SMU Class of 2011 (& Facebook Grp)

[Changed Name]

Yeah, it depends on what you are looking for. If you like upscale bars/restaurants or the "chic scene," head over to Uptown and the bars on McKinney (go south from SMU campus towards downtown Dallas on I-75 and take EXIT #1: Blackburn/Haskell). Most of the bars in that area are on McKinney. The other neighborhoods to look at are Oaklawn,  Turtle Creek, and the American Airlines center.

If you like the laid back/sports bar type scene, go to lower Greenville. If you are on the SMU campus, take Mockingbird Street towards the east and turn right on Greenville (the third traffic signal after you cross over I-75). The have an eclectic variety of bars - some fratty, some chic, some laid back. The main strip of Greenville is 1.5 miles south where Greenville ends. You can also go left on Greenville, but the bars are spread out sporadic (like Ozonas). 

If you want touristy, you can go to the West End (which is now linked to the American Airlines Center). It is also near the Book Depository and where Kennedy got shot. If you like nature, head off to White Rock Lake (go east on Mockingbird from SMU campus for 5 miles and the Lake and trails will be on your right). You can also visit the Trinity River forest and meadows, but it is really for people who like to hike and take nature walks.

Around campus, focus on the Quad (the 4 law school buildings) and maybe the Rec Center on the main campus. The surrounding neighborhood (Highland Park) is nice, but is really just a neighborhood filled with mansions. If you have a thing for the suburbs, you can check out Frisco, Plano, and maybe South Lake (but that is a 45 minute drive from downtown). Addison is also a nice area (take Hillcrest northbound, which is next to SMU, and turn left on Lemon; you will go right on the Toll Road (bring change) and go down a couple of miles; you will eventually see the Galleria on your right (a nice mall if you are into shopping) and that is where Addison is). There are a lot of restaurants and bars, but it is geared more for the Yuppie crowd and most people will be in their early to late thirties.

Finally, there is Arlington, which has all the attractions including Six Flags, Texas Rangers, Hurricane Harbor, and the future home of the Dallas Cowboys. If you are in that area, head 30 minutes west on I30/I20 and you can visit Ft. Worth. You can see a rodeo or a lot of "western things" and the downtown area is nicer than Dallas downtown IMO. Plus the bars a lot cheaper than Dallas (check out 8.0's and The Library).

Dallas also has a lot of sports including the Mavs, the Stars, Cowboys, Rangers, FC Dallas (pro-soccer) and the Roughnecks (minor league baseball). That is all I can think of at the moment, let me know if you have specific questions.   

Wow! Thanks for the write-up, definitely will come in handy. I had a general question about what law school students generally do for housing? Will getting an apartment by myself be too costly? (I'm from the Bay, and when I went to college, I was used to paying up to a $1,000 just for my portion of a dinky apartment shared with another person).

And how "hard" is it to get on to a journal? I know the Law Review is top 10%. But what about the secondary journals? Is there a prestige rank amongst them?

I won't join the group just yet. I'll join after I come back from my visit, if all goes well. I'm actually excited about it - good sign.

[Betty_Crocker]

Wow! Thanks for the write-up, definitely will come in handy. I had a general question about what law school students generally do for housing? Will getting an apartment by myself be too costly? (I'm from the Bay, and when I went to college, I was used to paying up to a $1,000 just for my portion of a dinky apartment shared with another person).

And how "hard" is it to get on to a journal? I know the Law Review is top 10%. But what about the secondary journals? Is there a prestige rank amongst them?

I won't join the group just yet. I'll join after I come back from my visit, if all goes well. I'm actually excited about it - good sign.

$1000/month will get you a really nice apartment - probably one with a concierge, granite countertops, and wood floor. But it will depend on where you want to live (I suggest staying away from The Village, but some of the newer complexes are pretty nice and reasonable: http://www.thevillageapts.com/communities/17/index.cfm). 

As far as the journals are concerned here is the procedure:
Everyone has to do the write-on competition to get on one of the three journals: SMU, International, Science & Technology.

SMU: If you are in the top 10% of your class, you have to have a "good faith" entry to get in. The rest of the slots are based on the highest score.

International: same as above, but you need to be in the top 25% for the good faith standard

Science & Technology: same as above, but you need to be in the top third for the good faith standard

[Changed Name]

Wow! Thanks for the write-up, definitely will come in handy. I had a general question about what law school students generally do for housing? Will getting an apartment by myself be too costly? (I'm from the Bay, and when I went to college, I was used to paying up to a $1,000 just for my portion of a dinky apartment shared with another person).

