Attending Franklin Pierce- Class of 2009

[LawSchoolHopeful2009]

Hey everyone,

Doesn't look like this place gets a lot of traffic but I thought I'd start a thread for those who will be attending (or at least about 75% sure they will be attending) FP come the Fall. I'm still waiting to hear from another school but if things don't go as planned I'm fairly sure I'll be in Concord this August. I just want to get a sense of what people think of the school- has anyone visited? Anything about the students/faculty/staff? What is the "campus"/building like? Any thoughts on academics? (Btw I will be doing soft IP, i.e. copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets, etc because I don't have a science degree). What is the area of Concord like (besides being a small town)? Anyone have any leads on apartments? I'm sure this thread will be empty for a while but I thought it would be nice to start something and see if anyone would bite.

[linduh21]

Hello,

I will most likely be attending FP in the Fall as well.  I visited the school in March and was very impressed with the school overall.  The school is located in a residential area.  I've lived in Houston all my life, so being that Concord is a smaller city, it would be a big change for me.  As far as housing goes, I believe the school will be sending out a list of apartments sometime in the Spring. I would definitely recommend visiting the school to meet some of the students and staff if you are serious about attending FP.  I don't know if that helped at all, but if you have any other questions feel free to ask me.     

[LawSchoolHopeful2009]

Hey! I just sent you a pm.

[jbeans]

Hi,
   I am also fairly certain that I will be attending Pierce this Fall.  I have not been to Concord itself, but my relatives have a house about 20 mins away in the mountains and it is def a beautiful area.  I'm a little concerned about how to find apartments and or roommates in the area because I def cant afford to live alone.  If anyone knows if Pierce has some way of matching people with potential roommates please let me know, as well as any other helpful feedback about the school.  Oh, I want to concentrate on (soft) IP as well, more in the area of copyrights and somehow related to art (visual, music, literature)

[LawSchoolHopeful2009]

Hey jbeans,

If you haven't been to the earlier open house I would recommend going to the one on the 8th if you're interested in getting a headstart with the roommate situation. I'm trying to see if I can get some time off so that I, too, can make it. You can also try the online chats that FP hosts. The last one on the 30th REALLY helped answer a lot of my questions and I was able to find a potential roommate for the Fall. If you would like to try that I would log onto the next one the 13th of April (btw, if you're a female around 21~24 we're looking for a third roomy  If you can't do any of these, I would just wait until later on this Spring (probably around May) when FP sends out a list of students looking for roommates. Can I ask why FP appeals to you and what you hope to get out of them? I'm almost certainly decided but I'd like to hear the what other potential students are thinking. Are you waiting to hear from other schools? If so, which ones? It's great that you're also interested in soft IP, I think FP will set us up nicely in that field- if you do the research you'll see what I mean. I'm looking forward to starting there in the Fall.

Later

[jbeans]

Thanks!  Yeah I am planning on attending the open house on April 8.  I guess its kind of an accident that I may be attending Pierce.  I decided to apply last minute without really knowing anything about it and then when I got accepted I did some research and became really interested in the school, especially because of the quality of the IP program.  The school also seems smaller and more community oriented, and I think that would be really helpful especially when moving to a new place where I dont really know anyone.  Also, the setting is fairly rural, and originally I wanted to be in Boston, but I grew up in a fairly rural Massachusetts town, and did my undergrad in Amherst which is a nice town but it also has nearby mountains etc, and I think it would be really cool to go to law school in sort of a similar place where I could go hiking to relieve stress, yet still have the benefit of being in a small city where there are stores, restaurants etc, and also I could still keep my car, where as I wouldnt really be able to have it in Boston.  So I guess thats what attracted me so far to the school, I am definitely looking forward to visiting next week.  Oh, and I am a 21 yr old female (I'll be 22 when school starts) so the roomie thing is always a possibility.  I am coming directly out of undergrad, is anyone else?

[LawSchoolHopeful2009]

It's funny how this thread has 138 hits yet there are only 3 people (myself included) that have posted. I'm guessing maybe people are still up in the air about FP and just wanted to see what others had to say about the school??? Anyway, I'll answer, jbeans, by saying I'm only a year out of undergrad- I graduated last May and wanted to take some time away from the books. I'm 22 myself. I think your reasons for choosing FP are pretty much in tune with some of the reasons I'm considering FP. I love the close-knit small environment and I feel as though it would be highly conducive to forming relationships with the students/professors. Also, Concord isn't so small that you miss out on the perks of city life as they have plenty of stores and things to see and do. Seeing as how they are neither a T1/T2 school, it's great to see that their IP program is highly regarded and I feel as though those of us pursuing IP will benefit greatly from that program. It's funny, because I, too, applied to the school without knowing a bit about it- I just had some money to throw out some extra applications and so I chose FP. It's only after I got in that I did my research on the school and I see that it's a good place to study law.

