A day in the life of...University of Washington

[I can has lauskul!]

I visited UW earlier this week and didn't think the buzzer was a big deal at all...I barely even noticed it.  I am uneasy about the quarter system, though.

[armygoat08]

I'm actually excited by the quarter system for a number of reasons:

1. first quarter 1L classes only count for 10% of grade in the class, which makes for an easier introduction to law school.

2. it becomes easier to take cross-discipline classes in business, education, languages, etc. (the rest of the UW is on the same system)

3. makes for more accessible externships/judicial/clinical work in Seattle (meaning you still get class credit/work experience but also spend 2/3 of your school-year in law school class--which means that you can take a whole quarter off and devote it solely to your externship and not fall behind on credits/class).

I absolutely loved UW and the fact that they do not rank, have a nice grade curve (B+) and dominate the pacific northwest. And to reiterate earlier thoughts, the facilities are also outstanding!

[OlderandWiser]

I'm actually excited by the quarter system for a number of reasons:

1. first quarter 1L classes only count for 10% of grade in the class, which makes for an easier introduction to law school.

2. it becomes easier to take cross-discipline classes in business, education, languages, etc. (the rest of the UW is on the same system)

3. makes for more accessible externships/judicial/clinical work in Seattle (meaning you still get class credit/work experience but also spend 2/3 of your school-year in law school class--which means that you can take a whole quarter off and devote it solely to your externship and not fall behind on credits/class).

I absolutely loved UW and the fact that they do not rank, have a nice grade curve (B+) and dominate the pacific northwest. And to reiterate earlier thoughts, the facilities are also outstanding!

This is exactly what I have heard from some current students.  there are definite advantages to the quarter system.  Also, the school helps people to come up with compact schedules if you want to graduate closer to when other schools graduate.  My understanding is that this is especially helpful when it comes to studying for the bar, finding jobs, etc.  Any current students want to expand on this? 

[I can has lauskul!]

I'm actually excited by the quarter system for a number of reasons:

1. first quarter 1L classes only count for 10% of grade in the class, which makes for an easier introduction to law school.

2. it becomes easier to take cross-discipline classes in business, education, languages, etc. (the rest of the UW is on the same system)

3. makes for more accessible externships/judicial/clinical work in Seattle (meaning you still get class credit/work experience but also spend 2/3 of your school-year in law school class--which means that you can take a whole quarter off and devote it solely to your externship and not fall behind on credits/class).

I absolutely loved UW and the fact that they do not rank, have a nice grade curve (B+) and dominate the pacific northwest. And to reiterate earlier thoughts, the facilities are also outstanding!

I agree with all but your first point.  If the first quarter covers 10% of your grade, then the second quarter covers 90%.  Imagine taking a final in March that includes material from the previous September.  Not a good introduction to law school IMHO.  I'd rather get it all over with in one quarter.

Another concern is that the quarter system causes some amount of misalignment with summer jobs in other regions and participation in study abroad programs offered by other schools.  I guess if you want to work in Seattle every summer and study abroad in Dublin or Rome, it wouldn't be as much of an issue.

[WildRichLord]

I agree with all but your first point.  If the first quarter covers 10% of your grade, then the second quarter covers 90%.  Imagine taking a final in March that includes material from the previous September.  Not a good introduction to law school IMHO.  I'd rather get it all over with in one quarter.

My $0.02 (as an incoming member of the UW Class of 2011 who has fidgeted over this decision myself): Remember that there are three quarters in an academic year.  According to http://www.law.washington.edu/CourseCatalog/cbCourselist.asp?TOPIC=FIRST, Basic Legal Skills is the only year-long course.  CivPro, Contracts, and Torts are all Fall-Winter.  ConLaw and Property are Winter-Spring.  Criminal Law is Spring only.  So you'll have three finals at the end of Winter quarter and four (assuming BLS has a final, which it might not, I don't know) at the end of Spring quarter.

Your point about having a final in March that includes material from September is a good one, but consider that students at schools on the semester system take year-long classes, too: they have finals in May on stuff from September.

What concerns me is that winter quarter: two overlapping sets of classes!  OMGREADINGOVERLOAD!

I have been told by a UW 2L that I've chatted with online that the challenge for UW students on the quarter system is with summer employment.  The last quarter ends a few weeks after the semester ends at most other schools, so you wind up getting screwed out of a few weeks' pay and your fellow associates have already started to bond by the time you show up.  And I believe that's even if you take a compressed 2L spring quarter.  But some firms are cutting back their summer associate employment (downturn in the economy, don't you know), so you might not wind up getting screwed out of much compared to your peers.

