Cornell 1L taking questions

[Quail!]

This kind of thread really helped me out when I was making decisions, so ask away (and see prior questions in the "Cornell v. Vandy thread).

[Greasy]

Hi!

- Can I ask your GPA/LSAT combo?

- How competitive are your first year courses?

- Have you heard anything about Cornell's speculative push to up their numbers this year?

- Can you find a decent two-person place for a fair price that doesn't make walking to campus horribly inconvenient in the winter?

[Quail!]

1) I was between 3.6-3.7 with a 169
2) It's not that competitive.  There will always be a few gunners, but most people are sane.  Unless you mean something else by "competitiveness"
3) I have not heard about it, but I wouldn't doubt it
4) Yea, some of the places really close can be obnoxiously priced, but you can find a place within 4 blocks or so that is reasonably price

[summerlovin]

I saw a study recently that found that Cornell students study more than students at any other law school (an average of 5.8ish hours per day).  Do you believe these results?  Would you consider the students there to be rather social or unsocial?

Thanks for your help!

[jfq4999]

I saw a study recently that found that Cornell students study more than students at any other law school (an average of 5.8ish hours per day).  Do you believe these results?  Would you consider the students there to be rather social or unsocial?

Thanks for your help!

Bump.

[Quail!]

What do you think of Cornell's placement?  Do you have a summer job lined up?

What would you like to do after graduation?  Do you think the pedigree will make it easy to attain?

I'm not worried one tiny bit about placement - if you're not a feminine hygiene product and can put yourself together, you'll be fine.  I don't have a job lined up just yet, I'm waiting for a couple of hiring committees to meet and decide on me, and for some government orgs that usually decide mid-feb.  Most 1Ls don't end up having summer jobs lined up till part way into 2nd semester from what I've been told - and again, I'm not worried at all.

I'll probably go biglaw after graduation, the other option I see for myself is going after a DOJ gig.  The name sure won't hurt, especially since I'm not looking in a place where most of the students look (most seem to look in the northeast or west coast).  As far as NYC, basically I've heard you have to not be a total idiot and have a pulse.

[Quail!]

I saw a study recently that found that Cornell students study more than students at any other law school (an average of 5.8ish hours per day).  Do you believe these results?  Would you consider the students there to be rather social or unsocial?

Thanks for your help!

I'm very very wary about surveys like that.  First off, people at any law school study a lot.  When you have 3-4 classes the next day, you just aren't going to finish everything in 1.5-2 hours, depending on the specifics. 

Edit: I didn't completely respond to the question.  Are there some people that study 6 hours a day? Very possibly.  I might have studied for 6 hours or so if I had some very long assignments and a memo, but usually not.

I think the survey said that people at Yale study less than 2 hours a day - either they don't because they go to Yale and know they're set, or more probably, either the only responses they got were from a few people that didn't study much, or they study more and don't want to admit it because they want people to think they're natural-born geniuses.

People here are very social, and there is always someone going out.  That's not something I would worry about.

[Greasy]

1) I was between 3.6-3.7 with a 169
2) It's not that competitive.  There will always be a few gunners, but most people are sane.  Unless you mean something else by "competitiveness"
3) I have not heard about it, but I wouldn't doubt it
4) Yea, some of the places really close can be obnoxiously priced, but you can find a place within 4 blocks or so that is reasonably price

No, that's what I meant by "competitive."

Whereabouts does one need to graduate in order to make market? I've seen some threads alleging that bottom T14 grads need to be somewhere in the top half. I was skeptical, but really have no basis to make a judgment. In the same vein, how easy/hard is it to get a respectable clerkship?

[t L]

Cornell is so small that I doubt you need to be top half.  Now GULC, that's another story.

[Quail!]

Top half gets you biglaw, but you could probably still have a shot as long as you're not in the bottom 25% and interview very well.  But top half is safe.

I'm not quite as sure about clerkships, from what I hear you have to be up there for the prestigious federal clerkships, but I really would not be the person to ask - I'm sure the career services office would be glad to give you some info