Top Law Schools

My experience of law day:

Friendly students, law school building is nothing the write home about but the community and network is. Wonderful and beautiful campus in the middle of a rough area. USC realizes this and has an agreement with Uber to have free rides (most likely USC fronts the bill) between 7P-7A. Definitely a driving city if you are far off campus, seems like biking is the go-to if possible. Definitely didn't think it was as populated as I thought it would be before I got there coming from another huge school. The salad was surprisingly not good at lunch but that's nothing to sway me one way or another.

The big thing I admired was the honesty. The new dean of the law school wasn't nearly as objective as Dean Kirschner, but he was still somewhat straight forward with the questions I had. Dean Kirschner was not playing favorites when it came to trying to get deposits and encouraged me to "shop around" as long as possible. Some students also admitted they had a love/hate relationship with the school because the community is great but sometimes they wish they were more able to have some kind of free time instead of feeling forced to use whatever they had for programs or outside work. Taste of LA reception was also one of the worst closing receptions I've been to for ASW's but it, like the salad, is not going to sway me one way or another.

Very strongly considering a deposit and then keeping it until they refuse to budge on their scholly offer. If they budge even a little, I'll keep it and if not I'll probably withdraw to get some more money at another top 25 or play the Waitlist game and decide to retake if I can't get off one.

Transportation is a definite pain in the ass.

I enjoyed Law Day enough to deposit. Very interested to see if they reach back out with additional scholarship money this week. I will continue to play the waitlist circuit for now.

Note: I spoke to the Dean and the director of finances.

with the amount of applications they received, they don't expect to have a single dime extra to bolster scholarships.

I would make your decision solely based on the amount you have.

Draconem wrote:Note: I spoke to the Dean and the director of finances.

with the amount of applications they received, they don't expect to have a single dime extra to bolster scholarships.

I would make your decision solely based on the amount you have.

This is also the impression I got. Just about everyone I spoke to at law day (including those who claim to be lucky to have been accepted) received some kind of aid, and many of them received over half scholarships. I assume that they initially offered beyond their available funds, predicting offer declines.

LetsGoNow wrote:

Draconem wrote:Note: I spoke to the Dean and the director of finances.

with the amount of applications they received, they don't expect to have a single dime extra to bolster scholarships.

I would make your decision solely based on the amount you have.

This is also the impression I got. Just about everyone I spoke to at law day (including those who claim to be lucky to have been accepted) received some kind of aid, and many of them received over half scholarships. I assume that they initially offered beyond their available funds, predicting offer declines.

You hit the nail on the head. I spoke with Dean Kirschner at an event at Southwestern in February, and even back then he mentioned that was their strategy.

Submitted deposit! Interested in finding a roommate either to live near campus or Downtown. PM me if interested!

Has anyone who applied for housing heard anything about the Terraces? Have the started letting people know if they have been assigned a room?

.

Just received my housing assignment in the Terraces!!! Getting excited!

How were you able to see your roommate? I got my assignment but can't find it!

lmjr wrote:How were you able to see your roommate? I got my assignment but can't find it!

Application -> Select term -> Application Status (top right below header) then near bottom

Checking in excited about everything.

Anyone else trying to figure out housing from far away? I'm deciding between applying for Terrace or finding outside housing, but the thought of trying to find a time to fly back to campus is anxiety inducing.

I applied to Terrace but I guess I'm waitlisted now because I just got the email that all the Terrace offers went out. For other people in this situation, where are you thinking about living?? I'm pretty down for the community aspect of Terrace so I want to try to recreate that even if I can't actually live there.

rooms1367 wrote:I applied to Terrace but I guess I'm waitlisted now because I just got the email that all the Terrace offers went out. For other people in this situation, where are you thinking about living?? I'm pretty down for the community aspect of Terrace so I want to try to recreate that even if I can't actually live there.

Downtown. From what I gather, a lot of law students live in the many buildings there. That's my plan, at least.

Just out of curiosity, how did you determine there were a lot of law students downtown? Is there a specific area or particular buildings that are popular. I'm from the Los Angeles area and parts of downtown are pretty shabby. I'd like to live near other law students but I don't think Terrace housing is going to be an option since I'm a local guy.

1234law wrote:Just out of curiosity, how did you determine there were a lot of law students downtown? Is there a specific area or particular buildings that are popular. I'm from the Los Angeles area and parts of downtown are pretty shabby. I'd like to live near other law students but I don't think Terrace housing is going to be an option since I'm a local guy.

