UC Hastings c/o 2021 Thread

[wannabeu]

Anyone received Acceptance E-mail? The status checker says they will send in 10 business days but still got nothing.

[urmlaw17]

Anyone received Acceptance E-mail? The status checker says they will send in 10 business days but still got nothing.

I literally got my email 10 days after status checker date

[urmlaw17]

Anyone received Acceptance E-mail? The status checker says they will send in 10 business days but still got nothing.

I literally got my email 10 days after status checker date

[wannabeu]

Anyone received Acceptance E-mail? The status checker says they will send in 10 business days but still got nothing.

I literally got my email 10 days after status checker date

Yoe mean 10 days including weekends? or 10 business days?

[urmlaw17]

Anyone received Acceptance E-mail? The status checker says they will send in 10 business days but still got nothing.

I literally got my email 10 days after status checker date

Yoe mean 10 days including weekends? or 10 business days?

Including weekends

[wannabeu]

Anyone received Acceptance E-mail? The status checker says they will send in 10 business days but still got nothing.

I literally got my email 10 days after status checker date

Yoe mean 10 days including weekends? or 10 business days?

Including weekends

Thankd for reply. Did email include scholi info??..

[urmlaw17]

Anyone received Acceptance E-mail? The status checker says they will send in 10 business days but still got nothing.

I literally got my email 10 days after status checker date

Yoe mean 10 days including weekends? or 10 business days?

Including weekends

Thankd for reply. Did email include scholi info??..

yes

[BayAreaHopeful23]

Just went to "Application in review" today, after submitting on the night of 2/8.

Anybody else in the same boat?

[CaliGeorge]

Be careful where you're applying:
https://abovethelaw.com/2017/11/the-law ... ents-2018/
https://abovethelaw.com/2016/01/which-l ... transfers/
https://abovethelaw.com/2017/12/a-break ... july-2017/

My roommate that transferred from there can confirm the horror stories at Hastings -
1. very poor employment numbers (competing with Berkeley & Stanford kids in saturated bay area market)
2. administration is poor. My friend had 5 con law professors in one semester and a civil procedures professor who didn't want to teach. That same civil procedures professor was a the previous dean who burned library books that included prior practice exams to free up space in their library. I've heard iffy things that their current Dean wrote a "scholarly" paper on how he thinks Battered Women Syndrome doesn't exist.
3. very poor bar passing score - McGeorge & Cal Western did better.
4. according to him, they also did their best to keep you from transferring e.g. rejecting requests to write letters of recommendations.
5. probably the most expensive rent in the entire country... also located in the least ideal location - the SF tenderloin where you regularly hear gunshots.

I've heard some good things like a strong alumni network, good moot court team, and a new building they're adding.... but it's important to consider the cons too.

[CALaw717]

Be careful where you're applying:
https://abovethelaw.com/2017/11/the-law ... ents-2018/
https://abovethelaw.com/2016/01/which-l ... transfers/
https://abovethelaw.com/2017/12/a-break ... july-2017/

My roommate that transferred from there can confirm the horror stories at Hastings -
1. very poor employment numbers (competing with Berkeley & Stanford kids in saturated bay area market)
2. administration is poor. My friend had 5 con law professors in one semester and a civil procedures professor who didn't want to teach. That same civil procedures professor was a the previous dean who burned library books that included prior practice exams to free up space in their library. I've heard iffy things that their current Dean wrote a "scholarly" paper on how he thinks Battered Women Syndrome doesn't exist.
3. very poor bar passing score - McGeorge & Cal Western did better.
4. according to him, they also did their best to keep you from transferring e.g. rejecting requests to write letters of recommendations.
5. probably the most expensive rent in the entire country... also located in the least ideal location - the SF tenderloin where you regularly hear gunshots.

I've heard some good things like a strong alumni network, good moot court team, and a new building they're adding.... but it's important to consider the cons too.