And how "hard" is it to get on to a journal? I know the Law Review is top 10%. But what about the secondary journals? Is there a prestige rank amongst them?

I won't join the group just yet. I'll join after I come back from my visit, if all goes well. I'm actually excited about it - good sign.

$1000/month will get you a really nice apartment - probably one with a concierge, granite countertops, and wood floor. But it will depend on where you want to live (I suggest staying away from The Village, but some of the newer complexes are pretty nice and reasonable: http://www.thevillageapts.com/communities/17/index.cfm). 

As far as the journals are concerned here is the procedure:
Everyone has to do the write-on competition to get on one of the three journals: SMU, International, Science & Technology.

SMU: If you are in the top 10% of your class, you have to have a "good faith" entry to get in. The rest of the slots are based on the highest score.

International: same as above, but you need to be in the top 25% for the good faith standard

Science & Technology: same as above, but you need to be in the top third for the good faith standard

Thanks for the break-down. One more question (sorry to bug you): Is it worth getting on the secondary journals? Does it help with job prospects etc.? Can you do a journal AND moot court? or is it just one or the other?

As a 1L, what are the "better" things to get involved in at school to help boost my career chances, and overall career options?? Other than grades, of course.

[Betty_Crocker]

Thanks for the break-down. One more question (sorry to bug you): Is it worth getting on the secondary journals? Does it help with job prospects etc.? Can you do a journal AND moot court? or is it just one or the other?

As a 1L, what are the "better" things to get involved in at school to help boost my career chances, and overall career options?? Other than grades, of course.

Honestly it is hard to tell. In my opinion, being on the International journal is "worth it," but it is hard to tell. While interviewing, some firms will take notice of journal experience, but not heavily (so you might think it doesn't matter). On the other hand, the reason why they initially picked you is probably due to journal experience (even if it isn't mentioned in the interview). I would guess that if you had a legitimate position on the journal, they would ask you more questions. The International journal is more prestigious than the Science journal - the international law review publishes the International Lawyer (which is the official journal for the ABA's international law section and its circulation is second to Harvard Law Review) and the Law and Business Review of the Americas. The Science Journal used to be known as the Computer Law Review and used to be the technology law journal for the state bar of Texas. But if you want to go into IP or a science related law field, the science journal is probably a good resume booster.

It is not impossible to do a journal and moot court or mock trial and I know a couple students who do it. You have two major papers for the law review/journal (a case note and comment) and you will have intermediate assignments (cite checks and article editing). With moot court and mock trial, you will have one or two major competitions that will require a lot of prep time and actual competition, but the journals will make concessions for your other law school commitments (but it depends on who is on your editorial staff).

As a 1L, your grades should be your major focus, but you should also participate in the student associations, even if it is only on a superficial level. If you like being a student leader, you should definitely participate in groups as a 1L so you can establish yourself in these groups. These groups are especially good at helping you look at different areas of law (Real Estate Law Society, Energy Law Association, Health Law Association,  International Law Association, Sports Law Association etc). There is also Asian and Black Student Association (AALSA/BALSA), Christian Law Society, Gay/Lesbian Student Association (OUTLAW), 2nd Amendment Association, Women in the Law, etc. You can also try and be active in the Student ABA (law school government) but most opportunities will not open up until after your second semester of your 1L year. Also, consider getting involved in the DAYL (Dallas Young Lawyers Association) which will host happy hours around Dallas and you can meet recent lawyers in a causal setting. The DAYL also sponsors a 1L judicial internship where they help streamline the application process for you (basically you submit 35 copies of your resume to the DAYL and they will send them out to all the district and appellate judges in the Dallas area looking for 1L interns.         

[BLUE EYED MONSTER]

For those that are interested, the Fall 2008 schedule is up on the school’s website. I'll post it in the facebook group as well.

Section 1
Contracts (M,W Only) 10:00-10:50 with Rogers
Property (W,F Only) 11:00-11:50 with Forrester
Civ Pro (M,W Only) 2:00-3:15 with Martinez

Torts (T,TH Only) 9:00-10:15 with Shuman
Criminal (T,TH,F Only) 2:00-2:50 with Moss
Legal Writing (T, TH Only) ? - ? There are many different sections.