On the admitted students portal page, under admissions find the "first year student housing guide" and check it out. It says that roughly 24% of Gould students are in DT, with 11% each for University Park and Culver City/Palms (second and third on the list). Also, from talking to current students at admitted student events everyone agrees that downtown is the most popular! I think there are a few buildings a lot of law students tend to live in but I never asked that.. I can only assume so though!

kitkat12 wrote:

1234law wrote:Just out of curiosity, how did you determine there were a lot of law students downtown? Is there a specific area or particular buildings that are popular. I'm from the Los Angeles area and parts of downtown are pretty shabby. I'd like to live near other law students but I don't think Terrace housing is going to be an option since I'm a local guy.

On the admitted students portal page, under admissions find the "first year student housing guide" and check it out. It says that roughly 24% of Gould students are in DT, with 11% each for University Park and Culver City/Palms (second and third on the list). Also, from talking to current students at admitted student events everyone agrees that downtown is the most popular! I think there are a few buildings a lot of law students tend to live in but I never asked that.. I can only assume so though!

Thanks for the information. I think I would lean towards Culver City/Palms because it is closer to Santa Monica and the 405. Downtown shuts down after work and on the weekends. Culver City has a really nice downtown area with lots of restaurants. Plus I think the rents are more reasonable. From past threads, it looks like the commute isn't too bad if you take Jefferson (8 miles)

1234law wrote:

kitkat12 wrote:

1234law wrote:Just out of curiosity, how did you determine there were a lot of law students downtown? Is there a specific area or particular buildings that are popular. I'm from the Los Angeles area and parts of downtown are pretty shabby. I'd like to live near other law students but I don't think Terrace housing is going to be an option since I'm a local guy.

On the admitted students portal page, under admissions find the "first year student housing guide" and check it out. It says that roughly 24% of Gould students are in DT, with 11% each for University Park and Culver City/Palms (second and third on the list). Also, from talking to current students at admitted student events everyone agrees that downtown is the most popular! I think there are a few buildings a lot of law students tend to live in but I never asked that.. I can only assume so though!

Thanks for the information. I think I would lean towards Culver City/Palms because it is closer to Santa Monica and the 405. Downtown shuts down after work and on the weekends. Culver City has a really nice downtown area with lots of restaurants. Plus I think the rents are more reasonable. From past threads, it looks like the commute isn't too bad if you take Jefferson (8 miles)

Exactly what I plan on doing! The area is a lot nicer imo and how can you pass up the proximity to the beach? Also, the metro is an option since they opened up a new line in Culver City recently. I think it stops right in front of the law school.

kitkat12 wrote:

1234law wrote:

kitkat12 wrote:

1234law wrote:Just out of curiosity, how did you determine there were a lot of law students downtown? Is there a specific area or particular buildings that are popular. I'm from the Los Angeles area and parts of downtown are pretty shabby. I'd like to live near other law students but I don't think Terrace housing is going to be an option since I'm a local guy.

On the admitted students portal page, under admissions find the "first year student housing guide" and check it out. It says that roughly 24% of Gould students are in DT, with 11% each for University Park and Culver City/Palms (second and third on the list). Also, from talking to current students at admitted student events everyone agrees that downtown is the most popular! I think there are a few buildings a lot of law students tend to live in but I never asked that.. I can only assume so though!

Thanks for the information. I think I would lean towards Culver City/Palms because it is closer to Santa Monica and the 405. Downtown shuts down after work and on the weekends. Culver City has a really nice downtown area with lots of restaurants. Plus I think the rents are more reasonable. From past threads, it looks like the commute isn't too bad if you take Jefferson (8 miles)

Exactly what I plan on doing! The area is a lot nicer imo and how can you pass up the proximity to the beach? Also, the metro is an option since they opened up a new line in Culver City recently. I think it stops right in front of the law school.

I live in Santa Monica now, and will be staying. The new metro line extension opens at the end of this month, and goes all the way from Santa Monica to SC/downtown. So if you wanted to live in SM/Culver, it will be a really convenient commute.

Has anyone been able to register their USC email yet?

Congratulations to those of you who deposited.

I'm a rising 2L here at USC. Willing to answer any questions you guys have.

Flyingnorth,

I have a few questions regarding what to expect my first year besides the fact that it's going to be brutal.

