U. Colorado or U. Denver? Help!!

[nowitzski]

I will likely be going to one of these schools next year.  I moved to Boulder all for the purpose of getting into CU w/ in-state tuition!  But now I've learned a lot about DU and been to visit a few times and would definitely not feel bad about going there.  I work in a law office in Denver and practically everyone graduated from DU, so I know the job market should treat you well coming from DU.

And I'll repeat what everybody else said about people being surprised CU is ranked higher than DU.  My aunt and uncle didn't even believe me when I told them!

I have to repeat, it really should NOT matter what lay people think re: rankings.  All that matters professionally is what people WHO KNOW LAW think.  Your aunt and uncle are probably wonderful people but it's highly doubtful they'll be hiring you for their firm, making salary decisions, or any other decisions related to your career. 

[Blackacre2009]

The choice between DU and CU was a very hard one for me to make last spring.  Ultimately I chose DU, and I will say that after completing my first semester (I'm a current 1L) I'm not entirely 100% happy at DU, but I think the reason is that I'm just not sure that DU is really the right fit for me personally.

I chose DU over CU for a few reasons:
1. Location: I like that DU is in the heart of Denver, close to MANY MANY oppritunities for internships, clerkships, and jobs.  The alumni base that DU has in Denver is very large and I want to stay in Denver and practice when I get out of law school so DU seemed like a great choice to make for my professional goals.
2. Cost of Living: Boulder has cheaper tuition (I qualify for in-state) BUT living in Boulder is VERY expensive and the places you can find to live in Boulder compared to a similar priced place in Denver are definitely WAY worse.  To get a nice apartment like I have right now in Denver up in Boulder I would be paying almost 1400.00/month (1 bed/1bath) which is more than double my current rent in Denver.  All in all my choice was either live 10 minutes away from DU in a great apartment or live with a couple of roommates in boulder to be able to afford a nice place or make a 30+ minute commute into Boulder everyday from one of the suburbs outside of Boulder.  Needless to say, the living situation was very compelling for me in picking DU over CU.
3. Overall Atmosphere: Boulder is very much a "college" town, lots of undergrads all over town and it seems very isolated from the rest of the metro area.  DU on the other hand is in the heart of the city so you're not constantly surrounded by the "college" feel and all of the problems that can come with living in a college town. 

The most important thing is to visit both and weigh all your options (both academically and financially) when it comes to choosing a law school to attend.  I have been thinking about possibly trying to transfer to CU at the end of this year, but it's not because I don't feel like I'm not getting a good education at DU, the only reason I'm considering transfering is because I'm not sure that DU is the right fit for me (for personal reasons) and if I can figure out the living situation CU might actually make more financial sense for me should I be able to actually get in as a transfer.

Feel free to PM me or post other questions you have about DU here

[drleather2001]

Bump.  I'm applying to both schools, wondering if anyone had some additional info.

[I hate 20 dollar bills, I like 100's!!!]

As a CSU graduate, I will agree that boulder is a hippie town. Just has a real weird feel to it. D.U has a strong rep all across Colorado. While it is expensive and bar passage rates may not be the best, it is a solid school. I have visited twice and really walked away impressed...D.U will also be hosting the CLEO program this year..

[yum, sheep]

Matthies,

Any word on the admin problems that have been mentioned previously. It seems there is a strong focus on enviornmental law related programs, if this is not an interest, would you be at a disadvantage at DU?

[drleather2001]

Thanks!

Any idea why their bar rate is so low?  I mean...64% is pretty bad for tier two school.

[I hate 20 dollar bills, I like 100's!!!]

They explained their bar passage rates when I went on my visit. I don't remember exactly what they said, but said that the last two years bar passage rates have risen and that they are working on that issue. They also said that for a long time, there bar passage rates were much higher than CU's..

[yum, sheep]

So are the bar passages rates calculated on both adminstrations or first time takers or what?

For those of you that are attending either of these schools what is the worst thing/biggest disappointment that you have with the school?

While were at it what is the best thing? (I dont really care about cheerleading thought so feel free to skip this part.)

[somanyquestions]

So are the bar passages rates calculated on both adminstrations or first time takers or what?

For those of you that are attending either of these schools what is the worst thing/biggest disappointment that you have with the school?

While were at it what is the best thing? (I dont really care about cheerleading thought so feel free to skip this part.)

Bar passage: As far as I know, our latest was at 80% or something for first time takers.  Go to the CO state supreme court for more info on that.  And yes, the administration is doing a lot to raise the bar passage. . .some kind of over the top(see #4 & 5).
1.) 2 professors who teach bar prep classes for 3Ls
2.) A supplementary weekend bar prep program
3.) Encouraging profs to give closed book, timed exams
4.) Grade distribution not posted
5.) Curving most classes

Worse/biggest disappointment = it's expensive & admin comes up with silly ideas (see #4 & 5 above)
Best = there's always something going on.  law firm networking events, lunch time talks, awesome speakers, (just this year we've had sandra day o'connor, mitt romney, co supreme court justices, etc. . .oh & did i mention that barack obama & bill clinton are coming to du tomorrow?)

Matthies,

Any word on the admin problems that have been mentioned previously. It seems there is a strong focus on enviornmental law related programs, if this is not an interest, would you be at a disadvantage at DU?

DU's envorinmental law program is really strong & pretty popular.  There is also a lot of focus on international law & corporate law. . .and I would say that the three areas of law have equal amounts of interests.

[AsianandCanadian (formerly Going South)]

After you get accepted to both...ask the HR person at a few of the places that you think you might like to potentially work in three years the advantages/disadvantages of each in their opinion.

Just a late night thought.