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#help Any UCI alum or current students ?

karko2525karko2525 Member
edited April 2021 in Law School Admissions 620 karma

So I am highly considering UCI law due to generous scholarship and their overall ABA reports. Originally, I was on the fence about the school because it's relatively new... However, it does seem like they have been performing well overall especially for being such a young law school. I will admit that their recent drop in rankings is concerning to me. Are there any current UCI students I can talk to here or can shed some light on their drop in rankings? I know rankings aren't everything but I am curious as to why they dropped so much. Of course, any and all opinions are welcome whether you go to UCI or not. Just need some help deciding and getting some overall insight since it's seems like a top contender for me right now. I am still waiting to hear back from a couple more schools and am currently trying to get off a waitlist at another school, but definitely considering UCI. I would love to get some details on their overall law school system and administration as well. Thanks!

For context, I am not big law or bust. Not PI either. I'm interested in IP/Patent law or healthcare/ medical malpractice law so far (still fluid. Figured I would find out what I like in law school). Graduated with a science degree and also plan on practicing in CA

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  • bananabobananabo Core Member
    1211 karma

    If you haven't already, I suggest listening to The Powerscore LSAT Podcast's most recent episode! They talk about the changes in rankings and they also mention UCI and how relevant the rankings are in terms of employment. My takeaway from that podcast was that the ranking doesn't really matter if you're planning to stay in that area, as the law firms are already familiar with the local law schools.

    For example, they mention O'Melveny and how rankings aren't really relevant when it comes to LA schools. O'Melveny recognizes local schools such as Loyola and Southwestern, which are lower ranked schools.

    UCI is a great school and I don't think that ranking should be a deterrent, especially if you are planning to practice there.

    I'm not an alum, I've just done a lot of research on UCI and hoping to apply there for Fall 2022! haha

    Congrats on your acceptance! :smile:

  • karko2525karko2525 Member
    620 karma

    @bananabo thank you for your insight! I will definitely check out that podcast. It’s reassuring to know that the law firms in the area are familiar with the law schools around them regardless of rankings. I’m always on the fence about rankings because they seem important on the one hand and meaningless on the other. Glad I’m not big law or bust though 😅 I would go nuts thinking about rankings haha but thank you ! I am hoping to practice in the Bay Area so I don’t see myself staying in LA long term if I do attend UCI. Do you know if that will have an impact on my job prospects? I figured it should be fine since it’s still CA, but not sure.

    Also good luck on your app to UCI !! 😁 Is it your top choice?

  • bananabobananabo Core Member
    1211 karma

    The plus about UCI is that it’s apart of the UC system so people in CA are usually familiar with that those schools, however, since the law school is newer, I don’t know if the name will stretch to the Bay in terms of law firms. I think that if you ultimately want to work in the Bay, you’re better off going to a school in that area (the only ones I know are Berkeley, Stanford, and Hastings) or a T14, unless you’re originally from the Bay area. I say that because I know some firms ask why you want to work there and unless you can say that you either went to school in the area or you grew up there, it makes it harder for them to assess how likely you are to accept that job if it is offered to you.

    All of this is information that I’ve gathered from my research or from talking to people, so please take what I say with a grain of salt! Hahaha

    UCI isn’t my top top choice, but it’s definitely on my list! I would prefer to stay in LA, so I’m looking at USC, UCLA, or Loyola. UCI is in the OC, so it’s not super close to LA but not super far either hahaha

  • karko2525karko2525 Member
    620 karma

    @bananabo Happy to say that I am originally from the Bay so hopefully that helps me out. Do you think that would help my chances of getting a job in the Bay after graduation if I do attend UCI ? I know someone at BU law who was able to get internships and a job offer in the Bay (she's also originally from the Bay) so I was hoping the same might be true for me if I go to UCI. But I know BU is like T20 now so I'm not sure if I can compare my situation with her's haha

    I do have an offer from Hastings and am still waiting on Berkeley but it looks pretty bleak considering how late it is in the cycle 😅 I have decent offers from Hastings and UCI so I'm leaning towards UCI mainly due to ranking etc. But I do know that Hastings has great networks within the Bay. I'm just on the fence right now and still haven't heard back from everyone so I can't get myself to make a definitive decision yet. On another note, I am trying to get off the waitlist at NU so I'm just all over the place in terms where I want to attend 😂😭😂 but my gut is saying that UCI is a good choice so I figured I would ask this forum. I also like their clinics so that was a huge factor in me applying there.

    That makes sense ! Best of luck to you on your applications. :)

  • mgarzacrmgarzacr Member
    2 karma

    Hey I'm a UCI alum

  • karko2525karko2525 Member
    620 karma

    @mgarzacr hi! Would you be willing to chat via PM ?

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