I'm finishing up my 1L year at Hastings and much of this hasn't been my experience.
1) Hastings is ranked 29th nationally, sending 19.7% of the 2016 class into big law. We were ranked just slightly behind Emory and Notre Dame in this regard and well above Pepperdine and Loyola - schools with similar LSAT scores. Loyola's 2016 graduaing class sent just 9.2% into big law, and Pepperdine just under 5%! While Loyola's overall employment numbers appear better than Hastings' the difference is basically all from the huge number of grads (over 26%) they send to 2-10 person law firms - less pay/prestige/project complexity, etc. Admittedly, getting deeper into the bottom 1/2 of Hastings' graduating class struggle to find jobs but any schools well outside the Top 20, a large number of the bottom 1/2 struggle. Certainly a risk, but that goes for other competing CA schools and Hastings isn't a huge outlier in that regard. Anyone going to a school well outside the top 20 who are in the bottom 1/4 of their class may want to seriously consider dropping out of law school if their main goal is a JD-required job. They may struggle to both pass the CA bar and find gainful JD-required employment.
http://www.uchastings.edu/news/articles ... ol-nlj.php
Find Loyola/Pepperdine/Hastings employment numbers here: http://employmentsummary.abaquestionnaire.org/

2) Finals going back around 10 years are all available for every core class online through our library's website. There is no burning finals, therefore making them unavailable. Did your friend go to Hastings in the 1970s? The only finals that may not be available going many years back are for newer professors but I haven't had any new Hastings professors for core 1L classes. For all 1L classes I've been able to go back and view numerous past finals online.

3) 61% bar passage for July 2017 test takers was disappointing. That class, we lost ~15% of our top students to transfer - largely to top 14 schools. For a school ranked similarly to Hastings, our education appears to be more valued by top 14 schools and we are able to send higher % of transfers to top 14 schools than a Loyola/Pepperdine. The top 25% of our class tend to pass the bar at 100% levels and top 50% well above 90%. By losing our top 15% that year and then keeping nearly all of the bottom 50%, as basically no one fails out, that skewed our bar passage numbers down. The administration has addressed that since then, and they currently give scholarship bumps after 1L year (I believe to those within the top 15%) to reatain our top students and the ones we were losing to transfer. I believe this goes right up to nearly a full scholarship to those at the very top of the class. That will both address employment numbers, as well as bar passage numbers, as those retained students would also be better able to secure more coveted positions.

4) How can you argue both ways - listing huge numbers of transfer students but then saying the administration/professors aren't helpful to potential transfers? As mentioned, nearly 15% of our 2017 graduating class transferred and one can't transfer w/out letters of recommendation...

5) Housing at The Tower (school-owned apt) is subsidized and while somewhat expensive, it's not more than most people pay in LA or other major cities. Smaller studios on lower floors start at $1,240/month including wifi/utilities/free on-site gym. Some people get creative with sharing larger apts to bring rent even below that per person. In the Spring of 2020 a lot more housing availability will open up once a new construction building is completed. I've lived in the Tenderloin for over 6 months, walk around late at night all of the time, and have yet to hear a gunshot. There are lots of homeless, but besides their asking for money I've never been bothered beyond that or ever felt unsafe. People also do roommate situations in other areas that would prefer to live in nicer parts of town, take the free evening shuttle to/from home if it's w/in a mile, use free walking escorts if they would like the added security, etc. The BART/Muni are just across the street from campus and we're very accessible to other areas.

I'm very happy I'm attending here. While I didn't get into any top 20 schools, Hastings opens up many more doors to me, interesting opportunities, and has much more impressive professors than other similarly-ranked schools (most professors have been here since Hastings was a Top 35 school). I've found the administration so far to be amazing. They're also offering some competitive scholarships to incoming students lately, and their in-state tuition is $10k/year less than Loyola's. Currently, I have no regrets choosing Hastings.

[lordmac69]

2L here taking questions.

