U. Colorado or U. Denver? Help!!

[cesco]

Hi all,

I am another current student (2L) at DU and thought I'd share my two cents.  So far I have really enjoyed my experience at the school, and feel like I am getting a solid education.  I have had many opportunities, and feel that law school is really what you make of it. 

A few things I have had the opportunity to do while in law school:  Work as an RA, work as a TA, intern for a Judge, study abroad, join a journal, participate in moot court competitions (and travel with a team), participate in a clinic.  I did OCI through the school, and was lucky enough to have some great options.  I accepted a SA position with a national firm's Denver branch office, and look forward working there this summer.

I choose DU because I wanted to stay in Denver.  The city is fantastic - who can complain about great weather, beautiful mountains, hiking/skiing, etc?  The legal community is very supportive of the school.  Something like 60% of lawyers in the greater Denver area are DU grads, so we get a lot of support.  We have the 10th Circuit right here in Denver, and of course have the State Supreme Court and Denver County Cts.  The Judges do an excellent job at helping educate students.  Several of them teach evening classes at the school, and just about all of them are open to accepting interns.

DU has a large class, thus they offer a wide variety of courses each semester.  I think this is an advantage, and something we have that is unique to our school.  You can check out some of the offerings at:  http://www.law.du.edu/registrar/classindex.htm.  Notice you'll see the typical bar prep classes, but you will also see a range of randoms, such as Space Law, Asylum Law, and Global Climate CHange law.  I tend to stick with the basics, but many of my classmates really like the fact that they can take such unique courses.

Anyway, that's my two cents for now.  I am happy to answer any other questions (through PM or posts), and will try to check back here every few days.  Good Luck with your application cycle!

EDIT:  I just realized that I didnt really make a DU/CU comparison, I just spoke about my experience at DU.  I do not have too much to say on the comparison, simply because I do not know any current CU students! 

[kill the headlights]

I am another poster who is desperately hoping to have to choose between these two schools this cycle. I have a 3.43/162 so my chances are not great at CU. I have a rather interesting background so that should hopefully help. I see on Law School Numbers that I am right at the accept/waitlist area, so hopefully I will get the nod.

I have two major issues with my choice:

DU grads and CU grads seem to be about equal in Denver firms. I think, considering that Colorado is half the size, that this bodes well for Colorado. Also, CU grads are occasionally listed at the top firms without reference to them being Order of the Coif or graduating Summa Cum Laude, while DU grads are almost never listed without those credentials being part of the attorneys profile. It makes me think that you have to be in the very top of the class to get a good job from DU, while at CU you don't need to be ranked as high in your class. This to me doesn't seem to help the "more prestige" argument that DU people are making.

The second thing is that I LOVE DENVER. I lived there for two years and completely adore the place now. My wife and I are planning on making Denver our permanent residence (as applying to only those two schools would imply). I would much rather live in Denver for my three years of law school than Boulder, but I haven't actually visited CU yet so I don't know for sure. Also, I think I am likely to get a scholarship at DU, and if I did that would mitigate the tuition difference. Although I hear that they stick everyone with scholarships in the same section so only about a third of them actually maintain the 3.1 minimum GPA and lose their scholarships. I believe that I will be in the top 25% of my class, but so does about 80% of every class, so I want to be realistic.

So I don't know which way I'll go, assuming I get to make the choice. Also, I don't understand why DU people think they attend a more prestigious school? Wouldn't entering stats be a good representation of which school is more prestigious. If DU really has the location, networking and many other advantages, what would be pulling applicants to CU? How is CU getting the much better entering class stats if DU is more prestigious? It seems fishy to me. I think DU people might just SELF PROCLAIM that DU is more prestigious. Anyway, I am not very concerned with prestige, it just seemed like a strange comment to say that DU is more prestigious.

P.S. Has Denver had snow on the ground throughout the winter? I am getting sick of snow and there was rarely snow on the ground when I lived there (2001-2003).

[kill the headlights]

I would love to hear some DU students give me some anecdotal evidence that people outside of the top 25% (assuming they dip that low) can make good money upon graduation. I want to be able to pay off that exorbitant tuition someday! Also, CU has a football team, DU doesn't, which is something to think about also. And Chipotle started across the street from DU, which is a great sign for DU.

[drleather2001]

I think info on how hard it is to keep the scholarships would be very helpful.  I'm hoping for one from Denver (3.1GPA, 167LSAT) because I'm also thinking I'll be headed for the WL pile at CU.

That being said, the positivity that people seem to have toward DU is certainly reassuring. 

[somanyquestions]

Concur with everything Matthies says. (what else is new?)  Except the snow. . .it seems to be sticking really well lately.

If cost is your #1 concern, go to CU unless DU gives you a full ride + stipend and/or some other great deal.  As a student, you are eligible for in state tuition after 1 year at CU.

Everything else is about equal.

Students at both schools seem pretty happy.  I worked with 2 CU alums & 1 current student at my summer internship and they had a lot of good things to say about the school.  I too see more DU students than CU students at networking events but I think we just outnumber them.  A lot of times, I see the same CU people over and over. . .maybe they are the ones that can afford gas?    Anyway, nobody says "oh, I'm better than you or I have better job prospects because I go to CU or DU", etc.  There is a mutual respect for the schools and we have a friendly rivary (especially during intra-school mock trial competitions).

