Recently Graduated UT Law Student taking questions Forum

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EvanWilliams2

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Re: Recently Graduated UT Law Student taking questions

Post by EvanWilliams2 » Tue Feb 21, 2017 2:15 am

I'll be starting at UT in the Fall and have a couple of random, non-related questions:

1) Do the large amount of transfers into UT affect employment outcomes for non-transfer students? UT seems to bring in a gigantic number of transfers and knowing that there are a finite number of jobs/internships, I was curious how those transfers fare compared to 1L-3L'ers.

2) What is the free food situation at the school like? I see events such as panels on the UT Law website advertising that lunch will be provided. Is it generally considered bad etiquette to read for class/surf the internet while listening to the speakers? Does anyone take the food and dip out (poor form, I know) or get ahold of leftovers? Just trying to get an idea of how I'm going to budget for food.

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brinicolec

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Re: Recently Graduated UT Law Student taking questions

Post by brinicolec » Tue Feb 21, 2017 8:30 pm

Regarding scholarship negotiation:

Is it a good idea to also include higher-ranked schools that you got into, even if they didn't offer money?

cannibal ox

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Re: Recently Graduated UT Law Student taking questions

Post by cannibal ox » Tue Feb 21, 2017 9:37 pm

The head of admissions has changed since I did my scholarship negotiations (though I think the staff is still in place), so my advice might be dated. I'm pretty sure UT didn't care much about school rank and cared more about comparable offers in terms of money and your reasons for attending the other schools. "I got into a t14, please bump my scholarship" is probably not going to get you an increase, whereas "I'm in at a t20 and they gave me 2x more than you, but I want to attend UT for X, Y, and Z reasons" is going to play much better. I did the latter and got a significant bump in scholarship.

I think the more personable you can make your negotiations, the better off you'll be. Explain why you want to attend UT, but why you're considering other schools (will cost less, can maybe get you into the same markets at UT, whatever), and that you really want to end up at UT but it needs to make financial sense for your future.

ray.bee

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Re: Recently Graduated UT Law Student taking questions

Post by ray.bee » Sun Feb 26, 2017 8:29 pm

How difficult is it to get on a Journal? I was at uva this week and they said everyone who wants it, gets one. Is that a similar case at UT?

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Re: Recently Graduated UT Law Student taking questions

Post by cannibal ox » Sun Feb 26, 2017 8:39 pm

ray.bee wrote:How difficult is it to get on a Journal? I was at uva this week and they said everyone who wants it, gets one. Is that a similar case at UT?
You can bid on 3 + Law Review. The write-on competition is about as easy as you're going to get at any school. I've never heard of anyone wanting to get onto a journal and not being able to, though I've heard of people not getting their first choice.

You can also join the "society" of a journal during 1L (and maybe the actual journal during spring semester?) and get your foot in the door of one you want.

tldr; not difficult

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ray.bee

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Re: Recently Graduated UT Law Student taking questions

Post by ray.bee » Sun Feb 26, 2017 9:55 pm

cannibal ox wrote:
ray.bee wrote:How difficult is it to get on a Journal? I was at uva this week and they said everyone who wants it, gets one. Is that a similar case at UT?
You can bid on 3 + Law Review. The write-on competition is about as easy as you're going to get at any school. I've never heard of anyone wanting to get onto a journal and not being able to, though I've heard of people not getting their first choice.

You can also join the "society" of a journal during 1L (and maybe the actual journal during spring semester?) and get your foot in the door of one you want.

tldr; not difficult
Great! Thanks, I'm happy to hear this! :)

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Re: Recently Graduated UT Law Student taking questions

Post by Hikikomorist » Sun Feb 26, 2017 10:29 pm

ray.bee wrote:
cannibal ox wrote:
ray.bee wrote:How difficult is it to get on a Journal? I was at uva this week and they said everyone who wants it, gets one. Is that a similar case at UT?
You can bid on 3 + Law Review. The write-on competition is about as easy as you're going to get at any school. I've never heard of anyone wanting to get onto a journal and not being able to, though I've heard of people not getting their first choice.

You can also join the "society" of a journal during 1L (and maybe the actual journal during spring semester?) and get your foot in the door of one you want.

tldr; not difficult
Great! Thanks, I'm happy to hear this! :)
I thought it was 4+LR last year, but I could be misremembering. I think most secondary journals welcome 1Ls for the spring semester.

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PrezRand

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Re: Recently Graduated UT Law Student taking questions

Post by PrezRand » Tue Mar 07, 2017 10:40 pm

Does in-state students get Texas grants for law school?

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Re: Recently Graduated UT Law Student taking questions

Post by cannibal ox » Tue Mar 07, 2017 10:45 pm

PrezRand wrote:Does in-state students get Texas grants for law school?
Yes, I believe so. I don't know if they're guaranteed but they definitely fluctuate year to year. I think the average is between 3k and 5k per year?

