Penn Students Taking Questions Forum

A forum for applicants and admitted students to ask law students and graduates about law school and the practice of law.
petitprince

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Re: Penn Students Taking Questions

Post by petitprince » Mon Sep 12, 2016 8:11 pm

Hi there!
I am not quite sure how this thread works - would it be not welcome to ask for PS advice/review here?
I am aiming for 2017 entry and currently working through my applications. Would really appreciate if someone can offer some advice on my PS/other materials, or is willing to have a chat when I visit the school in early October - please write me a private message!

Thanks a ton, :)

eternalrest

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Re: Penn Students Taking Questions

Post by eternalrest » Thu Sep 15, 2016 7:25 am

Iustis wrote:Can anyone speak to roughly what GPA (I assume it changes every year) is required for the Barenkopf Scholarship? Or at least how much it is for? The description on the site is pretty useless.

I'm trying to find motivation to put effort into this year and if a good chunk of money is in reach that will do it.

I know someone who had two A+, one A-, and the rest As, and still didn't get it.

More importantly, if you are the type of person who needs to find motivation by asking this question, you most likely are already out of the running.

eternalrest

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Re: Penn Students Taking Questions

Post by eternalrest » Thu Sep 15, 2016 2:40 pm

Iustis wrote:
eternalrest wrote:
Iustis wrote:Can anyone speak to roughly what GPA (I assume it changes every year) is required for the Barenkopf Scholarship? Or at least how much it is for? The description on the site is pretty useless.

I'm trying to find motivation to put effort into this year and if a good chunk of money is in reach that will do it.

I know someone who had two A+, one A-, and the rest As, and still didn't get it.

More importantly, if you are the type of person who needs to find motivation by asking this question, you most likely are already out of the running.
Thanks for this, I am admittedly pretty lazy and not that motivated about law school but coming out of 1L have same as above, 1 A+, 1 A- and rest As. I guess I'll have to push for a few more A+'s to have a chance based on your anecdote.

I'm guessing you have no idea about the cash value of it? I suppose I could just email Fin Aid but it seems a little arrogant.
I could be wrong, but I was under the impression that it was a full ride for 3L.

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Georgiana

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Re: Penn Students Taking Questions

Post by Georgiana » Thu Nov 10, 2016 8:48 pm

So its been ... many years (7?) since I started this thread. It feels like forever since my time at Penn, but I'm still around every so often reading the tea leaves on how people feel about law school and Penn and life in general. I'm not so useful on advice about applications or law school, but if anyone has questions about life after school, aka when adulthood come crashing down on you, I'm still around and happy to give advice.

pipipipi

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Re: Penn Students Taking Questions

Post by pipipipi » Fri Jan 06, 2017 2:50 pm

Georgiana wrote:So its been ... many years (7?) since I started this thread. It feels like forever since my time at Penn, but I'm still around every so often reading the tea leaves on how people feel about law school and Penn and life in general. I'm not so useful on advice about applications or law school, but if anyone has questions about life after school, aka when adulthood come crashing down on you, I'm still around and happy to give advice.
I just want to say thank you. Thank you for doing this.

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hunt godlink

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Post by hunt godlink » Sun Jan 29, 2017 8:01 pm

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Last edited by hunt godlink on Wed Jul 05, 2017 9:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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call-me-bubbles

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Re: Penn Students Taking Questions

Post by call-me-bubbles » Fri Mar 24, 2017 9:54 am

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Last edited by call-me-bubbles on Fri Apr 14, 2017 5:52 pm, edited 1 time in total.

UpandDown97

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Re: Penn Students Taking Questions

Post by UpandDown97 » Sun Mar 26, 2017 2:13 pm

call-me-bubbles wrote:Can anyone speak to Penn's strength (or weakness) in any/all things "international law"-related? I'm leaving that intentionally vague, because I'm interested in international law in general, immigration law, children's rights, treaties, and sovereigns in particular. I know Penn has a reputation for being business- and Big Law-oriented, not so much PI, etc., but I don't really have a sense of how they fare/are perceived in terms of helping students launch international careers. I'm looking to work in the US for a couple years after graduating and then permanently relocate to Europe, where my spouse is from.
To be sure, are you asking about international PI, and not big law international/cross-border work?