Section 2
Contracts (M,W Only) 9:00-9:50 with Epstien
Property (W,F Only) 11:00-11:50 with Gaba
Criminal (M,W,F Only) 2:00-2:50 with Palacios

Civ Pro (T,TH Only) 9:00-10:15 with Thornbury
Torts (T,TH Only) 10:30-11:45 with B. Martin
Legal Writing (T, TH Only) ? - ? There are many different sections.

A review of any profs. you guys have come across would be great. We're kind of in a dead time so any tiny morsal of information I can get makes my day. 

[Betty_Crocker]

For those that are interested, the Fall 2008 schedule is up on the school’s website. I'll post it in the facebook group as well.

Section 1
Contracts (M,W Only) 10:00-10:50 with Rogers
Property (W,F Only) 11:00-11:50 with Forrester
Civ Pro (M,W Only) 2:00-3:15 with Martinez

Torts (T,TH Only) 9:00-10:15 with Shuman
Criminal (T,TH,F Only) 2:00-2:50 with Moss
Legal Writing (T, TH Only) ? - ? There are many different sections.


Section 2
Contracts (M,W Only) 9:00-9:50 with Epstien
Property (W,F Only) 11:00-11:50 with Gaba
Criminal (M,W,F Only) 2:00-2:50 with Palacios

Civ Pro (T,TH Only) 9:00-10:15 with Thornbury
Torts (T,TH Only) 10:30-11:45 with B. Martin
Legal Writing (T, TH Only) ? - ? There are many different sections.

A review of any profs. you guys have come across would be great. We're kind of in a dead time so any tiny morsal of information I can get makes my day. 

Rogers is great - has dry humor, entertaining at times, and very engaging in class. He can be confusing regarding what he says in class in comparison to what is on the exam, but I really liked him.

Forrester is awesome - one of my favorite professors. She is very patient in her lectures and is very up beat. She is also brilliant (the fastest rising partner at her old firm - I think it was Locke Liddell). Her exams are straight forward and a lot easier than you except. But it is closed book and she usually covers more material than the other property professors.

Palacios is good - her exams are directly from her powerpoint slides (just note the distinction between MCP and the common law and you're golden. She is very anti-death penalty, so it might be good to add a little note on that on your essay portion. You will only have crim law your Fall Semester.

I didn't have Martinez in crim law, but I had him in an upper-level class. He is definitely quirky, but very nice. He loves class participation and loves calling people constantly at random (not sure how he is with the 1Ls)

I didn't have Shuman for torts, but I had him for evidence. He has Parkinson's, but it didn't find him hard to follow at all. He used powerpoint slides in Evidence, but I don't know what he does in Torts. He is very nice and very approachable - always willing to stay after class to answer questions or to respond to emails.

Finally, I had Martin for Secured Transactions - he is very relaxed when it comes to 3Ls (but have no idea when it comes to 1Ls). He is a named partner at Bell, Dunnley & Martin and can give two shits about following school rules (which is good when it comes the BS rules like faculty evaluations).

I can't tell you about the other profs though - you will get your writing instructor names closer to the orientation date. Back to studying for finals!       

[yonsohn]

Can anyone provide any insight as to what the evening part-time division would look like for me?  They're giving me some scholarship, but I'm wondering if what they are offering is good enough to turn down Univ. of Florida and the chance to be done in three (opposed to four) years.

Thanks in advance... 

[Betty_Crocker]

Can anyone provide any insight as to what the evening part-time division would look like for me?  They're giving me some scholarship, but I'm wondering if what they are offering is good enough to turn down Univ. of Florida and the chance to be done in three (opposed to four) years.

Thanks in advance... 

Even if you do the evening program, you can still transfer to the full-time program. You would just have to take summer classes for two years and may have to have a heavy semester (add an extra seminar class or a writing class), but you will catch up. People who don't "look" like evening students do the same as full time students with comparable grades. So if you are in your late 20s, I would say that you are good for the BigLaw firms if that is your thing. Sometimes the full time students have to take some classes at night because they are not offered in the day. The ultimate question you should ask yourself is whether you want to PRACTICE in Florida or Texas - but if you are OK with Texas, especially in Dallas, SMU is the best option even as an evening grad.

[Poetgirl80]

bump

still looking for a roommate... (and, I'm looking to buy a condo now, not rent an apartment, so rooming will be marginally cooler now) :-)

[Changed Name]

I'm going to resurrect this thread. We need some activity in here. Has anyone gotten anything in the mail after sending in their second seat deposit? I've noticed some people set-up email addresses. If you're one of those people, can you explain how you did so?