[LawSchoolHopeful2009]

In the event anyone is still perusing this thread, I just wanted to post my thoughts on my visit to Pierce today (since I, unfortunately, won't be able to make it to the admitted students event this Saturday). In three words: I LOVED IT. First impression driving up to the school was "wow it's located here???". It's smack dab in the middle of a residential neighborhood across the street from a park. I wasn't even sure it was the right place until I saw the sign out front. That being said, I was a teeny weeny bit turned off but thought I would go in with an open mind. I went in to the building and was immediately greeted by the Dean of Students- not on purpose though. He was in the lobby area conversing with a professor and saw a new face and immediately greeted me and asked me where I was from. He seemed REALLY nice. He was cracking jokes and everything because he thought it looked bad that he was lounging around on the lobby sofas. I definitely felt nice after our little chat. He seems like a Dean that would go out on a Friday with some students and grab a beer and talk classes and such. I liked that. Next I made my way into the admissions office and was greeted by the assistant dean of students and my ambassador (all admits get an assigned 2L for an ambassador). The assistant dean didn't even know I was coming but knew immediately who I was the minute I said my name- now THAT was nice...it shows they make an attempt to know the details of all admits. My ambassador was also very nice. She was the one who gave me a tour of the law school and she is definitely someone I probably would be friends with so at least I can guage the kind of students that go to Pierce. The law school is perfectly sized for me. Not too small and not huge that I feel like a nobody. My ambassador said the students refer to the law school as Pierce HS because of the size and nature of the school. Everyone knows everyone so you get to form bonds and friendships very easily. I loved the building. The new wing looked really nice. The classrooms looked great (most were very modern). The court was a little small for my tastes but what more can you expect of a smaller school so it was fine. The library definitely reminded me of being in HS again- which could be a good or bad thing. It's three floors but at the same time each floor isn't overtly spacious- again it's a small school so what can ya do. My ambassador told me the FP currently holds the largest collection of books on IP in the COUNTRY so if you're going into IP like me, this is a GREAT advantage. The atmosphere in the library was definitely nice, it looked like you could get your work done but there was also a little social feel as students were coming in and conversing with friends. The rest of the building was nice- the cafe, the computer labs, the school store (which I have to say is REALLY small- it's as big as some of their classrooms). The clinic area (which can only be accessed by people in clinics due to client confidentiality) looked really nice from what I can tell- I peered though the glass doors. With regard to the students, I was generally pleased. They didn't appear to be stuffy or cliquish. They all seemed chill and down to earth. For the most part, most of the students appear to be in the 21-25 age range so basically they're probably coming out of undergrad. Which for me is preferred since that's my age group anyway. Due to lack of time, I didn't get to sit in on a class so I'm not sure about classroom experience but I was told the socratic method is very rarely used. Speaking of academics, they don't rank. They only put you in a percentage group. They feel this lessens the competitiveness of students. I was told the students aren't really hardcore competitive to begin with so that is good. They generally help each other and it's a fun environment. My ambassador told me FP actually tries to discourage competitiveness (they say it hinders actual learning) and they do this again through the ranking system, the curve (which is a VERY bearable 3.0 compared to other schools), the teaching style of professors, and the grading system). Lastly, my thought on the professors is that they seem very approachable and friendly. I walked into a few classes as they were letting out and there was always a group of students huddled around the profs and they seemed more than happy to help. Also, while I walked around, I was greeted by at least 4 professors I walked past- very nice people. All in all, I was very pleased with my experience. I was ready to write a check for the seat deposit only that I didn't have my checkbook  . The school just clicked with me. It may not be for everyone (due to it being small). I just liked that I didn't feel uber intimidated by being in law school which is bound to happen in a bigger "prestigious" ivy school.

Now Concord: I thought I would be turned off having to be in yet another small town but Concord wasn't too bad. There were a lot of shops, restuarants, supermarkets, cafes, stores to go to. They had tons of malls with the regular big names (Target, Walmart, Sears, JC Penny, Old Navy, Bed Bath and Beyond, etc). There were lots of hotels, fitness centers, bars, fast food joints, churchs, schools,etc so the town has everything you need. I wasn't blown away by the condition of some houses (I have high standards) but you get those in every town. I was, however, blown away by some of the buildings in town like the public library, the courthouse, the town hall, etc. They were VERY pretty and added to the ambiance of the city. I was told most student live near the school so if that's what you plan to do, there are tons of houses around the school so you shouldn't have a problem. If you have a car and want to live in actual apartment complexes with pools and such, there are a bunch around town particularly on Loudon Street (which is like a 7 minute drive) and those looked pretty nice.

Ok so that's it. I feel like I went on and on but I just really wanted to convey my total impression of the school particularly if someone who can't visit the school is reading this. Sorry if I didn't have a flowing order to my ramblings . If anyone wants to ask me questions feel free to pm me. Good luck to those still making decisions.

P.S. Choose Pierce! 

[jbeans]

Your post has made me so excited to visit the school this weekend, it sounds exactly like what I am looking for, and i love the idea of it being in a residential area and being able to walk to class. Thanks for the post it was very helpful!

[LawSchoolHopeful2009]

Your post has made me so excited to visit the school this weekend, it sounds exactly like what I am looking for, and i love the idea of it being in a residential area and being able to walk to class. Thanks for the post it was very helpful!

No prob! I'm hoping this thread will have some more activity after this weekend since I hear a lot of people will be attending the admitted students event tomorrow- seeing as how the deposit deadline is fast approaching people should have a fair idea of whether or not they will be going to Pierce after this weekend. If you or anyone else can post your own reviews and experiences of the event that would be really appreciated!

Enjoy tomorrow!