[lawschoolgirl312]

" I'm finishing up my 1L year at Hastings and much of this hasn't been my experience.
1) Hastings is ranked 29th nationally, sending 19.7% of the 2016 class into big law. We were ranked just slightly behind Emory and Notre Dame in this regard and well above Pepperdine and Loyola - schools with similar LSAT scores. Loyola's 2016 graduaing class sent just 9.2% into big law, and Pepperdine just under 5%! "


Wait, isn't Hastings ranked at 51 currently? Where did you get this number of ranking from? Not trying to be a dick, but want to know because I would consider Hastings if it wasn't ranked at 51, which US News has been saying it is

[CALaw717]

" I'm finishing up my 1L year at Hastings and much of this hasn't been my experience.
1) Hastings is ranked 29th nationally, sending 19.7% of the 2016 class into big law. We were ranked just slightly behind Emory and Notre Dame in this regard and well above Pepperdine and Loyola - schools with similar LSAT scores. Loyola's 2016 graduaing class sent just 9.2% into big law, and Pepperdine just under 5%! "


Wait, isn't Hastings ranked at 51 currently? Where did you get this number of ranking from? Not trying to be a dick, but want to know because I would consider Hastings if it wasn't ranked at 51, which US News has been saying it is

I had attached a link as well. Hastings is ranked 29th nationally with regard to the % of their grads that they send into big law (which the ABA defines as firms with 100+ attorneys). Of 300 grads in 2016, we sent 8 to firms with 100-250 attys and 51 to firms with 500+ attorneys. 59/300 = 19.7% and we are 29th nationally in this metric, and only marginally behind Emory and Notre Dame in this metric. US News, we're ranked 54th nationally although many people think a better metric is the % of grads that go into prestigious positions like big law and federal clerkships. In comparison Pepperdine's 2016 graduating class had 4 grads go to firms with 100-250 attys and 5 grads to firms with 500+ attys. With a graduating class of 181 students, that's 9/181 or just under 5%. Here's the link again: http://employmentsummary.abaquestionnaire.org/

[CALaw717]

" I'm finishing up my 1L year at Hastings and much of this hasn't been my experience.
1) Hastings is ranked 29th nationally, sending 19.7% of the 2016 class into big law. We were ranked just slightly behind Emory and Notre Dame in this regard and well above Pepperdine and Loyola - schools with similar LSAT scores. Loyola's 2016 graduaing class sent just 9.2% into big law, and Pepperdine just under 5%! "


Wait, isn't Hastings ranked at 51 currently? Where did you get this number of ranking from? Not trying to be a dick, but want to know because I would consider Hastings if it wasn't ranked at 51, which US News has been saying it is

I had attached a link as well. Hastings is ranked 29th nationally with regard to the % of their grads that they send into big law (which the ABA defines as firms with 100+ attorneys). Of 300 grads in 2016, we sent 8 to firms with 100-250 attys and 51 to firms with 500+ attorneys. 59/300 = 19.7% and we are 29th nationally in this metric, and only marginally behind Emory and Notre Dame in this metric. US News, we're ranked 54th nationally although many people think a better metric is the % of grads that go into prestigious positions like big law and federal clerkships. In comparison Pepperdine's 2016 graduating class had 4 grads go to firms with 100-250 attys and 5 grads to firms with 500+ attys. With a graduating class of 181 students, that's 9/181 or just under 5%. Here's the link again: http://employmentsummary.abaquestionnaire.org/

Meant to write 100-500 attys and 500+ attys with the numbers above - Hastings sent 8 grads to firms with 100-500 attys and 51 to firms with 500+. Pepperdine sent 4 grads to firms with 100-500 attys and 5 grads to firms with 500+.

