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Hi everyone! I'm really liking these non-LSAT related posts. They're a fun way to take a break from the LSAT. I'm just curious what law schools you all have visited and which ones you liked and disliked and the reasons why. Were there any law schools that you visited that you thought you wanted to go to but visiting made you reconsider?
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I visited my dream school, Columbia, and decided it was not for me. I mean its not like I would have gotten in anyway but I still needed to visit. The commute, first of all, would be a nightmare. It would be close to two hours one way. Also, most law students live on campus and that is not possible for me. I think I would be more of an outcast - I didn't get a good feeling about it from the tour. I also didn't get a good feeling from the admissions director or the way she answered questions. Equally, I was not very impressed with the students who were made available to us - they didn't seem very interested in us and it seemed like they were in a hurry. Anyway, I was so dissapointed but I'm glad I went and crossed it off my list. It wasn't going to be possible anyway with my numbers but at least I know there are other factors as to why its a no-go.
@catgonzalez1974737 said:
@napiersh959 said:
I did not like Georgetown's law campus much at all either. Although it is just minutes walk from the capitol, it is completely separate from the main campus and small. It's surrounded by business buildings so it feels very industrial and cold. Living near the campus would be ridiculously expensive, so commuting is a must unless you can live on campus (FYI they don't allow married couples to live on campus unless both are attending law school).
I was also disappointed at first that Georgetown Law Center was not at the iconic main campus overlooking the Potomac River. But once I visited GLC, I realized its location as a separate law campus is much better situated for what law students need: walking distance from the seats of power (whereas the main campus is isolated by DC standards, way too far from Capitol Hill). As for size, I thought it was huge for just a law school-- none of the facilities are shared with any other student body. It has its own fitness center and pool, just for law students! I think the architecture is regal and inspiring, not industrial nor cold. (note: I have no other T14 schools to compare it to.) So much is subjective!
Georgetown housing: there are lots of pockets of (relatively) affordable housing near the DC metro. Of course if it's "student housing" you're after, the university is likely to steer you toward top of the line luxury apartments aimed at "rich Georgetown" students. That said, I can see how it would appear there are no affordable choices to a newcomer, especially if the school doesn't help with that angle. DC is still exploding with gentrification. So you may have to expand your viewing area beyond Capitol Hill to find a decently priced apartment-- and yes, that means commuting, but I highly suggest not commuting by car if you can avoid it. So live near transit.
It's very possible to live in Capitol Hill affordably. I lived in DC until last week, in a beautiful corner row house two blocks from Union Station, and only paid $755/month. Before that, I lived in a crappier row house in Bloomingdale (near Shaw, and a 10 minute bike ride straight down to capitol hill) for $825/month. You just have to be willing to do a lot of searching and visiting on craigslist. The good thing about DC is that it's very geographically small, and you can bike from one end of the city to the other in 30 minutes max.
If you want a 1BR apartment (which only makes sense if you're married/moving in with a partner), then yeah, that's going to be rather expensive (1600+) no matter where you look. But if you are married/with a partner and splitting the costs, you can find options that would come out to around $800-900 per person in Capitol Hill.
@napiersh959 said:
I did not like Georgetown's law campus much at all either. Although it is just minutes walk from the capitol, it is completely separate from the main campus and small. It's surrounded by business buildings so it feels very industrial and cold. Living near the campus would be ridiculously expensive, so commuting is a must unless you can live on campus (FYI they don't allow married couples to live on campus unless both are attending law school).
I was also disappointed at first that Georgetown Law Center was not at the iconic main campus overlooking the Potomac River. But once I visited GLC, I realized its location as a separate law campus is much better situated for what law students need: walking distance from the seats of power (whereas the main campus is isolated by DC standards, way too far from Capitol Hill). As for size, I thought it was huge for just a law school-- none of the facilities are shared with any other student body. It has its own fitness center and pool, just for law students! I think the architecture is regal and inspiring, not industrial nor cold. (note: I have no other T14 schools to compare it to.) So much is subjective!
Georgetown housing: there are lots of pockets of (relatively) affordable housing near the DC metro. Of course if it's "student housing" you're after, the university is likely to steer you toward top of the line luxury apartments aimed at "rich Georgetown" students. That said, I can see how it would appear there are no affordable choices to a newcomer, especially if the school doesn't help with that angle. DC is still exploding with gentrification. So you may have to expand your viewing area beyond Capitol Hill to find a decently priced apartment-- and yes, that means commuting, but I highly suggest not commuting by car if you can avoid it. So live near transit.
@kaitlinroser12398 said:
Hi everyone! I'm really liking these non-LSAT related posts. They're a fun way to take a break from the LSAT. I'm just curious what law schools you all have visited and which ones you liked and disliked and the reasons why. Were there any law schools that you visited that you thought you wanted to go to but visiting made you reconsider?
