University of San Diego Law (Video of law school) 1L taking Questions

[rugbygal]

Hey thanks for taking the time out to answer some questions!  I am currently deciding between San Diego and Hastings, but leaning towards San Diego.  I went out to visit San Diego last week, but was only able to stay for 2 days, so I didn't get a very in depth experience of the city, but what I did see, I really liked.  Anyways, my boyfriend and I will be living together and he surfs, so we were thinking of moving to Mission Beach.  Do you know when is the absolute latest that I should look for housing?  Is it reasonable to expect to move out there in early August and be able to find a place in a few days, or should I just search online and obtain a place that way?  Do you and most of your friends have summer jobs yet? Is it difficult to find one that pays?  How much time do you spend studying each week? How social are your classmates? I won't know anyone except my SO in San Diego, so i'm hoping to make friends...assuming I have time to even have friends!  I was awarded federal work study.  Do you know if it would be a mistake to work a few hours each week on campus the first year, or should I just borrow the money instead? What do you like best about USD? What do you like the least about USD?  About how much did you spend on books each semester? How accessible are the professors?  Ok, I think that's it for now. Feel free to add any additional info!  Thanks!

[UnbiasedObserver]

If anyone has any questions just let me know

I have some questions for you!

How do you like your professors? 

Did you get a scholarship there?  If so, what were the scholarship requirements? 

How much does housing cost?  I've heard the COL is exorbitant in SD. 

Thanks!

[Einstein]

Posted new videos of the law school and it's interior, plus a campus tour..

Also, got video of the Cathedral per the request.

[UnbiasedObserver]

Why do my posts keep disappearing?!?!

I have some questions:

1) Did you receive a scholarship there?  If so, what was the requirement to keep it?

(I have to be in the top third to keep it, and I want to see if I can knock it down to the top half.)

2) What type of jobs are you looking at if you're top third? Top half? Bottom half?

3) How is the COL in San Diego? (I know it's high!)   What is the housing situation for law students?

Thanks!

[rugbygal]

My post disappeared as well...hopefully it works this time.

Hey thanks for taking the time out to answer some questions!  I am currently deciding between San Diego and Hastings, but leaning towards San Diego.  I went out to visit San Diego last week, but was only able to stay for 2 days, so I didn't get a very in depth experience of the city, but what I did see, I really liked.  Anyways, my boyfriend and I will be living together and he surfs, so we were thinking of moving to Mission Beach.  Do you know when is the absolute latest that I should look for housing?  Is it reasonable to expect to move out there in early August and be able to find a place in a few days, or should I just search online and obtain a place that way?  Do you and most of your friends have summer jobs yet? Is it difficult to find one that pays?  How much time do you spend studying each week? How social are your classmates? I won't know anyone except my SO in San Diego, so i'm hoping to make friends...assuming I have time to even have friends!  I was awarded federal work study.  Do you know if it would be a mistake to work a few hours each week on campus the first year, or should I just borrow the money instead? What do you like best about USD? What do you like the least about USD?  About how much did you spend on books each semester? How accessible are the professors?  Ok, I think that's it for now. Feel free to add any additional info!  Thanks!

[Einstein]

Why do my posts keep disappearing?!?!

I have some questions:

1) Did you receive a scholarship there?  If so, what was the requirement to keep it?

(I have to be in the top third to keep it, and I want to see if I can knock it down to the top half.)

2) What type of jobs are you looking at if you're top third? Top half? Bottom half?

3) How is the COL in San Diego? (I know it's high!)   What is the housing situation for law students?

Thanks!

1. Not really sure about scholarships... I have heard that they are willing to negotiate schollys if you were offered money from other schools.  Just give them a call and tell them that you like the school but money is a major issue. Tell them that XXX school is giving you this much and you were wondering if they could meet or beat it.