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call-me-bubbles

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Re: Penn Students Taking Questions

Post by call-me-bubbles » Sun Mar 26, 2017 3:36 pm

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Last edited by call-me-bubbles on Fri Apr 14, 2017 5:52 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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UpandDown97

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Re: Penn Students Taking Questions

Post by UpandDown97 » Sun Mar 26, 2017 10:00 pm

call-me-bubbles wrote:
UpandDown97 wrote:
call-me-bubbles wrote:Can anyone speak to Penn's strength (or weakness) in any/all things "international law"-related? I'm leaving that intentionally vague, because I'm interested in international law in general, immigration law, children's rights, treaties, and sovereigns in particular. I know Penn has a reputation for being business- and Big Law-oriented, not so much PI, etc., but I don't really have a sense of how they fare/are perceived in terms of helping students launch international careers. I'm looking to work in the US for a couple years after graduating and then permanently relocate to Europe, where my spouse is from.
To be sure, are you asking about international PI, and not big law international/cross-border work?
Either/both. Like I said, I'm being intentionally vague. I just know that Penn's reputation is more business and Big Law, but I'm wondering how strong they are (or are perceived by current students/alumni) internationally.
In terms of getting into firms that do cross-border transactions, i.e. Magic Circle firms, they do very well. In terms of what you've called international PI, which is really just domestic issues with an international tinge, they do well there too. There's lots of opportunities and funding you can get.

pointplace

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Re: Penn Students Taking Questions

Post by pointplace » Mon Aug 28, 2017 2:46 pm

I have Wax (CivPro), Austin (Torts), Hoffman (Contracts), & Barrett (Legal practice). Any insight would on these professors would be greatly appreciated.

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Post by ymmv » Mon Aug 28, 2017 2:52 pm

ymmv has moved on to greener pastures.

jlittletree

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Re: Penn Students Taking Questions

Post by jlittletree » Mon Aug 28, 2017 3:26 pm

Demographically, I'm pretty much everything wrong with America according to Wax (seriously). That being said, I thought she was a phenomenal Civ Pro teacher. For the 1L class, its really about banging a bunch of rules into your head, and she's an excellent lecturer. She didn't bring her political views into the classroom that much, except a couple too many lovey-dovey shoutouts to Scalia (this was a few years ago) and I never felt uncomfortable. There is a sentiment that Civ Pro as a class should be more political (its about who can access the courts) and you could argue that a few cases we covered are decided on legal technicalities that are actually racially motivated, but I'd say Wax is no worse than most professors in ignoring that (see pretty much any criminal law class ever). If you're really interested in those sort of issues, I think you could do well really learning the basics as a 1L then taking an upper level access to justice class. That being said I can't speak to the fallout of the recent hubbub this summer (her op-ed went too far even for me). If she is feeling cornered, or if there is pressure from the administration on her, I don't know how the class will unfold.

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SportsFan

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Re: Penn Students Taking Questions

Post by SportsFan » Fri Sep 01, 2017 1:45 pm

I'm a few years out now (c/o 2015) but when I was there I don't remember anyone thinking Wax was a bad person or had extreme viewpoints, just that she was really tough. I didn't have her though so I'm just going off what I heard from people in other sections. And that said, in light of that op-ed, I'd request a transfer to a different section because F that and because hopefully you can get Struve, who is a legitimately amazing professor (and awesome person generally).

I had Austin, and she's super policy oriented. I didn't really like her or her class much but I suppose it wasn't bad, all things considered; overall seemed a relatively 'textbook' class. Just remember to always keep policy in mind, and that she's super pro plaintiff (i.e. if a question is "Can this person sue?" you better argue "Yes, because..." and not "No, because...").