[265489164158]

My roommate that transferred from there can confirm the horror stories at Hastings -
1. very poor employment numbers (competing with Berkeley & Stanford kids in saturated bay area market)
2. administration is poor. My friend had 5 con law professors in one semester and a civil procedures professor who didn't want to teach. That same civil procedures professor was a the previous dean who burned library books that included prior practice exams to free up space in their library. I've heard iffy things that their current Dean wrote a "scholarly" paper on how he thinks Battered Women Syndrome doesn't exist.
3. very poor bar passing score - McGeorge & Cal Western did better.
4. according to him, they also did their best to keep you from transferring e.g. rejecting requests to write letters of recommendations.
5. probably the most expensive rent in the entire country... also located in the least ideal location - the SF tenderloin where you regularly hear gunshots.

I've heard some good things like a strong alumni network, good moot court team, and a new building they're adding.... but it's important to consider the cons too.

To set the record straight, your roommate transferred from Hastings to Harvard, right, so clearly the Hastings 1L gamble worked? Also, I was in the section referenced with the five Con Law professors in one semester (and your roommate was not). What actually happened was that our first professor had a family medical emergency, three other professors subbed a class or two using his syllabus (and it was clear they were pinch hitting and not permanent), while they searched for a permanent one, who was the fifth and final professor. Was this ideal? No, it really wasn't and we had to cobble it together and teach ourselves.

The civ pro story is also not exactly true. It is true the professor had a VERY different style that did not sit well with 80% of the class, but he made himself overly available for hours each week to meet with students and look at practice answers. Another professor with a more concrete teaching style offered extra review sessions, which were recorded and available to all. While the administration did not address either of these situations in the way we would have hoped (and many people are still angry), they did try to accommodate us and offered us all preferred registration for this year for Civ Pro II and Con Law II with any professor we wanted to try to appease the mob.

Yes, sf rent is expensive, but it is a terrific place to be. I have a theory that some students might spend a bit too much time enjoy the outdoors, nightlife, and music scene, which could be hurting their academic performance, but that is their choice. The flip side is that the externship opportunities are outstanding, especially during the school year when we don't have to compete. I know many people externing right now at the SEC, US Attorneys Office, USDC Northern District, CAG, California Supreme Court, EFF, and the ACLU.

As for bar passage rate and employment rates, yes, pretty grim if in bottom half of the class. It is really tough to know before getting to law school how you will actually do there.

Best of luck to you. I would not discourage anyone from considering Hastings because it has been great for me.

[Bigjuicy123]

So, I was recently accepted on a decent scholarship, but based on conversations I’ve had with people that actually attended Hastings, I’m a bit skeptical. A couple of questions:

1) Everyone keeps talking about how Hastings pumps a lot of students to UCLA/Cal. Quick question: do transfers get to participate in OCI? In what way does attending a higher-ranked school helped with employment access if you miss out on OCI anyways? A friend of mine told me a horror story of a student that killed it at Hastings, transferred to UCLA, missed out on OCI, and ended up dropping out.

2) The interesting thing about Hastings is the it’s reputation-ranking ratio is quite high—that is, people, especially Baby Boomers, continue to have a good perception of Hastings because it WAS a good school. However, there seems to be a consensus that the average student quality has just declined (Bar Passage rates, job placement, etc.). To what extend does the past success—and concomitant “prestige”—that Hastings to enjoy help the current crop of students? Jack shit? Or are alumni willing to help out existing students? I'm just trying to figure out whether Hastings enjoys any advantages from its past glory that other similarly-ranked schools do not?

3) Can you comment on your undergraduate background and how academically rigorous compared it was compared to Hastings? I.e. what it takes to get Top 5-10%

[Bigjuicy123]

Be careful where you're applying:
https://abovethelaw.com/2017/11/the-law ... ents-2018/
https://abovethelaw.com/2016/01/which-l ... transfers/
https://abovethelaw.com/2017/12/a-break ... july-2017/


4) How can you argue both ways - listing huge numbers of transfer students but then saying the administration/professors aren't helpful to potential transfers? As mentioned, nearly 15% of our 2017 graduating class transferred and one can't transfer w/out letters of recommendation...