2. I have a science background and will be doing IP/patent.  The career services told me that if I wanted to do Patent prosecution and wanted big firm, then I would need to be top 50%.  If I wanted to do IP litigation (which is more fun but more work) then I would need to be top 30%.  I suspect for other areas of law it may be harder.. but this is my experience.  We do have a lot of networking events on campus where the big firms come and do panels and socializing afterwards... 

3. If you get roommates then it isn't bad.  I live with 3 people in a very nice place in mission valley and each roommate pays $750. You can find decent places for $700/unit... The more roommates you get the cheaper it will be.  If you are in a 2 bedroom, you probably will be paying $800/month if you want a nice place. 
Try http://sandiego.craigslist.org/apa/
And http://sandiego.craigslist.org/roo/

Here are a couple of really nice places
http://www.promenadeliving.com/homeset.html (this is where I live)

http://www.rent.com/rentals/california/san-diego-and-vicinity/san-diego/mission-valley/529344/?sp=1&searchrank=7

If you dont mind using a laundry facility, then you can find some really neat places by the beach for reasonable prices.  They wont be nice (classy) like the above... but they will be fun! 

The one thing about the San Diego renters market is that properties go really really really quick.  Example: you might be talking to someone one day and you tell them you want to come see it tomorrow at 5pm.  You get there and they tell you that someone already rented it.  That happened to me numerous times.  So unless you want to put a deposit down somewhere then you better be willing to look and lease because it will most likely get snatched up if it is any kind of deal.

Of course there are properties that are WAAAAAAYY over priced and they just sit forever... But the ones that I was interested in were somewhat of a deal,.. so they got taken quick.  What we ended up doing was driving to san diego, stayed in a motel for a couple days while we found a place. 

If you are looking for roommates, then the school sends out a roommate list about a month before classes start.  It has phone numbers etc.

[botbot]

Summer job?

[Einstein]

My post disappeared as well...hopefully it works this time.

Hey thanks for taking the time out to answer some questions!  I am currently deciding between San Diego and Hastings, but leaning towards San Diego.  I went out to visit San Diego last week, but was only able to stay for 2 days, so I didn't get a very in depth experience of the city, but what I did see, I really liked.  Anyways, my boyfriend and I will be living together and he surfs, so we were thinking of moving to Mission Beach.  Do you know when is the absolute latest that I should look for housing?  Is it reasonable to expect to move out there in early August and be able to find a place in a few days, or should I just search online and obtain a place that way?  Do you and most of your friends have summer jobs yet? Is it difficult to find one that pays?  How much time do you spend studying each week? How social are your classmates? I won't know anyone except my SO in San Diego, so i'm hoping to make friends...assuming I have time to even have friends!  I was awarded federal work study.  Do you know if it would be a mistake to work a few hours each week on campus the first year, or should I just borrow the money instead? What do you like best about USD? What do you like the least about USD?  About how much did you spend on books each semester? How accessible are the professors?  Ok, I think that's it for now. Feel free to add any additional info!  Thanks!

Do you know when is the absolute latest that I should look for housing? 

See the above post for a good housing description.. but for the most part right now just look on craigslist and the like, to get the feel of what you will be able to afford, and which location you would like to live.  Use www.maps.google.com to see how far the location is from school.  I personally prefer no commute so I live about 3 miles from school. 

Is it reasonable to expect to move out there in early August and be able to find a place in a few days, or should I just search online and obtain a place that way?

If you are within driving distance, then you have it made.  It is the out of staters that will have the problems... you can just drive in to San Diego and look and lease type deal.  Or look at a complex and find the one you like a month prior to move in, and put a deposit down... out of staters will have to either fly in and find a place ahead of time... rely on roommates that are in San Diego to pick a place... blindly pick a place online (DO NOT DO THIS).... or just throw caution into the wind and move all your stuff to San Diego and stay in a motel for a couple days while you pick a place (I took this option)