[I can has lauskul!]

I agree with all but your first point.  If the first quarter covers 10% of your grade, then the second quarter covers 90%.  Imagine taking a final in March that includes material from the previous September.  Not a good introduction to law school IMHO.  I'd rather get it all over with in one quarter.

My $0.02 (as an incoming member of the UW Class of 2011 who has fidgeted over this decision myself): Remember that there are three quarters in an academic year.  According to http://www.law.washington.edu/CourseCatalog/cbCourselist.asp?TOPIC=FIRST, Basic Legal Skills is the only year-long course.  CivPro, Contracts, and Torts are all Fall-Winter.  ConLaw and Property are Winter-Spring.  Criminal Law is Spring only.  So you'll have three finals at the end of Winter quarter and four (assuming BLS has a final, which it might not, I don't know) at the end of Spring quarter.

Your point about having a final in March that includes material from September is a good one, but consider that students at schools on the semester system take year-long classes, too: they have finals in May on stuff from September.

What concerns me is that winter quarter: two overlapping sets of classes!  OMGREADINGOVERLOAD!

I have been told by a UW 2L that I've chatted with online that the challenge for UW students on the quarter system is with summer employment.  The last quarter ends a few weeks after the semester ends at most other schools, so you wind up getting screwed out of a few weeks' pay and your fellow associates have already started to bond by the time you show up.  And I believe that's even if you take a compressed 2L spring quarter.  But some firms are cutting back their summer associate employment (downturn in the economy, don't you know), so you might not wind up getting screwed out of much compared to your peers.

Yikes...year-long classes.  Holy crap!  That's something you sure don't see in the brochures.

This is good stuff...thanks.  I just returned from a visit and can't wait to start there.  UW is a fantastic school

[Naliamegod]

I go to UW as a UG, so I can answer any questions about living up in this city called Seattle.

[WildRichLord]

We just learned that the course schedules will be changed in two key ways for next year.  1) The first-year curriculum gains an international law class  2) Many (most?) upper-level courses will end in May.

I know UW is big on their Asian law programme.  I would love to take an i-law class 1L.

Switching to year-long classes... hrm... well, I'm told that there's been a tendency to compress a year's worth of torts or property or whatever into two quarters, so perhaps that will take some of the pressure off.

The crazy-loud buzzers are room specific, and there's an on-off switch.

I sat in on Torts with Wolcher back in January (I went up there for the WA Court of Appeals session) and there was no buzzer.  I imagined that they kept it off because the room was used as a courtroom as well as a classroom.

You also may like to know that 1) there are tons of events

I was told by a 2L that law students shouldn't have to pay for lunch; some company or firm or club or something is always giving food to hungry law students.

2) the librarians rock

UW has the top-ranked law librarian master's program in the country.

3) technology is seamlessly integrated into just about everything

I got the impression that many of the lectures are podcasted (but you have to be enrolled in the class in order to download the podcasts), which I might imagine will make exam review a lot easier.

The more I think about it, the more excited I get to start school at UW.  I sit at my desk and go, "Is it September yet?  Is it September yet?  Is it September yet?"

One black mark about UW: they kind of don't have a dean right now.  They offered the job to one person, but she turned it down (for "personal reasons").  I suspect that that's at least part of the reason why UW is languishing at the bottom of the T30.

FWIW.

"How about now?  Is it September yet?"

[OlderandWiser]

Sounds like a lot of people are really excited about UW.  That's good to hear!  I feel like it gets neglected on this board sometimes, there's a heavy East Coast bias.  Who's definitely attending?  Who's still thinking about it?  Anyone from outside the PNW?  Anyone going to the event on May 16th? I'm thinking of going out and would love to meet some other students, current and prospective.   

[WildRichLord]

I'm from the SF Bay Area, but I've always seen myself ending up in the Pacific Northwest, so it's a no-brainer to go to the top law school in the region.

Hell, I'm passing on USC and UCLA to go to UW -- I know I want to practice in Seattle, they're both too expensive, and they would both involve living in LA for three years.  No, thanks.

There's a tiny chance that I'll get into Northwestern when they start getting back to their on-hold people in the next few weeks, but judging from the results for others with my numbers (3.93/165), I'm not sanguine about my prospects there.  So I've put down my deposit, and I'm 98% certain that I'm going.