LSstudent

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Re: Penn Students Taking Questions

Post by LSstudent » Thu Sep 28, 2017 7:55 pm

Bumping this thread back up for any applicants with questions.

da.goat

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Re: Penn Students Taking Questions

Post by da.goat » Tue Oct 24, 2017 7:38 pm

Can anyone comment on Hoffman for corps? I see it's been asked a few times in here but doesn't look like it was ever answered. Thanks!

da.goat

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Re: Penn Students Taking Questions

Post by da.goat » Tue Oct 24, 2017 7:42 pm

(also wondering about Gordon for property)

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Socratease

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Re: Penn Students Taking Questions

Post by Socratease » Fri Dec 28, 2018 2:01 am

Most likely will be headed to Penn next fall! Will be moving with my SO. It will be our first time living in Philly and my first time living in a major city. Thoughts on living in the Art Museum area as a 1L?

Auxilio

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Re: Penn Students Taking Questions

Post by Auxilio » Fri Dec 28, 2018 8:17 am

Socratease wrote:Most likely will be headed to Penn next fall! Will be moving with my SO. It will be our first time living in Philly and my first time living in a major city. Thoughts on living in the Art Museum area as a 1L?
It's not a horrible area although I would encourage you to go a bit south. I think the best places are between 29th and 19th and JFK and Walnut.

Socratease

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Re: Penn Students Taking Questions

Post by Socratease » Fri Dec 28, 2018 11:25 am

Auxilio wrote:
Socratease wrote:Most likely will be headed to Penn next fall! Will be moving with my SO. It will be our first time living in Philly and my first time living in a major city. Thoughts on living in the Art Museum area as a 1L?
It's not a horrible area although I would encourage you to go a bit south. I think the best places are between 29th and 19th and JFK and Walnut.
Thanks! We've got a budget of 1500/mo and are looking for a 1br. Do you think it'd be possible to find something like this in the area you mentioned? We were thinking we might get more bang for our buck outside of Rittenhouse/Center City, although we don't know Philly well and this might be a faulty assumption.

Auxilio

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Re: Penn Students Taking Questions

Post by Auxilio » Fri Dec 28, 2018 11:34 am

Socratease wrote:
Auxilio wrote:
Socratease wrote:Most likely will be headed to Penn next fall! Will be moving with my SO. It will be our first time living in Philly and my first time living in a major city. Thoughts on living in the Art Museum area as a 1L?
It's not a horrible area although I would encourage you to go a bit south. I think the best places are between 29th and 19th and JFK and Walnut.
Thanks! We've got a budget of 1500/mo and are looking for a 1br. Do you think it'd be possible to find something like this in the area you mentioned? We were thinking we might get more bang for our buck outside of Rittenhouse/Center City, although we don't know Philly well and this might be a faulty assumption.
That would have been possible when I was looking for apartments, but it might be a little low now for a 1 bed. Personally I think I would try to look further south (down to South st.) in that same area before going North up to the art museum area though.

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Socratease

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Re: Penn Students Taking Questions

Post by Socratease » Fri Dec 28, 2018 12:39 pm

Auxilio wrote:
Socratease wrote:
Auxilio wrote:
Socratease wrote:Most likely will be headed to Penn next fall! Will be moving with my SO. It will be our first time living in Philly and my first time living in a major city. Thoughts on living in the Art Museum area as a 1L?
It's not a horrible area although I would encourage you to go a bit south. I think the best places are between 29th and 19th and JFK and Walnut.
Thanks! We've got a budget of 1500/mo and are looking for a 1br. Do you think it'd be possible to find something like this in the area you mentioned? We were thinking we might get more bang for our buck outside of Rittenhouse/Center City, although we don't know Philly well and this might be a faulty assumption.
That would have been possible when I was looking for apartments, but it might be a little low now for a 1 bed. Personally I think I would try to look further south (down to South st.) in that same area before going North up to the art museum area though.
I'll definitely check out that area, thanks. I'm curious, is there any one thing driving your preference (e.g. safety/nightlife/parks etc.)?

