester was pretty similar except everything was an hour earlier and lunch was an hour.

Except legal writing, I think most people had both Wednesdays and Fridays off this Spring which was sweet.

Never had a full week day off.

First semester I had legal writing on Friday (only have the semester though). Second semester I had one class on Wednesday and legal writing again on Friday. However, second semester I did not start class until 10:30 and was done no later than 4. Overall, awesome schedule because minimal amount of down-time in between classes.

[xjykybl]

Thanks for starting this thread! I'm going to be moving down to Durham at the beginning of August but am visiting for a weekend in early June to check out apartments and (hopefully) sign a lease. I really like the Belmont's proximity to campus, but I haven't been able to get as clear a sense of it as I have of other places (Alexan, Pinnacle Ridge, the Lofts etc.). I spoke with their leasing office today and they weren't too pushy about getting me to join a waitlist and were confident they would have apartments available. I didn't know if that might be a reflection of students not really living there/the Belmont not being of as good quality as they claim to be in comparison to other apartment complexes. I am probably reading into all of this too much, but if you by any chance know anything about the Belmont/people's opinions about it I would be very grateful to hear any info. Thank you!

a ton of LLMs (in short, international students) lived at hte beltmont. as a jd, i would NOT live at the belmont.

most of the 1Ls lived at pinnacle or alexan. live at one of those. the lofts are overpriced and suck, do NOT live there. trinity is overpriced but very nice. if you need luxury, live there. but very few 1Ls live there.

bottom line: pinnacle or alexan. if you dont mind paying a bit more, definitely alexan. newer, nicer.

if you have any other more specific quetsions about housing shoot

Hey, thanks for the info. I am moving to duke in early august.
I don't have a car and want to live within walking distance to law school. I have looked at belmont, but there are reviews complaining about party noise. Bradford Ridge looks not bad. Do you have any other recommendations?

Thanks a lot!!

[lawyerwannabe]

Thanks for starting this thread! I'm going to be moving down to Durham at the beginning of August but am visiting for a weekend in early June to check out apartments and (hopefully) sign a lease. I really like the Belmont's proximity to campus, but I haven't been able to get as clear a sense of it as I have of other places (Alexan, Pinnacle Ridge, the Lofts etc.). I spoke with their leasing office today and they weren't too pushy about getting me to join a waitlist and were confident they would have apartments available. I didn't know if that might be a reflection of students not really living there/the Belmont not being of as good quality as they claim to be in comparison to other apartment complexes. I am probably reading into all of this too much, but if you by any chance know anything about the Belmont/people's opinions about it I would be very grateful to hear any info. Thank you!

a ton of LLMs (in short, international students) lived at hte beltmont. as a jd, i would NOT live at the belmont.

most of the 1Ls lived at pinnacle or alexan. live at one of those. the lofts are overpriced and suck, do NOT live there. trinity is overpriced but very nice. if you need luxury, live there. but very few 1Ls live there.

bottom line: pinnacle or alexan. if you dont mind paying a bit more, definitely alexan. newer, nicer.

if you have any other more specific quetsions about housing shoot

Hey, thanks for the info. I am moving to duke in early august.
I don't have a car and want to live within walking distance to law school. I have looked at belmont, but there are reviews complaining about party noise. Bradford Ridge looks not bad. Do you have any other recommendations?

Thanks a lot!!

Not owning a car in Durham does not seem like a very good idea to me, personally.

[etlien]

Thanks for starting this thread! I'm going to be moving down to Durham at the beginning of August but am visiting for a weekend in early June to check out apartments and (hopefully) sign a lease. I really like the Belmont's proximity to campus, but I haven't been able to get as clear a sense of it as I have of other places (Alexan, Pinnacle Ridge, the Lofts etc.). I spoke with their leasing office today and they weren't too pushy about getting me to join a waitlist and were confident they would have apartments available. I didn't know if that might be a reflection of students not really living there/the Belmont not being of as good quality as they claim to be in comparison to other apartment complexes. I am probably reading into all of this too much, but if you by any chance know anything about the Belmont/people's opinions about it I would be very grateful to hear any info. Thank you!

a ton of LLMs (in short, international students) lived at hte beltmont. as a jd, i would NOT live at the belmont.

most of the 1Ls lived at pinnacle or alexan. live at one of those. the lofts are overpriced and suck, do NOT live there. trinity is overpriced but very nice. if you need luxury, live there. but very few 1Ls live there.

bottom line: pinnacle or alexan. if you dont mind paying a bit more, definitely alexan. newer, nicer.

if you have any other more specific quetsions about housing shoot

Hey, thanks for the info. I am moving to duke in early august.
I don't have a car and want to live within walking distance to law school. I have looked at belmont, but there are reviews complaining about party noise. Bradford Ridge looks not bad. Do you have any other recommendations?

Thanks a lot!!