Do you and most of your friends have summer jobs yet?
I am in the part time program, so a lot of my friends already have jobs.  Some friends havent even tired to find a job, and all of the ones that have tried to find work have found work.  This is my second semester of part time program and I got my law clerk position early my second semester(this semester).  It has only been about 5 weeks and I have already written 5 memos for the firm among other things. The firm did not require me to show them my first semester grades, but they did ask me to write a memo in 24 hours.  They called me at about 5 pm while I was in the library and said they would like a memo on a contract issue before 5pm the next day. The partner said that he had 4 other applicants working of the same issue, and he was going to use this "real world" writing experience to judge who to hire. I worked all the next day at my other job (I teach), so I stayed up late until 2am doing the memo then turned it in praying it was decent.  Didnt get a call back until about 5 days later.. The partner said that he had one of the attorneys in the office write on the same issue too, and mine was very similar to the attorneys memo, so I got the job. 

Career services is good because toward the end of the first semester they make you meet with them and they go over your resume, and they make corrections and have you write a cover letter and redo the resume.  There is a website called symplicity where legal jobs are posted for students... this is how I got my job at my firm.

Is it difficult to find one that pays? 

My job pays, I dont know anyone that is not being paid... USD is the top school within 100 mile radius or more. So we have the pick of the legal jobs during the year.  We compete with cal western and thomas jefferson which are T4.

How much time do you spend studying each week?

I read the book, and book brief with different color highlighters, work on lawyers skills memos and briefs, then every few weeks update my outline.  I would say outside of class I spend about 3 hours per day during the week reading/studying and on the weekend probably about 4-5hrs each day but it varies throughout the semester. 

How social are your classmates?

Everyone is nice, I am one of the married ones, so I hang with other married guys... there def. is a single crowd that goes out to the bars every Thurday night for bar review and the like.  There are TONS of socialize/networking events, there are so many, I lose track of them all... seems like all of them have a keg or wine and cheese..lol.

I won't know anyone except my SO in San Diego, so i'm hoping to make friends...assuming I have time to even have friends!  I was awarded federal work study.  Do you know if it would be a mistake to work a few hours each week on campus the first year, or should I just borrow the money instead?

I have heard good things about work study... usually they place you in the library (you can work on school stuff and law review most of the time)  or the career services office, etc..  With that said, even the part time program is quite hectic, so if you are fulltime I would think long and hard about working and doing school.  But if you think you can handle it, then more power to you.

What do you like best about USD?
I like my professors the most. They are very intriguing. They all have their different personalities that make the class interesting.  If you look into some of their backgrounds you will see that they are leaders on the subject.. Check out a prof last name Strong.  I am taking him for criminal right now and he is the best.  USD was ranked 22 not too long about in faculty rankings.  They are attracted to the sunny weather and beaches I think lol..

What do you like the least about USD? 
I hate the nazi meter maids running around here... I have already paid $100 in fines (2 tickets)... If you can only park in a spot after 5pm.. then dont think they wont notice if you pull in at 4:55pm.  This is how I got my two tickets, thinking "they wont find me in 5 minutes".. I think they have cameras or something...


About how much did you spend on books each semester?

I bought all of my books new so they wouldnt have highlights in them.. So expect to spend out $450.  If you get used ones you could come out around $250 if you are lucky. (that is for part time program though)  Fulltime takes 1-2 classes more than part-time so if books v. price is linear in nature then that means you should expect.. 450/x=3/4 or 450/x=3/5   and  250/x=3/4 or 250/x=3/5  Then just solve for x to find the answer.

How accessible are the professors?
Every prof, has an email, and they are good about responding.. They all have office hours, and generally no one goes...
They also have TA's which hold office hours, and again no one really goes.. you might go to see them and they only have one person the whole session.  But then again, I myself rarely go, so I am just basing this on what I have seen of those occasions. 

[Einstein]

Summer job?

I currently work for a firm.  And the employment is not temporary.  I will probably be at my firm through the summer.

[rugbygal]

Thanks for your response! It was really helpful.  Another question for you... Do you recommend doing any sort of prep before classes start in August?