I'll throw a negative out there about DU.  Wondering if your professor who is visiting at the Univ of N Carolina law forgot about your class.  Disclaimer: I'm bitter about not having my grade.

[Nietzsche]

THe DU Ugrad prestige comes from the fact that it is becoming incredibly difficult to get into it as a first-year UGRAD. Because CU is a public university it takes relatively low test scores and GPA's.  I do some advising at a prestigious private high school and we had kids with 3.3 and good SATs not getting in. 

[kill the headlights]

Thanks for your responses. I think my comment appeared confrontational. I was more about the DU students thinking they are prestigious. I think we all hope too!

So I saw that someone asked the question that if your myweb all of a sudden has registration stuff and other info does that mean you were accepted. Because myweb just started saying that and it also lists stipend stuff on the bottom of one of the pages. I would be pretty stoked if I got a stipend also, although I don't know how much my numbers warrant it. My index on LSN is 3.4, but I didn't see anything above a 20,000 dollars scholarship on there. Can someone else check their myweb and see if theirs says all that stuff too? It would be appreciated.

So I read all 27 pages of that other DU thread. I am getting pretty excited to get an acceptance from somewhere. My wife wants us to go to DU though. She loved it there. I did also on my visit. I don't remember if I mentioned this on my last post, but the professors were quite impressive. Also, Denver is much more appealing than Boulder. Also, I like the idea of a fabulous amount of alumni.

[kill the headlights]

So in myweb under the "Student and Financial Aid" tab it lists:

Admissions
Enter a new application ~ Complete an application ~ Review application status
 Registration
Check your registration status; Add or drop classes; Select variable credits, grading modes, or levels; Display your class schedule.
 Student Records
View your holds; Display your grades and transcripts; Review charges and payments.
 Financial Aid
Apply for financial aid ~ Review application status ~ Review loans
 Student Account
 Housing
Apply for Housing ~ View/Change Housing Preferences
 Study Abroad
Inquire and Apply for DU Study Abroad Programs
 Writing and Research Center
Schedule an appointment ~ View/Cancel your appointments


So it has all those options. I clicked on "Registration" and these were some of the options:

   Accept/Waive Health Insurance and Fee
    COF Stipend Authorization
    COF Stipend History
    Withdraw from DU

The Withdraw one is interesting. Do they just put that on every myweb site? I am interested in the Stipend business also. I am guessing that COF means something different, but I want someone else to check theirs and update me.

Thanks again.

[somanyquestions]

So in myweb under the "Student and Financial Aid" tab it lists:

Admissions
Enter a new application ~ Complete an application ~ Review application status
 Registration
Check your registration status; Add or drop classes; Select variable credits, grading modes, or levels; Display your class schedule.
 Student Records
View your holds; Display your grades and transcripts; Review charges and payments.
 Financial Aid
Apply for financial aid ~ Review application status ~ Review loans
 Student Account
 Housing
Apply for Housing ~ View/Change Housing Preferences
 Study Abroad
Inquire and Apply for DU Study Abroad Programs
 Writing and Research Center
Schedule an appointment ~ View/Cancel your appointments


So it has all those options. I clicked on "Registration" and these were some of the options:

   Accept/Waive Health Insurance and Fee
    COF Stipend Authorization
    COF Stipend History
    Withdraw from DU

The Withdraw one is interesting. Do they just put that on every myweb site? I am interested in the Stipend business also. I am guessing that COF means something different, but I want someone else to check theirs and update me.

Thanks again.

The only way to know for sure is to call the admissions office.  It could just mean that your status changed and they are reviewing your application.  Good luck! 

[kill the headlights]

So in myweb under the "Student and Financial Aid" tab it lists:

Admissions
Enter a new application ~ Complete an application ~ Review application status
 Registration
Check your registration status; Add or drop classes; Select variable credits, grading modes, or levels; Display your class schedule.
 Student Records
View your holds; Display your grades and transcripts; Review charges and payments.
 Financial Aid
Apply for financial aid ~ Review application status ~ Review loans
 Student Account
 Housing
Apply for Housing ~ View/Change Housing Preferences
 Study Abroad
Inquire and Apply for DU Study Abroad Programs
 Writing and Research Center
Schedule an appointment ~ View/Cancel your appointments


So it has all those options. I clicked on "Registration" and these were some of the options:

   Accept/Waive Health Insurance and Fee
    COF Stipend Authorization
    COF Stipend History
    Withdraw from DU

The Withdraw one is interesting. Do they just put that on every myweb site? I am interested in the Stipend business also. I am guessing that COF means something different, but I want someone else to check theirs and update me.

Thanks again.

The only way to know for sure is to call the admissions office.  It could just mean that your status changed and they are reviewing your application.  Good luck! 

I would do that but I think that would seem annoying. There has to be someone else around that isn't admitted yet that can check theirs too to see if it says that. I think they tell you in the email not to call and ask about your application status.