University of Oregon

[BoscoBreaux]

You bring up the exact points I've been wrestling with for the past several weeks. It's a tough decision with pros and cons on both sides...but that's what I get for having miserable scores that aren't acceptable for the other Northern California schools. Maybe someone at Davis will accept me by accident.

What factors went into your decision (I'm assuming you've decided of course), bosco?

BTW, thanks for the input! I posted a thread asking people's opinions between the two schools awhile ago and got maybe two responses.

I'm a bad example. I already live in Sacramento, own a home here, am married, will rely on spouse's job in Sacramento for support, and I LOVE Northern California--I'm going to Pacific (I liked the folks there better, and they threw $15K at me as well). I was accepted at Oregon, but relocating to Eugene, going to Oregon, and only to move back to Sacramento and competing with Pacific graduates for jobs makes no sense for me.  Then, there is the CA Bar--ugh!
 I have lived in NYC, and I know that I don't ever want to go to school or work in a huge city. I've lived East Cost, and West Coat--I prefer Northern CA to just about anyplace else. Further, I know that no one really cares where you went to school--I have worked for judges who went to Third Tier Schools, and have seen Harvard grads get fired for incompetency. I am a firm believer in going to the school where you fit in best. If I was younger, maybe a uber-liberal school which stresses theory may appeal to me, but my undergraduate education was filled with theory which didn't prepare me for the last 10 years of work.  Oregon is a very good school, just probably not for me.

[AmanteDolciume]

Okay, that makes me feel better. If I were tied to Sacramento (I am in the area also) I would choose McGeorge in a heartbeat. I have family in the bay area, so all I want to do is come back to Nor Cal, but nowhere specific. But I visited both campuses and just felt so much more comfortable with UO. Yes, there's the problem of coming back to take the CA bar, but a part of me is wondering if I might really like the northwest, and might want to stay. I am also trusting some lawyers I know who went to law school in various states, and who said that BarBri was what taught them to pass the bar over anything else, so I could be wrong. (Hoping I'm not, though.)

The major factors I looked at when (somewhat) deciding on Oregon was their lower tuition, the smaller class size (60 people per section at UO versus 100 people per section at McGeorge), and the lower amount of required courses. I'm not sure what I want to practice, and I want the best opportunity possible to figure out what I like.

I guess this just goes to show that "the best" school is different for everyone. Thanks, bosco! Good luck at McGeorge! Maybe I'll see you at a bar prep course in 3 years.

[lawk]

Thanks, everyone, for the great discussion. I will be attending the University of Oregon School of Law this fall.

One comment about the value of a UO law degree in CA--seems to travel to LA well, at least to O'Melveny & Myers. UO is tied for twelfth in number of attorneys there.

[beeline]

big jake and others, i'm sorry i haven't had a chance to post about my visits. i saw both lewis & clark and university of oregon last weekend. unfortunately i came to the decision that the university of oregon is not for me. i'm disappointed, i really wanted to like it, and i thought they did a great job putting together their admitted students day. the assistant director of admissions was impressive and the director of their legal writing program was outstanding. but it's just too out in the middle of nowhere for me - i've gotten spoiled by the big city amenities of san francisco, and i just couldn't see myself there for 3 years. also, i didn't get quite the feeling i wanted from the students i met. i think it comes down to something totally subjective and personal, i can't really explain it, but it's just not a good fit for me and i am sending a letter of thanks but no thanks. good luck to everyone going there - it's really a great school. if anyone has questions about my visit or about l&c, please feel free to PM me.

[lyrarain]

I live in Eugene, though I'm not going to attend U of O (UVA is looking better). However, Eugene is really nice. There are tons of community garden spaces and bike paths, and a river bike path allows you to live in the hipper neighborhoods yet have a commute that is almost entirely car-less. If you live in the Whiteaker neighborhood, around 1st and van buren, you can find cheap housing *and* be around great little restaurants and bars and one of the most progressive community credit unions in the state (O.A.R. Credit Union). Also, Eugene is organized into neighborhood communities that handle community governance and get folks involved in local politics. It is a very active town in a local political sense. My neighborhood, Whiteaker, is working on initiatives to curb urban sprawl, create a quiet zone for the railroad, increase public safety with more bicycle cops, etc.

I love Eugene, love my awesome 2-bedroom house that is a block from the river, has great neighbors, and costs $665 a month with pets and a huge backyard, love the kindness and helpfulness of everyone at the community gardens, love the town-wide Eugene celebration in September and incredibly funky July Oregon Country Fair out in the boonies.

Downsides: Although it's good-sized, Eugene is not a big city. it's a college town. The airport is expensive, so one tends to take the train or drive to Portland for flights. (it's not a bad idea to join United and start racking up the frequent flier miles if you want to save on flights out of Eugene). Your big band favorites will often go to Portland and not Eugene. The town is mostly white, except in the Whiteaker neighborhood, which has a name for being rough b/c it's where you will actually see a black person. It rains or is cloudy or is drizzly all early spring, like Feb-April. I'm serious, that last one is a deal-breaker for me. I need the sun! There are also lots of bike thefts, and sometimes too many hippies just pisses me off.

However, if you like a town with an involved and active populace, a mild climate (no snow or salt-rust for your car), great hiking and swimming, gardening, terrific public transportation, cheap nice homes (I don't know what neighborhood that person who saw everything falling down was looking at--Eugene has some of the most beautiful permaculture front yards I have ever seen), and a totally blossoming blooming summer season, you will be happy here.

UO's Enviro program is supposed to be hottt. I know in town I am pretty into the Lane county legal aid and elder law services they provide, as well as the domestic violence legal clinic. Those are good hook-ups for practical work.