Why are so many people matriculating with the intention of transferring out? It almost reminds me of a junior college--> UC atmosphere.

[CALaw717]

So, I was recently accepted on a decent scholarship, but based on conversations I’ve had with people that actually attended Hastings, I’m a bit skeptical. A couple of questions:

1) Everyone keeps talking about how Hastings pumps a lot of students to UCLA/Cal. Quick question: do transfers get to participate in OCI? In what way does attending a higher-ranked school helped with employment access if you miss out on OCI anyways? A friend of mine told me a horror story of a student that killed it at Hastings, transferred to UCLA, missed out on OCI, and ended up dropping out.

2) The interesting thing about Hastings is the it’s reputation-ranking ratio is quite high—that is, people, especially Baby Boomers, continue to have a good perception of Hastings because it WAS a good school. However, there seems to be a consensus that the average student quality has just declined (Bar Passage rates, job placement, etc.). To what extend does the past success—and concomitant “prestige”—that Hastings to enjoy help the current crop of students? Jack shit? Or are alumni willing to help out existing students? I'm just trying to figure out whether Hastings enjoys any advantages from its past glory that other similarly-ranked schools do not?

3) Can you comment on your undergraduate background and how academically rigorous compared it was compared to Hastings? I.e. what it takes to get Top 5-10%

I don't know about question 1 but for question 2, I think Hastings' recent history higher presitge (was ranked in the 30s-40s in US news until the past 4 years or so, and was a top 20 school in the early-mid 1990s) still has lasting significant effects beyond just talks of past glory. Professors teach for years so we attracted top professors that attended Yale and Harvard Law that possibly wouldn't normally go to teach at a school ranked in the 50s but they mostly oined the administration when the school was ranked in the top 30s. 2nd, we have tons of alumni in presitigious positions that still actively recruit at Hastings. Our class of 2016 had just shy of 20% go into big law while relatively similarly-ranked Pepperdine sent just shy of 5%. Big law is a pipe dream at Pepperdine and a real possibility to Hastings students in the top 25-30%. We also have established relationships with the most pretigious federal and non-profit orgs in the city and I personally know people externing or doing summer work for DOJ, FTC, Sierra Club, Center for Biological Diversity, presitigious judges, etc. When I spoke to students at similarly-ranked schools they were not exposed to nearly the same level of opportunity.

Question 3 - I did very well in a relatively rigorous undergrad program and worked hard last semester (1st semester 1L year) and can attest that it's extremely difficult to break into the top 15% of your class, so I wouldn't come into Hastings assuming you'll be top 10-15%. You can probably safely assume if your undergrad gpa and lsat are above the class median and you work very hard you have a great shot at top 50%, and quite possibly well within the top 50% but the top 15% of our class is super smart and that's far from a guarantee. The difference between an A- and a B+ on a final may be very slight, yet that's a 3.7 GPA as opposed to a 3.3. A 3.3 is barely in the top 40%. a 3.7 would be well within the top 15%, maybe even around the top 10%.

[Bigjuicy123]

real possibility to Hastings students in the top 25-30%

Do you have any stats on this? I'm not trying to be rude, its just a relative of mine graduated top 5% at Hastings... and did not end up in BigLaw. Of course, I don't know the whole story, but I just want to have the best idea of how realistic it is to get those types of jobs out of Hastings.

[265489164158]

real possibility to Hastings students in the top 25-30%

Do you have any stats on this? I'm not trying to be rude, its just a relative of mine graduated top 5% at Hastings... and did not end up in BigLaw. Of course, I don't know the whole story, but I just want to have the best idea of how realistic it is to get those types of jobs out of Hastings.

Perhaps your relative did not want to go into biglaw? Not everyone wants to and Hastings has a lot of people interested in social justice, government work, etc. Biglaw is not for everyone, so it is possible they chose not to. It is also possible they did not have the right personality or interview well.