-I've seen that I should expect to go to school 5 days a week, is that true? And what is the normal schedule? 8am-2pm-ish or different?
-How much homework and reading should I expect to need to do on a daily basis? Is it normal to have 5 hours of reading to do daily for example? This being for a student that would really like to excel and is shooting for a top 10% ranking.
-Piggybacking on the ranking system, the beginning of this forum says that only the top 10% are told of their position in the class and the rest are left to wonder? How does that play with obtaining a summer position in biglaw -- there must be something more considering USC sends 33%+ to big law.
-Is it normal to have a ton of extracurriculars your first year or are you busy enough that there is little time for that?


As for housing (for everyone):

I went to UCLA as an older, non-trad student and lived in the West Hollywood for 3 years, which I loved. I bartended while studying and really enjoyed my time in LA. I'm actually looking more toward Koreatown to live as the surroundings of the campus are sketchy but downtown is a little on the expensive side if you want a decent apartment. Koreatown is dope, fully of super cool restaurants and has a serious cocktail scene and even club/bar scene while not being super sketchy. I'm living in Europe now and won't return until the end of June. I'd be open to rooming with someone if we mesh well. I know a bit about the city, mostly the Hollywood area, if anyone has questions about that...and particularly cool places to blow off steam during what will likely be brutal study sessions.

Thanks for any help/advice anyone can offer. I'm looking forward to this year and being stressed out with a group of new friends and colleagues!

Btwice wrote:Flyingnorth,

I have a few questions regarding what to expect my first year besides the fact that it's going to be brutal.

-I've seen that I should expect to go to school 5 days a week, is that true? And what is the normal schedule? 8am-2pm-ish or different?
-How much homework and reading should I expect to need to do on a daily basis? Is it normal to have 5 hours of reading to do daily for example? This being for a student that would really like to excel and is shooting for a top 10% ranking.
-Piggybacking on the ranking system, the beginning of this forum says that only the top 10% are told of their position in the class and the rest are left to wonder? How does that play with obtaining a summer position in biglaw -- there must be something more considering USC sends 33%+ to big law.
-Is it normal to have a ton of extracurriculars your first year or are you busy enough that there is little time for that?

Also a 2L at USC, thought I'd chime in with my thoughts.

- You should definitely expect to go to school 5 days a week. Some sections only had an hour of class on Friday though, so most of the times you'll have Friday afternoons off! If you search on the Gould website, you'll be able to find old class schedules to see what they've been in the past. It really depends on what section you are in to determine your schedule though. First semester, one supersection got really lucky and only had class from 8-12 every day, but then next semester, they'd have class from 9-5.

- You'll have a significant amount of reading to do, but it's hard to gauge how much time it will take you because it will depend on the person. It'll definitely be a few hours a day, but exact amounts will depend on how well you understand the cases. Having said that, understanding the cases and doing the reading is important to doing well, but spending 5+ hours a day on reading won't necessarily guarantee you a 10% ranking either.

- It is true that only the 10% are told of their position in the class, but you know the median grade too (3.3), so you can kind of gauge where you are on the curve roughly and go from there. I haven't gone through OCI yet though, so I'm not sure how this will play into getting a summer position in big law.

- I definitely did not have a ton of extracurriculars during my first year, school took up most of my time. But some of my friends were super diligent and they were able to pick a few activities that they wanted to get involved in. For example, a lot of my friends got involved with student organizations like the Public Interest Law Foundation and went on a spring break trip to New Orleans to do legal aid. It all really depends on what you feel like you can handle!

Hope this helps! If anybody has any questions/concerns, please feel free to ask.
Welcome to USC, looking forward to meeting everyone!

I will be giving away 1L supplements and casebooks sometime next week. First come first serve. A list will be posted next week. Can be picked up over the summer or when schools starts

kade wrote:I will be giving away 1L supplements and casebooks sometime next week. First come first serve. A list will be posted next week. Can be picked up over the summer or when schools starts

Someone needs to figure out how many TLS 2019ers there are, so that you guys can divide these evenly.

1. sum and substance exam pro series civil procedure
2. E&E torts fifth ed.
3. Siegel's civil procedure
4. E&E civil procedure
5. Siegel's torts
6. sum and substance torts
7. friendrenthal hornbook civil procedure
8. law in a flash contracts
9. law in a flash criminal law
10. law in a flash civil procedure i
11. law in a flash civil procedure ii
12. law in a flash real property
13. law in a flash real property (i have two)
14. law in a flash contracts
15. casebook for Keating
16. casebook for S.Rich

I have more supplements and hornbooks in my locker, which I will post later. (Spent about $2k for books my 1L year). Please post below the numbers for which of the above books you want.

Also, as courtesy, I would appreciate it if my TLS user name is not outed irl--thanks