Hope this helps! i am willing to answer questions, also there is a Eugene LiveJournal called, I think, The Friendly Eugene, that can help with town-specific questions.

[hopelyn]

Looks like someone posted the exact same info while I was typing, but here it is since I spent the time to write it!

I attended UO for undergrad and currently live in Eugene. I loved my time at the school, and I think the quality of life there is hard to beat (I pay under $300 for my own room in a nice apartment). You've probably already have to make a decision, so I don't know how helpful this will be, but here it is for anyone who is going to UO.

Some housing (the undergrad. campus ghetto area) is definitely falling apart, but you shouldn't have a hard time finding something nice that's close to the law school. I've always thought the areas close to campus were really fun and create a nice sense of community for the school.

The town is extrememly laid back and liberal--a mix of hippies, yuppies and anarchists. There are about 150,000 people who live here. Public spaces and parks are great. There are lots of running/bike trails all over, so transportation isn't an issue if you don't have a car.

There are also lots of bars per capita, it seems. I know a lot of law students and often see them out and about on weekends. Not really much of a nightclub/dancing scene, and every once in awhile big shows come to town. The beer in Oregon is some of the best in the country. Resturants are good for the size of the town, but not amazing. There are lots of eclectic and unique places to eat. Could use more international food (Indian and Ethiopian are hard to come by, but improving).

The campus is beautiful, and is my favorite of any I've ever seen. The law school facilities are great as well, even though the building was paid for and named after Phil Knight of Nike. If you're interested in environmental law, the public interest environmental law conference at UO is completely amazing. There are over 100 panels with people from all over the world on them. I think the environmental law program will carry well anywhere in the US. Otherwise, you should probably plan on staying in Oregon or Washington. I'm originally from CA, and I don't think a UO degree is very highly regarded there. There definitely desirable positions in Eugene, Salem and Portland where a UO degree would be good.

I did apply to UO law and withdrew for a couple reasons: bad jobs prospects, weather, expensive out-of-state tuition, lack of diversity and just needing a change. Plus I'd like to go back to CA eventually, though the Northwest would be fine, too. Good luck to everyone on deciding/moving.

[BoscoBreaux]

 The law school facilities are great as well, even though the building was paid for and named after Phil Knight of Nike.

How amusing. Univ of Oregon, one of the most liberal schools in the nation, takes money from a man whose company works 12 year old girls 18 hours a day in Southeast Asia for next to no money.  How Hypocritical.

[A.J]

Looks like someone posted the exact same info while I was typing, but here it is since I spent the time to write it!

I attended UO for undergrad and currently live in Eugene. I loved my time at the school, and I think the quality of life there is hard to beat (I pay under $300 for my own room in a nice apartment). You've probably already have to make a decision, so I don't know how helpful this will be, but here it is for anyone who is going to UO.

Some housing (the undergrad. campus ghetto area) is definitely falling apart, but you shouldn't have a hard time finding something nice that's close to the law school. I've always thought the areas close to campus were really fun and create a nice sense of community for the school.

The town is extrememly laid back and liberal--a mix of hippies, yuppies and anarchists. There are about 150,000 people who live here. Public spaces and parks are great. There are lots of running/bike trails all over, so transportation isn't an issue if you don't have a car.

There are also lots of bars per capita, it seems. I know a lot of law students and often see them out and about on weekends. Not really much of a nightclub/dancing scene, and every once in awhile big shows come to town. The beer in Oregon is some of the best in the country. Resturants are good for the size of the town, but not amazing. There are lots of eclectic and unique places to eat. Could use more international food (Indian and Ethiopian are hard to come by, but improving).

The campus is beautiful, and is my favorite of any I've ever seen. The law school facilities are great as well, even though the building was paid for and named after Phil Knight of Nike. If you're interested in environmental law, the public interest environmental law conference at UO is completely amazing. There are over 100 panels with people from all over the world on them. I think the environmental law program will carry well anywhere in the US. Otherwise, you should probably plan on staying in Oregon or Washington. I'm originally from CA, and I don't think a UO degree is very highly regarded there. There definitely desirable positions in Eugene, Salem and Portland where a UO degree would be good.

I did apply to UO law and withdrew for a couple reasons: bad jobs prospects, weather, expensive out-of-state tuition, lack of diversity and just needing a change. Plus I'd like to go back to CA eventually, though the Northwest would be fine, too. Good luck to everyone on deciding/moving.

I visited Eugene last week and I found all of this to be true 100%.  It is a great town.  A f-ing sprawl of a town but a great one.  UO stickers on literally every car and business in the town.

The only thing I find issue with is the last paragraph.  In a very rough NW job market they placed like 94% last year.  The weakness in job prospects has to do only with the legal job market, not the school.  That said, public interest at the low end was making around 30k and private at the top about 150k.  Not that bad really.

[hopelyn]

I visited Eugene last week and I found all of this to be true 100%.  It is a great town.  A f-ing sprawl of a town but a great one.  UO stickers on literally every car and business in the town.

The only thing I find issue with is the last paragraph.  In a very rough NW job market they placed like 94% last year.  The weakness in job prospects has to do only with the legal job market, not the school.  That said, public interest at the low end was making around 30k and private at the top about 150k.  Not that bad really.

I guess I was thinking of my current situation and my boyfriend's current situation, since he'll be with me. We had a really hard time finding even crap jobs in Eugene. I'm hoping that by moving he'll have more opportunities. I'm sure you'll find a good job if you go to UO law.

[lah05]

So does anyone going to Oregon know what they are doing about housing next year?  The Student Government off-campus housing site doesn't seem to be much help.