I didn't have a car and lived in Trinity Commons. Several other 1Ls lived there too. Lofts are another option. They are both pricier, but well worth not having to deal with the clusterfuck that is Duke parking.

[mottainai]

Thanks for doing this topic.

I'm looking to move into Pinnacle Ridge this year, and I was just curious whether or not it was feasible to do without a car there. How's the public transportation in general?

[lawyerwannabe]

Thanks for starting this thread! I'm going to be moving down to Durham at the beginning of August but am visiting for a weekend in early June to check out apartments and (hopefully) sign a lease. I really like the Belmont's proximity to campus, but I haven't been able to get as clear a sense of it as I have of other places (Alexan, Pinnacle Ridge, the Lofts etc.). I spoke with their leasing office today and they weren't too pushy about getting me to join a waitlist and were confident they would have apartments available. I didn't know if that might be a reflection of students not really living there/the Belmont not being of as good quality as they claim to be in comparison to other apartment complexes. I am probably reading into all of this too much, but if you by any chance know anything about the Belmont/people's opinions about it I would be very grateful to hear any info. Thank you!

a ton of LLMs (in short, international students) lived at hte beltmont. as a jd, i would NOT live at the belmont.

most of the 1Ls lived at pinnacle or alexan. live at one of those. the lofts are overpriced and suck, do NOT live there. trinity is overpriced but very nice. if you need luxury, live there. but very few 1Ls live there.

bottom line: pinnacle or alexan. if you dont mind paying a bit more, definitely alexan. newer, nicer.

if you have any other more specific quetsions about housing shoot

Hey, thanks for the info. I am moving to duke in early august.
I don't have a car and want to live within walking distance to law school. I have looked at belmont, but there are reviews complaining about party noise. Bradford Ridge looks not bad. Do you have any other recommendations?

Thanks a lot!!

I didn't have a car and lived in Trinity Commons. Several other 1Ls lived there too. Lofts are another option. They are both pricier, but well worth not having to deal with the clusterfuck that is Duke parking.

To each their own. But I think not having a car in Durham is crazy.

[WearyCartographer]

Thanks for doing this topic.

I'm looking to move into Pinnacle Ridge this year, and I was just curious whether or not it was feasible to do without a car there. How's the public transportation in general?

I guess it is technically possible to take public transit from Pinnacle Ridge to school, but it'd be a circuitous route that would involve changing buses downtown. But, at least to someone who came from cities with great public transit systems, Durham's bus system is pretty terrible. If you live in Pinnacle or Alexan you pretty much need to have a car. Biking would be easier than taking the bus, if you REALLY wanted to avoid having a car and live at Pinnacle.

I know a few people who didn't have cars during 1L and they all lived close to campus (mostly just off Erwin Road) within walking distance. Some are getting cars for 2L and a few were fine with not having a car. The vast majority of people have cars and things are pretty spread out, so running errands would definitely be a pain without one. It was also very easy to afford a car within the budget that the law school allots you.

[wiseowl]

You could get rides, etc.

But remember, for example, that OCI is at a hotel several miles away, there are sometimes dinners, etc in other parts of town. Also there's maybe 2-3 bars tops within walking distance of school, the rest are further away.

If you're OK taking cabs or being the guy always bumming rides, go for it. Otherwise, a car is required. Remember it gets really hot and really cold here.

[palmtrees11111]

seriously, get a car.

i cant imagine how shitty my life would have been without at a car. i mean i guess the dude that lived in trinity may be more qualified than me to give input on life without a car, but still...get. a. car.

its more than worth it. no idea what durham public transportation is like first hand, but i hear its not the best. also, think about getting groceries, going to restaurants, getting dry cleaning done, etc etc. youre going to be busy enough with law school as it is, you dont want to have to be worrying about bumming rides and taking public transportation.

again, get a car.

[palmtrees11111]

also, while everyone (including me) bitches about duke parking, if you buy a green zone parking pass (which is basically all 1Ls park unless they get a chem lot carpool pass), in the very worst case, you have to walk about 12 minutes to school. duke parking is terrible, but i mean if you budget time accordingly im sure it wouldnt be all that bad

[juju96]

whats somethings to do in durham im trying to get a feel for the city as best i can without actually visiting

[lawyerwannabe]

whats somethings to do in durham im trying to get a feel for the city as best i can without actually visiting

This is the oddest question I have ever seen. LOL.

Anyways, what is there to do in any city? Go to a restaurant, go to a bar, go to a movie? There are too many different restaurants to count and plenty of different bars with different vibes. While I think Durham has plenty enough going on, if you are from a big city and expect Durham to be anything like that then you are going to be disappointed. There is not a ton to downtown Durham. However, Durham has a minor league baseball team, the Hurricanes play twenty or so minutes away in Raleigh, and the Panthers are about a 2.5 hour drive away. All in all, factoring in COL, it's a pretty sweet place IMO.