So far I've loved every one that I can't get into.
@pcainti665 said:
I visited Georgetown during an admitted students open house with it being maybe #5 on my list. But gosh darnit they wined and dined and sold the hell out of me. It's honestly like #2 on my list now; I loved it so much. I especially loved the people I met. DC is amazing too.
I am also partial to DC and Georgetown! If money were no object, it would be my #1.
@annadapplebaum744 Could you share more? What was it that you disliked about Georgetown and Penn? I have visited Georgetown a few times (and applied-- I live near DC already, so I'm curious if it was the school itself or the city you didn't like, and why), but haven't visited Penn. Based on map view, Penn looks pretty urban too. Does the urban setting bother you?
I'm also curious what you liked, specifically, about your visit to UVA?
@annadapplebaum744 said:
I visited the entire T14 about a year ago. Just going off the campus and interactions with people, my favorites were UVA (by a long shot; who ever is in charge of marketing that law school to visitors deserves a raise), Yale, Duke, and Harvard.
Least favorite visits were Penn and Georgetown (very much disliked both visits; I didn't reapply go Georgetown and I debated not reapplying to Penn), Northwestern, maybe Stanford (the campus is pretty ugly in my opinion and you'd never think the building is home to a T3 law school. It's kind of a dump).
Everyone else was meshed together and fine overall. Michigan's law library is gorgeous, though.
I have visited all the UC law schools as I grew up in the bay area. My favorites if I were accepted are Cal and UCLA. Please, do not think if you are accepted to Cal or UC Hastings that you can commute into the bay area from Tracy or Stockton, it is too far. It would be helpful if you had a relative or a friend that you knew living in the SF Bay area, otherwise the cost of rentals is extremely high, as in $3000 or more for rent. One guy bought a bus to go to Berkeley as the student housing wanted 1600 for a room share and he felt it was too much. Stanford and Santa Clara University have the most beautiful campuses in the bay area I feel, but again there is the challenge of finding housing, unless you can luck out with an on campus place. If you want to attend in CA, UC Davis has perhaps the cheapest housing, but there is not much to do in Davis, other than go to Tahoe or SF if you have free time.
In Southern CA, I also visited USC and UCLA law schools. I love USC, but it is surrounded by a crime challenged area. UCLA law is a favorite of mine, but I have heard not all grad students can get on campus housing, and the area around Westwood, West LA can be expensive. UC Irvine and USD law have very nice campus facilities and are in nice areas, housing would be cheaper than SF bay area.
In Florida, I have visited all the main Florida law schools. UF and FSU both have fairly cheap rentals in Gainesville and Tallahassee, but you might not like those towns if you are from a big city. I have also visited FIU law and University of Miami, and I love being in Miami, but the housing is pretty pricey there as well. Stetson Law in Tampa is a gorgeous campus with a pool by the law school, and Stetson has a great rep amongst Florida attorneys.
I have also visited UT Austin and Tulane and I like both law schools. I think it would be great fun to live in New Orleans and attend Tulane, but I have heard it is challenging to find work in Louisiana.
UCI campus overall is beautiful and peaceful, with Aldrich Park in the center. The actual law buildings are modern, not the architecture you would see in older law schools in the East Coast but still respectable and clean. The library had plenty of tables and study rooms.
@annadapplebaum744
Can you elaborate more on what you liked about UVA? They're one of my top choices, of I get in (been under review for 1.5 months), but Idk if I'll get a chance to visit. I'd love as much info as possible from people thatve seen Charlottesville firsthand!
I've only been to UofM and Texas-Austin. Both huge thumbs up!
Michigan is beautiful, the city is great, especially if you prefer a true college town atmosphere. And nothing beats and arbor on game day! Even if you don't care about sports, the excitement and personality is fun.
Texas has a really nice campus, not as picturesque as michigan, but still great. And it helps that it's seemingly always sunny and 75 vs 5 and snowing! Austin is incredible. I have good friends from undergrad who are obsessed with the city, and visiting I've seen why. It's gorgeous, walkable, there are countless bars, restaurants, parks etc. Tons of music/arts festivals, outdoor concerts and performances. The art scene is crazy. Lake Travis is a great place to hang out and knock back some beers. If Texas did a better job placing out of state austin would push them way up my list!
@napiersh959 said:
@annadapplebaum744 said:
I visited the entire T14 about a year ago. Just going off the campus and interactions with people, my favorites were UVA (by a long shot; who ever is in charge of marketing that law school to visitors deserves a raise), Yale, Duke, and Harvard.
