Stanford 1L taking questions for a bit Forum

[Yukos]

I'm wondering if one of you could discuss a typical 1L day or week.

I can't really remember fall quarter and after that it varies for everyone based on electives. For fall it's something like four hours of class a day and then a lot of partying (at the beginning) or a lot of studying (at the end).

How is SLS for PI-focused students? Would you say there's a solid community of PI students, or are they more scattered/rare? How is the PI career services office?

The PI community is fantastic. There are TONS of kids doing PI--I would say half or less of my friends are doing OCI, and many of the OCI ones are planning on applying for PI positions 3L year anyway. Many of the best professors will encourage you to go into PI and, most importantly, SLS gives you a real shot at incredibly competitive PI jobs like Skadden Fellowships and DOJ Honors. YLS and SLS probably have the strongest PI communities in the country and you can't go wrong at either.

Any stanford campus events where one could meet with current LS students and ask them general questions?

This sounds like a question for Dean Deal.

It may vary from individual to individual, but typically how many hours per day one must study to do reasonably well at sls? What would be the percentage of engineer/stem types in sls body?

This is going to completely depend on the person. You can be fine doing absolutely no work until a couple weeks before finals, but I like to read for about an hour every day to keep up with class. But remember that you'll pretty much always have big outside commitments like LRW assignments, pro bono assignments, etc, so even if you're not studying much you're working pretty hard. I also think it's really important not to do too much at the beginning so you don't burn out at the end.

[DiniMae]

Thanks for answering these questions.

Did you find yourself at a disadvantage for SA positions because class ends so late in the spring? Do you arrive at firms after most other SAs?

How much of your time is spent interviewing (and preparing for interviews) during mid-August through school ending? I am looking to find out if this essentially free time and a whether a quick getaway can be squeezed in).

[Yukos]

Thanks for answering these questions.

Did you find yourself at a disadvantage for SA positions because class ends so late in the spring? Do you arrive at firms after most other SAs?

How much of your time is spent interviewing (and preparing for interviews) during mid-August through school ending? I am looking to find out if this essentially free time and a whether a quick getaway can be squeezed in).

I haven't gone through OCI so I can't answer most of this. But I think our placement statistics speak for themselves as far as whether employers are worried about us starting late.

I will say a nice benefit of school starting late in the fall is you probably won't have to miss any class doing callbacks. I've heard this period of time at most law schools is just awful between the stress of OCI and the difficulty keeping up in class.

[zazmo2]

Would you recommend on-campus housing for a 1L? If so, any tips, any options to especially choose/avoid, etc.? Thanks

[Yukos]

Would you recommend on-campus housing for a 1L? If so, any tips, any options to especially choose/avoid, etc.? Thanks

Yes. Live in Munger. It's the best law school housing in the country and it's where all the parties are. This is your easiest decision in law school

[zazmo2]

Would you recommend on-campus housing for a 1L? If so, any tips, any options to especially choose/avoid, etc.? Thanks

Yes. Live in Munger. It's the best law school housing in the country and it's where all the parties are. This is your easiest decision in law school

Looks beautiful, but a bit pricey -- any thoughts on Escondido Village? Or is Munger definitely worth the price difference?

[HankBashir]

Would you recommend on-campus housing for a 1L? If so, any tips, any options to especially choose/avoid, etc.? Thanks

Yes. Live in Munger. It's the best law school housing in the country and it's where all the parties are. This is your easiest decision in law school

Looks beautiful, but a bit pricey -- any thoughts on Escondido Village? Or is Munger definitely worth the price difference?

I know I didn't want to share a bathroom, so it was Munger for me. Also, the ability to walk to the law school in less than 5 minutes, whereas the edge of EV is about a half a mile from the law school. I'm also uncertain about the status of air conditioning in many of the EV buildings.

That said, EV is much quieter than Munger, because EV is not surrounded by undergrad dorms and frat houses.

[thestatusguo]

Hi guys!

Just wanted to ask about the chances of getting a room in Munger if we recently got off the WL; how likely has it been? Thanks! Can't wait!