Auxilio

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Re: Penn Students Taking Questions

Post by Auxilio » Fri Dec 28, 2018 12:43 pm

Socratease wrote:
Auxilio wrote:
Socratease wrote:
Auxilio wrote:
Socratease wrote:Most likely will be headed to Penn next fall! Will be moving with my SO. It will be our first time living in Philly and my first time living in a major city. Thoughts on living in the Art Museum area as a 1L?
It's not a horrible area although I would encourage you to go a bit south. I think the best places are between 29th and 19th and JFK and Walnut.
Thanks! We've got a budget of 1500/mo and are looking for a 1br. Do you think it'd be possible to find something like this in the area you mentioned? We were thinking we might get more bang for our buck outside of Rittenhouse/Center City, although we don't know Philly well and this might be a faulty assumption.
That would have been possible when I was looking for apartments, but it might be a little low now for a 1 bed. Personally I think I would try to look further south (down to South st.) in that same area before going North up to the art museum area though.
I'll definitely check out that area, thanks. I'm curious, is there any one thing driving your preference (e.g. safety/nightlife/parks etc.)?
The biggest factor is just location: proximity to school/nightlife/everything really. Safety is mostly fine anywhere around there really. And also just sort of feel of neighborhood in ways that are hard to quantify.

r6_philly

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Re: Penn Students Taking Questions

Post by r6_philly » Sun Dec 30, 2018 12:48 am

SportsFan wrote:I'm a few years out now (c/o 2015) but when I was there I don't remember anyone thinking Wax was a bad person or had extreme viewpoints, just that she was really tough. I didn't have her though so I'm just going off what I heard from people in other sections. And that said, in light of that op-ed, I'd request a transfer to a different section because F that and because hopefully you can get Struve, who is a legitimately amazing professor (and awesome person generally).

I had Austin, and she's super policy oriented. I didn't really like her or her class much but I suppose it wasn't bad, all things considered; overall seemed a relatively 'textbook' class. Just remember to always keep policy in mind, and that she's super pro plaintiff (i.e. if a question is "Can this person sue?" you better argue "Yes, because..." and not "No, because...").
I was ahead of you, and most of my friends knew Wax for who she has shown herself to be then.

Austin is one of my favorite professors, but not necessarily for her tort class.

r6_philly

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Re: Penn Students Taking Questions

Post by r6_philly » Sun Dec 30, 2018 12:51 am

Auxilio wrote:
Socratease wrote:
Auxilio wrote:
Socratease wrote:
Auxilio wrote:
Socratease wrote:Most likely will be headed to Penn next fall! Will be moving with my SO. It will be our first time living in Philly and my first time living in a major city. Thoughts on living in the Art Museum area as a 1L?
It's not a horrible area although I would encourage you to go a bit south. I think the best places are between 29th and 19th and JFK and Walnut.
Thanks! We've got a budget of 1500/mo and are looking for a 1br. Do you think it'd be possible to find something like this in the area you mentioned? We were thinking we might get more bang for our buck outside of Rittenhouse/Center City, although we don't know Philly well and this might be a faulty assumption.
That would have been possible when I was looking for apartments, but it might be a little low now for a 1 bed. Personally I think I would try to look further south (down to South st.) in that same area before going North up to the art museum area though.
I'll definitely check out that area, thanks. I'm curious, is there any one thing driving your preference (e.g. safety/nightlife/parks etc.)?
The biggest factor is just location: proximity to school/nightlife/everything really. Safety is mostly fine anywhere around there really. And also just sort of feel of neighborhood in ways that are hard to quantify.
Philly is small enough that the different neighborhoods, while different, is only 5 minutes from the next. Safety is vastly improved over the 20+ years I have been around, anywhere around center city is fine. I don't know what's the rent is like nowadays in graduate hospital area, but it was popular when I was in school, and is just as close to school as Rittenhouse Sq.

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