Least favorite visits were Penn and Georgetown (very much disliked both visits; I didn't reapply go Georgetown and I debated not reapplying to Penn), Northwestern, maybe Stanford (the campus is pretty ugly in my opinion and you'd never think the building is home to a T3 law school. It's kind of a dump).
Everyone else was meshed together and fine overall. Michigan's law library is gorgeous, though.
I did not like Georgetown's law campus much at all either. Although it is just minutes walk from the capitol, it is completely separate from the main campus and small. It's surrounded by business buildings so it feels very industrial and cold. Living near the campus would be ridiculously expensive, so commuting is a must unless you can live on campus (FYI they don't allow married couples to live on campus unless both are attending law school).
The reminds me, I actually really enjoyed Georgetown's campus! I guess it comes down to personal preference, because the exact reasons you mentioned not liking it are why I like it, hehe! I like the industrial feel :)
Definitely going to be adding Georgetown to my list!
@tristandesinor505 said:
@gregoryalexanderdevine723 said:
@tristandesinor505 said:
@gregoryalexanderdevine723 said:
I visited Cornell and fell in love with Ithica and the school itself. The people were amazing, the campus was beautiful, and I love upstate NY.
Really! I had crossed Cornell off my list because I really want to be in a diverse area for the three years of law school. How diverse was the campus/surrounding area?
What do you mean by "diverse"? Culturally diverse?
Yes
I don't ever really pay attention to that type of stuff, so I'm probably not the best person to ask. I also spent most of my time insulated inside College Town, and I thought the students represented a culturally diverse population. Coming from a larger city, though, I definitely think there are likely more culturally diverse places if that's something you value.
@gregoryalexanderdevine723 said:
@tristandesinor505 said:
@gregoryalexanderdevine723 said:
I visited Cornell and fell in love with Ithica and the school itself. The people were amazing, the campus was beautiful, and I love upstate NY.
Really! I had crossed Cornell off my list because I really want to be in a diverse area for the three years of law school. How diverse was the campus/surrounding area?
What do you mean by "diverse"? Culturally diverse?
Yes
@annadapplebaum744 said:
I visited the entire T14 about a year ago. Just going off the campus and interactions with people, my favorites were UVA (by a long shot; who ever is in charge of marketing that law school to visitors deserves a raise), Yale, Duke, and Harvard.
Least favorite visits were Penn and Georgetown (very much disliked both visits; I didn't reapply go Georgetown and I debated not reapplying to Penn), Northwestern, maybe Stanford (the campus is pretty ugly in my opinion and you'd never think the building is home to a T3 law school. It's kind of a dump).
Everyone else was meshed together and fine overall. Michigan's law library is gorgeous, though.
I did not like Georgetown's law campus much at all either. Although it is just minutes walk from the capitol, it is completely separate from the main campus and small. It's surrounded by business buildings so it feels very industrial and cold. Living near the campus would be ridiculously expensive, so commuting is a must unless you can live on campus (FYI they don't allow married couples to live on campus unless both are attending law school).
@tristandesinor505 said:
@gregoryalexanderdevine723 said:
I visited Cornell and fell in love with Ithica and the school itself. The people were amazing, the campus was beautiful, and I love upstate NY.
Really! I had crossed Cornell off my list because I really want to be in a diverse area for the three years of law school. How diverse was the campus/surrounding area?
What do you mean by "diverse"? Culturally diverse?
I've only visited Harvard becuse we had a 24 hour layover in Boston and I wanted to at least see the campus while we had some free time at night. We wandered the law school grounds and visited a couple shops at Harvard Square and it was quite nice. I can't speak for all, but for me, Harvard always seemed like this impossible dream and even the thought of visiting made me feel 'out of place' initially but I soon realized it's just like any other school, which helped to normalize it for me.
From what I saw of the school, it exudes wealth. Not necessarily because the campus was overly nice but just becaue of all the amenities. The square was full of cool restaurants and stores and we visited The Harvard Shop to buy some swag. The store is run by students who were very, very nice and personable. We asked them about their experience at the school and they couldn't have better things to say. They wished me good luck on my law school ambitions and hoped I'd get in. I actually found it really comforting to know that the people there seemed down to earth and approachable because that's something of importance to me.
Boston itself and the surrounding area seems absolutely amazing. We took 3 or 4 Lyfts that night and all the drivers were warm and personable which I thought said a lot about the city. Overall, the quick visit semented Harvard as a definite top on my list of goal schools.
@gregoryalexanderdevine723 said:
I visited Cornell and fell in love with Ithica and the school itself. The people were amazing, the campus was beautiful, and I love upstate NY.
Really! I had crossed Cornell off my list because I really want to be in a diverse area for the three years of law school. How diverse was the campus/surrounding area?