As for a real possibility in top 25-30%, I would be a bit more cautious and put it at top 20% safely. I do not have figures to back it up-it is just more a sense that I have. As a 2L right now, I would say almost everyone I know in the top 10% has a SA position lined up, and many in the top 15% also do. Most of the people on the flagship journal seem to also have their summer job squared away.

As to your other questions:

1) I think transfers get to participate in OCI, but not sure how fully. I don't think transferring and the participating in OCI gives you the best outcome, because interviewers at Berkeley OCI tend to be Berkeley alumni looking for Berkley people and they would still view you as a Hastings person. Interviewers at Hastings EIP (which is what they call it) are looking for Hastings people and are quite happy to talk to bright shiny Hastings students near the top of their class.

2) Hastings still enjoys a very strong reputation locally. It is still a good school. The professors and methodology have not changed. The selectivity has. Aslo, the cost has risen steeply. The great reputation is from the days when tuition was in three of four digits, not five. We have a great alumni network and I have made many alumni connections. They are willing to help you. However, since I have no experience with other law schools, I cannot say if this is more or less so than typical.

3) My undergrad was non-traditional, and not very rigorous (graduated from a small liberal arts college). But, I worked full-time throughout, so I believe my work experience and time management skills have helped me succeed. Some of the K-jds coming out of Berkeley and other prestigious schools who did very well in undergrad I have seen struggle, a bit. My sense is this is because in undergrad, they could cram or stay up all night to write a paper or study for a final. Law school seems to favor the tortoise, not the hare. Slow and steady wins the race and time management is key. My UGPA was 3.9, but I had median LSAT scores. I spend on average of 60 hours per week ALL SEMESTER LONG on school and related activities (I include journal, networking, etc. in that) and sometimes up to 70. I am in the top 10 after three semesters (not 10%, top 10).

As for your question re why come to Hastings only to transfer out? I agree. They would be better off studying and retaking the LSAT (and going to their dream school from the start) rather than using Hastings as a JC. Don't come to Hastings if your plan is just to leave. You are taking a seat and scholarship money from someone who wants to come to Hastings because they love the tradition, its unique qualities, and want to help make it a better place.

[CALaw717]

real possibility to Hastings students in the top 25-30%

Do you have any stats on this? I'm not trying to be rude, its just a relative of mine graduated top 5% at Hastings... and did not end up in BigLaw. Of course, I don't know the whole story, but I just want to have the best idea of how realistic it is to get those types of jobs out of Hastings.

I've attached this before, but here are ABA figures for the graduating class of 2016. They'll soon release figures for 2017. We sent 59/300 2016 grads to firms with 100+ attorneys, 51/300 to 500+ attorney firms. 59/300 is 19.6%. We also that year sent 9/300 (3%) into federal clerkships. So that's about 23% of the class that went into the most prestigious positions. Keep in mind some in the top 23% either interview terribly and couldn't secure a federal clerkship/big law job, or went into public interest, government, or a firm with less than 100 attorneys. I know someone in the top 10% who hates law and while he could secure big law, he's looking to move into a non-legal job, so there are those in the top 23% that aren't even looking for JD-required jobs. Most firms have strict cutoffs for OCI of no lower than the top 1/3 of the class and of course your opportunities are better the closer you are to the top 15% but plenty of these 23% noted above were outside of the top 23%. Of course there are firms that recruit at Hastings, like Latham, who strictly will not take Hastings students ranked below the top 10%. http://employmentsummary.abaquestionnaire.org/

[Bender7]

Rankings have been leaked. Hasttings is officially tier 2 now. With one of the lowest bar passage rates in the state and a sinking reputation, I would strongly avoid Hastings.

It doesn't matter about the 10-15% going biglaw, it's about the rest. That's how you measure the school. Hastings doesn't do a good job with the rest as evidenced with their abysmal bar passage rate. They're getting beat out by schools like McGeorge and California Western on a consistent basis. Just look at the past thread on here that is close to 50 pages long with pist off alumni regretting their decision to attend. What other school has a 43 page thread of enraged regretful alumni? You're really going to put yourself in that situation!?!?