[ThinkNegative]

Don't listen to the haters, Escondido Village is great. Definitely quieter and more relaxed. At a certain point you will be very happy to be a little further from the law school. And the weather is great, I've never even checked if there's air conditioning because it's never been necessary. Can't go wrong either way, just depends what kind of place you want.

[zazmo2]

As current students, do you think the large percentage of SLS grads employed in California is self-selection?

If I hope to find public interest employment in New York or DC, will I still be competitive against YLS, HLS, and the rest?

[gottago]

?

[Yukos]

As current students, do you think the large percentage of SLS grads employed in California is self-selection?

If I hope to find public interest employment in New York or DC, will I still be competitive against YLS, HLS, and the rest?

I think this is complete self-selection and there's absolutely no difference between SLS and HLS (YLS has an edge in clerkships so it might here too, no idea).

I've been hearing a lot about Stanford's chillness. Is the brand of chillness SLS-specific, or is it more like a Cali thing that SLS students self-select into?

Don't know, never attended another California law school. It's definitely chill, but beware of Stanford Duck Syndrome.

Moreover, is it a YLS-like collaborative culture like "let's not compete for clinics because there's a surplus," or a "let's kick it on a day-to-day basis"?

Everyone is really close, it's kinda amazing. We chill on a daily basis. Again, I can't compare it to YLS.

Also one thing that I heard (some) YLS students talk about was how the law school was physically close to old campus but otherwise isolated from the rest of the graduate student body. Is that true of SLS too?

Yeah law students don't really hang out with anyone else, including other grad students--at least 1L year. I've heard this is universal across law schools.

Lastly, how is Palo Alto itself for someone without a car? I know it's not technically close to SJ/SF but does it at least compare favorably to places like Hanover, NH where you never go "fuqqqqq this place is dead there's nothing to do here"?

)

I didn't have a car. It's fine 1L year--you're too busy to really need to be going off-campus very often (and bar reviews in PA are fine, at least for one year). I'm going to have a car next year and I'm excited.

SF is reachable without a car but it does take a long time, and the airport is a real pain in the ass. You'll be able to find a ride if you need one, and people occasionally go to concerts and things in Oakland or SF, but you will be spending a lot of time on campus (which was fine by me but I could see some people not liking it).

[love4life29]

.

[HankBashir]

Do students ever live in SF? 2L or 3L year? Hoping to move in with my SO who works in SF.

A fairly large chunk of the 3Ls move to SF every year. I know a 1L that lived in SF with his SO and brought his bike down on the CalTrain every day.

[thestatusguo]

Hi!

Incoming 1L here. Just got my housing assignment back from the waiting list and I was assigned to the subsidized off-campus apartments at Oak Creek; I got off the wait list about three weeks ago and had originally ranked exclusively Munger options on my app, but I did select that I would take anything. Anybody have any experience with this? I would like to still be considered for Munger if possible and wait it out, but I get the impression that once they assign you something, it's kind of a done deal, at least until the reassignments come out - but "we are typically not able to start reassignments until winter or spring." It seems like they'll look at all unassigned people now before coming to me - even though they threw me off campus. Does this mean that people who get off the WL later may have a shot at Munger through continuous housing and I won't? I applied for a reassignment immediately after receiving my housing results today.

I also was assigned *just* for the Autumn quarter. The email indicates that because this is the case, I will automatically be thrown into the Winter Waiting List but that "you will have a priority for those spaces on campus and are still guaranteed housing for the rest of the academic year as long as you are willing to live anywhere." It looks like I will have to pick up keys for my new winter assignment on December 18th, and move all over again in the middle of the year.

So what to do now? I'm so excited about going to SLS but would really, really prefer Munger. Is it possible to still get reassigned into Munger before the year starts? Or am I kind of stuck living in Oak Creek until...further notice from them? Would staying in Oak Creek mean that I have a really good shot at Munger for Winter Quarter and beyond? I'm also contemplating paying the fee + reapplying for housing again to pref only Munger and wait it out because I have someone that I can very likely stay with who is currently in a quad in Munger. Would this be a terrible idea?

Thanks in advance!

[Sls17]

My question is sort of the opposite of the one above...

I got a 4 bedroom in Munger because I checked that silly box to accept any housing assignment -- I wanted to spend under/around $1000 for housing, and Munger is quite a bit out of my budget.