@figueroa10040 said:
@leahbeuk911, That sounds amazing. I like the PNW. Are you from Seattle or did you move there as an adult?
I grew up in Oregon but moved to Seattle in 2010 after being in Los Angeles for work and school for a while. So, as an adult. I will say, Seattle has been growing massively in the last several years and rents have gone crazy with it. So, the biggest downside is traffic is a bit crazy now and it’s not as affordable as it used to be even a few years ago. It’s finally starting to stabilize just a bit but still trending up. It’s still a wonderful city but I miss my $850 rent... 1 bedrooms are now on average around $1300-1400. Ugh. All around though, it’s still an awesome place to live.
@leahbeuk911, That sounds amazing. I like the PNW. Are you from Seattle or did you move there as an adult?
@acsimon699 said:
Least favorite visits were Penn and Georgetown (very much disliked both visits; I didn't reapply go Georgetown and I debated not reapplying to Penn), Northwestern, maybe Stanford (the campus is pretty ugly in my opinion and you'd never think the building is home to a T3 law school. It's kind of a dump).
Just so you know, that’s a very (very) minority opinion. Even for me, being on campus for most weeks for years and often not appreciating it at all, I wouldn’t dare venture that it was “pretty ugly”. Granted, I don’t spend a lot of time by the law school building or library, but it’s “kind of a dump”?—T’ah! If you think that, I’m really looking forward to seeing the rest of the schools in the T-14. They must all be something of a shangri-la!
I'm not sure where @annadapplebaum744 is from, but one thing I will note in general (though I don't know anything about Stanford's campus) is that I think California has very unique aesthetics. When I first moved from Oregon to college in Southern CA, I remember thinking that my school's campus felt like it was 80% cement and people kept telling me how beautiful the foothills were and I was super confused. Those brown hills with the scrawny dead trees and brown grass? Are we looking at the same hills? It took me a while to understand desert beauty - it's a totally different vibe than the Oregonian forests and mountains I was used to haha. So, possibly the California vibe is just not for everyone. (For the record, I learned to love it and totally get it now.)
@figueroa10040 You should visit! It's gorgeous. Seriously, I think Seattle is one of the most beautiful cities in the country. There are lakes and waterways everywhere, mountains in the distance, lots of fun things to do, good coffee and beer. UW is known for their cherry blossoms... it's a hayfever nightmare but is so beautiful haha (the blossoms have their own twitter: https://twitter.com/uwcherryblossom). The campus is really gorgeous, and the law school itself is somewhat new (built in 2003) so that's nice. The campus is right along the water, you can walk to a popular kayak rental spot. Lots of shopping, restaurants, and bars close by. To sum up: it is great. haha
@pcainti665 said:
@kaitlinroser12398 said:
@pcainti665 @tristandesinor505 I decided not to apply to UC Hastings after reading about the Tenderloin area....(http://m.sfgate.com/local/article/Theater-star-leaving-SF-writes-open-letter-12219346.php ) I think I made the right decision...
I work like two blocks form it. I see people shooting on the streets. There are needles all over the ground (used). People are sick and there is always an ambulance coming to help someone who has over dosed or is not in a great place in their life.
It’s half the reason I wanna do Law, people shouldn’t have to live like those poor people I see every day...
It is depressing, but it’s the safest place I’ve ever seen where severe poverty and addiction are visible. I’d also mention that you’d be surprised how much fun you can have at some of the bars in that area. And that’s coming from someone who is not to big (at all) on SF nightlife options.
Still, it’s hard to walk market and see ppl live like that. No one should ever have to, and that applies triply for the Bay.—A.c.S
@figueroa10040 said:
@catgonzalez1974737, Which U of M is this? Ann Arbor?
Yeah sorry. I'm from Michigan so University of Michigan is kind of our only U of M. My sister did visit University of Minnesota though and I had her drop by the law school which she says is ugly. She liked the area though.
Least favorite visits were Penn and Georgetown (very much disliked both visits; I didn't reapply go Georgetown and I debated not reapplying to Penn), Northwestern, maybe Stanford (the campus is pretty ugly in my opinion and you'd never think the building is home to a T3 law school. It's kind of a dump).
Just so you know, that’s a very (very) minority opinion. Even for me, being on campus for most weeks for years and often not appreciating it at all, I wouldn’t dare venture that it was “pretty ugly”. Granted, I don’t spend a lot of time by the law school building or library, but it’s “kind of a dump”?—T’ah! If you think that, I’m really looking forward to seeing the rest of the schools in the T-14. They must all be something of a shangri-la!
@leahbeuk911, Really hoping to visit Seattle someday. What's the University of Washington campus like?
@catgonzalez1974737, Which U of M is this? Ann Arbor?