I'm out of state and I got grants during 2L and 3L, but both yearly grants were below what my in-state friends got.

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PrezRand

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Re: Recently Graduated UT Law Student taking questions

Post by PrezRand » Tue Mar 07, 2017 10:55 pm

cannibal ox wrote:
PrezRand wrote:Does in-state students get Texas grants for law school?
Yes, I believe so. I don't know if they're guaranteed but they definitely fluctuate year to year. I think the average is between 3k and 5k per year?

I'm out of state and I got grants during 2L and 3L, but both yearly grants were below what my in-state friends got.
Thanks for your response. One last question, What grades do you need to get 1L SA from tx?

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Re: Recently Graduated UT Law Student taking questions

Post by cannibal ox » Tue Mar 07, 2017 11:01 pm

PrezRand wrote:
cannibal ox wrote:
PrezRand wrote:Does in-state students get Texas grants for law school?
Yes, I believe so. I don't know if they're guaranteed but they definitely fluctuate year to year. I think the average is between 3k and 5k per year?

I'm out of state and I got grants during 2L and 3L, but both yearly grants were below what my in-state friends got.
Thanks for your response. One last question, What grades do you need to get 1L SA from tx?
Don't count on getting a 1L SA. Don't factor it into your choice of schools.

You can be top 10% and mass mail the entire country and not get a 1L SA. You can be median and get biglaw interviews at 1L OCI. Doesn't really matter. You probably won't have a 1L SA. It's not even worth discussing.

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Re: Recently Graduated UT Law Student taking questions

Post by genericwit » Wed Mar 08, 2017 9:10 am

PrezRand wrote:
cannibal ox wrote:
PrezRand wrote:Does in-state students get Texas grants for law school?
Yes, I believe so. I don't know if they're guaranteed but they definitely fluctuate year to year. I think the average is between 3k and 5k per year?

I'm out of state and I got grants during 2L and 3L, but both yearly grants were below what my in-state friends got.
Thanks for your response. One last question, What grades do you need to get 1L SA from tx?
I echo the above sentiment, but generally speaking, I'll say that about 20 percent of 1Ls get biglaw summer clerkships. What I remember the CSO office saying during their presentation. Some of the folks in the top 25 percent GPA ranking do PI though, so generally speaking if you're in the top 25 percent you have a decent chance. Compared practically to the people I know, this seems about right. There are a few lower folks who got jobs because of 'networking,' but you shouldn't count on that.

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Re: Recently Graduated UT Law Student taking questions

Post by mosunny » Mon Apr 03, 2017 10:01 pm

Can anyone talk specifics about living arrangements during 1L? On my tour and at ASD it seemed like most 1Ls live in Hyde Park and that it is highly advisable to be within walking distance because parking is a nightmare (even with a pass) and the busses are crowded with undergrads. Thoughts?? Did anyone here live outside of walking distance during their first year?

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Re: Recently Graduated UT Law Student taking questions

Post by Hikikomorist » Mon Apr 03, 2017 10:09 pm

mosunny wrote:Can anyone talk specifics about living arrangements during 1L? On my tour and at ASD it seemed like most 1Ls live in Hyde Park and that it is highly advisable to be within walking distance because parking is a nightmare (even with a pass) and the busses are crowded with undergrads. Thoughts?? Did anyone here live outside of walking distance during their first year?
Homeless people, not UG students, are the problem with the buses.

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Re: Recently Graduated UT Law Student taking questions

Post by mosunny » Mon Apr 03, 2017 10:22 pm

Hikikomorist wrote:
mosunny wrote:Can anyone talk specifics about living arrangements during 1L? On my tour and at ASD it seemed like most 1Ls live in Hyde Park and that it is highly advisable to be within walking distance because parking is a nightmare (even with a pass) and the busses are crowded with undergrads. Thoughts?? Did anyone here live outside of walking distance during their first year?
Homeless people, not UG students, are the problem with the buses.

Sorry, I think I meant shuttles. If there's a difference.

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Re: Recently Graduated UT Law Student taking questions

Post by TLS_Dreamer » Sun Apr 09, 2017 8:58 am

Will UT negotiate twice? I have scholarship offers from NYU, UVA, and Duke that are comparable to what UT offered me (Duke would only cost $40k more than UT) and WUSTL gave me a full ride, but UT only upped their offer by 2k/yr. With the other schools' employment stats I can't justify going to UT for that price even though I want to practice in Texas... I'm hoping they might negotiate again.
Last edited by TLS_Dreamer on Sun Apr 09, 2017 10:09 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Recently Graduated UT Law Student taking questions

Post by cannibal ox » Sun Apr 09, 2017 10:04 am

TLS_Dreamer wrote:Will UT negotiate twice? I have scharsh up offers from NYU, UVA, and Duke that are comparable to what UT offered me (Duke would only cost $40k more than UT) and WUSTL gave me a full ride, but UT only upped their offer by 2k/yr. With the other schools' employment stats I can't justify going to UT for that price even though I want to practice in Texas... I'm hoping they might negotiate again.
They only have one "official" time when you can negotiate, but the worst they can do is say no if you ask again. If you want to practice in Texas but it would be financially irresponsible to attend UT over other schools, tell them that. Just an anecdote, but I had my offer increased twice after discussions with admissions (3 years ago, so take that with a grain of salt).