Is it worth submitting the reassignment request? Do those move at all? I'm thinking maybe because Munger is generally desirable, it might not be too hard to "downgrade" to EV or similar housing, as the case may be?

[Yukos]

My question is sort of the opposite of the one above...

I got a 4 bedroom in Munger because I checked that silly box to accept any housing assignment -- I wanted to spend under/around $1000 for housing, and Munger is quite a bit out of my budget.

Is it worth submitting the reassignment request? Do those move at all? I'm thinking maybe because Munger is generally desirable, it might not be too hard to "downgrade" to EV or similar housing, as the case may be?

I was able to trade Munger for EV, but I talked to them about it in April. I haven't looked extensively at the off-campus market, but I would say it's going to be very difficult to find housing for under $1000. I know taking on even more debt is scary, but I think 1L is the one time when you don't want to cut corners to save. It's going to be stressful and having a nice place to go back to--whether in Munger, EV or off-campus, makes things much better.

[thestatusguo]

My question is sort of the opposite of the one above...

I got a 4 bedroom in Munger because I checked that silly box to accept any housing assignment -- I wanted to spend under/around $1000 for housing, and Munger is quite a bit out of my budget.

Is it worth submitting the reassignment request? Do those move at all? I'm thinking maybe because Munger is generally desirable, it might not be too hard to "downgrade" to EV or similar housing, as the case may be?

LOL wish I could trade you

[speedtracer]

I just got accepted to Stanford as a transfer. Would you say that Stanford is fun?

[speedtracer]

Actually would a Stanford student mind PMing me?

[Instinctive]

What is the time between move in, orientation, and the start of 1L classes like?

Also, I'm assuming orientation is W/TH/F, can't seem to get a schedule or anything yet from Admit Student website. What's orientation like?

Context: My SO and I are trying to decide if she should come out with me for the move, or if there will be a lot of hanging out post-orientation with other 1Ls and getting to know people and such. Orientation itself isn't a problem because she's a consultant and will work remote during the daytime anyway, but we're trying to decide if it makes sense for her to come out and stay til like Labor Day, or if it makes more sense to get settled in first, get to know your section, etc...and then have SO visit later in September instead.

[Yukos]

Sorry, it's been nuts lately.

I just got accepted to Stanford as a transfer. Would you say that Stanford is fun?

I can't imagine a more fun law school experience. But I really like law school, and I think it's pretty clear from this thread that I'm a Stanford homer.

What is the time between move in, orientation, and the start of 1L classes like?

Also, I'm assuming orientation is W/TH/F, can't seem to get a schedule or anything yet from Admit Student website. What's orientation like?

Context: My SO and I are trying to decide if she should come out with me for the move, or if there will be a lot of hanging out post-orientation with other 1Ls and getting to know people and such. Orientation itself isn't a problem because she's a consultant and will work remote during the daytime anyway, but we're trying to decide if it makes sense for her to come out and stay til like Labor Day, or if it makes more sense to get settled in first, get to know your section, etc...and then have SO visit later in September instead.

I'm really trying to remember what this was like but it feels like forever ago. There was definitely partying. I remember orientation being super boring with barely any social events, but that was partly because it was Yom Kippur so they couldn't do evening events. If you want your SO to meet the 1Ls and everything have her come out. If you want to have that time to really put yourself out there and try to make friends (who you can then introduce to your SO) by yourself, do that. Some people's SOs are so involved in the law school scene that they feel like 1Ls, other people's I never met even though they lived in Munger--it's really up to you and her.

[Instinctive]

^ Thanks!

[tigerlion]

I'm so excited to start at SLS in less than a month. Thanks for sharing with us incoming 1Ls all the prepping & studying tips, and life advice!

Question: how do people typically go about asking upperclassmen for outlines?

[WinterIsHere]

I'm so excited to start at SLS in less than a month. Thanks for sharing with us incoming 1Ls all the prepping & studying tips, and life advice!

Question: how do people typically go about asking upperclassmen for outlines?

There is an outline database that only SLS students can access (maintained by one of the journals) where the outlines are stored. People are encouraged at the end of the quarter to upload their outlines. You typically work from those, find the best one, and don't need to ask anyone else.