With the way things are going at my old school, I would only attend if you're interested in social justice issues. Because that seems to be the only thing they cater to with their "for justice" campaign. For anything else, consider retaking the LSAT or attending another school in CA or out of state.

[8675309212]

My roommate that transferred from there can confirm the horror stories at Hastings -
1. very poor employment numbers (competing with Berkeley & Stanford kids in saturated bay area market)
2. administration is poor. My friend had 5 con law professors in one semester and a civil procedures professor who didn't want to teach. That same civil procedures professor was a the previous dean who burned library books that included prior practice exams to free up space in their library. I've heard iffy things that their current Dean wrote a "scholarly" paper on how he thinks Battered Women Syndrome doesn't exist.
3. very poor bar passing score - McGeorge & Cal Western did better.
4. according to him, they also did their best to keep you from transferring e.g. rejecting requests to write letters of recommendations.
5. probably the most expensive rent in the entire country... also located in the least ideal location - the SF tenderloin where you regularly hear gunshots.

I've heard some good things like a strong alumni network, good moot court team, and a new building they're adding.... but it's important to consider the cons too.

To set the record straight, your roommate transferred from Hastings to Harvard, right, so clearly the Hastings 1L gamble worked? Also, I was in the section referenced with the five Con Law professors in one semester (and your roommate was not). What actually happened was that our first professor had a family medical emergency, three other professors subbed a class or two using his syllabus (and it was clear they were pinch hitting and not permanent), while they searched for a permanent one, who was the fifth and final professor. Was this ideal? No, it really wasn't and we had to cobble it together and teach ourselves.

The civ pro story is also not exactly true. It is true the professor had a VERY different style that did not sit well with 80% of the class, but he made himself overly available for hours each week to meet with students and look at practice answers. Another professor with a more concrete teaching style offered extra review sessions, which were recorded and available to all. While the administration did not address either of these situations in the way we would have hoped (and many people are still angry), they did try to accommodate us and offered us all preferred registration for this year for Civ Pro II and Con Law II with any professor we wanted to try to appease the mob.

Yes, sf rent is expensive, but it is a terrific place to be. I have a theory that some students might spend a bit too much time enjoy the outdoors, nightlife, and music scene, which could be hurting their academic performance, but that is their choice. The flip side is that the externship opportunities are outstanding, especially during the school year when we don't have to compete. I know many people externing right now at the SEC, US Attorneys Office, USDC Northern District, CAG, California Supreme Court, EFF, and the ACLU.

As for bar passage rate and employment rates, yes, pretty grim if in bottom half of the class. It is really tough to know before getting to law school how you will actually do there.

Best of luck to you. I would not discourage anyone from considering Hastings because it has been great for me.

Thanks for clearing up the CaliGeorge Fake News Network. UCH pumps out 300 grads a year who can honestly address these question. Who goes through the trouble of writing 12 paragraph post about a school they’ve never attended to in a town they obviously know NOTHING about.

[265489164158]

Rankings have been leaked. Hasttings is officially tier 2 now. With one of the lowest bar passage rates in the state and a sinking reputation, I would strongly avoid Hastings.

Thank you for the news flash! I am sorry you hate Hastings so much you created an account to Hastings bash. Yes, there are some unhappy alumni (my guess is you are one of them), especially those who graduated during the recession. The leaked rankings are based on the class of 2016. I am hopeful that bar passage will improve with the changes they started implementing last year that impact the class of 2018, 2019 and beyond. Yes, the outcome is bleak for those in bottom half of the class. Is that how the school should be measured and evaluated, though? The biggest mistake Hastings has made is in not being selective enough in admissions. As for the people in the bottom half, however, can you really suggest they would have a better employment outcome if they went to McGeorge or Case Western? Where is the data on that?

[LegalComplex]

UR since 3/20... anyone else?