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TLS_Dreamer

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Re: Recently Graduated UT Law Student taking questions

Post by TLS_Dreamer » Sun Apr 09, 2017 10:11 am

Awesome, thank you!

If you have any thoughts on where I should go I'd love to hear it since it sounds like you're a UT grad? I asked for TLS's help here where there's more info: http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 1&t=276375

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Re: Recently Graduated UT Law Student taking questions

Post by cannibal ox » Sun Apr 09, 2017 10:17 am

Current UT 3L, but so checked out mentally that I'm basically a UT grad (knock on wood I don't fail any of my finals)

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Re: Recently Graduated UT Law Student taking questions

Post by TLS_Dreamer » Sun Apr 09, 2017 10:57 am

Hahaha good luck!

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Tazewell

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Re: Recently Graduated UT Law Student taking questions

Post by Tazewell » Tue Aug 15, 2017 11:50 am

I have Kull for Contracts and Johanson for property and have seen plenty on both of them on here, but nothing on Klein for criminal law. I was hoping someone might be able to share something on her class.

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Tx878

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Re: Recently Graduated UT Law Student taking questions

Post by Tx878 » Tue Aug 15, 2017 1:08 pm

Anyone have anything on Dickerson for civ pro?

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Re: Recently Graduated UT Law Student taking questions

Post by jutom123 » Wed Aug 23, 2017 10:55 am

Apollo526 wrote:Did both my undergrad and my law school at The University of Texas. Focused on intellectual property and bit on mock trial my third year.

Currently studying for the bar, so I'll only check this page about once a day and try to respond to as much as I can within 5-10 minutes.

Good to know! As a Texan, I am also very happy that I also do what I want to do in this school

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Tazewell

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Re: Recently Graduated UT Law Student taking questions

Post by Tazewell » Tue Dec 26, 2017 8:47 pm

Civ Pro - Bone
Con Law - Steiker
Torts - Wasserman

I've read through the thread and was wondering if anyone had any information on these professors.

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Re: Recently Graduated UT Law Student taking questions

Post by cannibal ox » Tue Dec 26, 2017 9:35 pm

Tazewell wrote:Civ Pro - Bone
If you PM me your email address I'll send you all the outlines I made (and collected from others) for Bone. I think for this class, making your own outlines (and remaking them... and making attack outlines) is what's going to make you understand the information. It isn't incredibly difficult, but there are definite steps you walk through and he will expect on the exam, and doing your own outlines and flowcharts is how you'll learn the best. BUT also happy to give you like 50 docs that I have, cause why not.

His exam really wasn't a surprise, from what I remember. It was similar to his other exams that are available online. He'll have a personal jurisdiction and subject matter jurisdiction question and those will be worth a majority of the points. I think we spent the first month on civil rights stuff and it was a small part of the exam, but we had reviewed that late in the semester so it really seemed like the first month to month and a half were kinda a waste.

His cold calls are kinda annoying because he wants to get specific, but if you're awkward enough he'll lead you to the answer or move on relatively quickly.

Save all his email explanations that he sends every week or two. Save them and read them, then reread them, then print them out and read them before the exam. And bring them to an exam. Make sure you understand them, don't just archive them in your gmail folder. It's obnoxious to get a 3 page email from his an hour after you leave class, but force yourself to read them and save them. They will help you understand things and get you points on the final.

I watching the Civ Pro stuff on Barbri (the videos) done by Rich Freer (praise be to Freer) because he breaks everything down nicely. Bone does too, but sometimes it won't click until you get another person saying the same material. Otherwise I don't think I used any supplements.

Each subject is pretty distinct from the next, so you can make your outline pretty early in the semester. Stay on top of it, because Civ Pro is a lot of material and Spring 1L is NOT like Fall 1L, you're gonna have a lot more on your plate and a lot less time to study than you did in the fall.
Tazewell wrote:Con Law - Steiker
lol good luck

He's very smart. People seem to like him. His exam is bullshit and tests absolutely nothing. A majority of it is literally identifying quotes from cases. Some quotes won't even be in the excerpts you've read. Some will be from stuff you didn't read but was somewhere on the syllabus. The rest of the exam is kinda normal, but broad, essay questions. Maybe he's changed since I took him, but he loves those quotes (probably because it takes like an hour to write the exam each year).

Get the Chermerinsky supplement. I'm not sending you any outlines cause I didn't do well and nothing ever clicked for me. Idk what to say. Good luck?

Seriously? What are you waiting for?

Now there's a charge.
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