American WCL 1L Taking Questions

[Americanlaw10]

Been here for 3months, but I figure it's about time for people to start applying...

If you have any questions about the school, feel free to ask!

[botbot]

I think your school is overpriced and should give far more scholarships, do you agree?

Also are you sad that your school lags in placement when compared to its private brothers (SMU, Tulane)?

[iscoredawaitlist]

I think your school is overpriced and should give far more scholarships, do you agree?

Also are you sad that your school lags in placement when compared to its private brothers (SMU, Tulane)?

what possible reason could you have for posting this? is AU overpriced? maybe. should it give out more scholarship money? probably. Is he* responsible for either of those things? no, he's not. He's offering to HELP people, and you give him that kind of attitude for exactly which reason?

You gain absolutely nothing from posting this. Nobody gains ANYthing from posting this. The only possible reason I can see for this is that you're programmed to think any time someone mentions WCL, you need to jump on the school.

If he tried to say that WCL gave out lots of scholarship or that it was reasonably priced, then you'd probably have a reason to disagree with him and post that kind of thing. But he hasn't. He's offered to tell what AU/WCL is like, and that can be very helpful to other posters looking at the school.

*I don't know why I'm assuming he's a he and not a she.

PS. I doubt the vast majority of AU students care that they don't place quite as well in DC as SMU and Tulane place in Texas/Louisianna. That's just a guess.

[botbot]

I think your school is overpriced and should give far more scholarships, do you agree?

Also are you sad that your school lags in placement when compared to its private brothers (SMU, Tulane)?

what possible reason could you have for posting this? is AU overpriced? maybe. should it give out more scholarship money? probably. Is he* responsible for either of those things? no, he's not. He's offering to HELP people, and you give him that kind of attitude for exactly which reason?

You gain absolutely nothing from posting this. Nobody gains ANYthing from posting this. The only possible reason I can see for this is that you're programmed to think any time someone mentions WCL, you need to jump on the school.

If he tried to say that WCL gave out lots of scholarship or that it was reasonably priced, then you'd probably have a reason to disagree with him and post that kind of thing. But he hasn't. He's offered to tell what AU/WCL is like, and that can be very helpful to other posters looking at the school.

*I don't know why I'm assuming he's a he and not a she.

PS. I doubt the vast majority of AU students care that they don't place quite as well in DC as SMU and Tulane place in Texas/Louisianna. That's just a guess.

He asked for questions - I am honestly interested in a WCL student's point of view on these issues.  Next time I will be sure to make sure to run my questions past you first.

I won't explain to you why *somebody* will gain *something* from this post, nor can I think of a time that I have "jumped on the school" in the past.

PS. Don't speak for a "vast majority" that you are not a member of - thanks.

[Americanlaw10]

I think your school is overpriced and should give far more scholarships, do you agree?

Also are you sad that your school lags in placement when compared to its private brothers (SMU, Tulane)?

1) Our school is expensive.  Overpriced is in the eyes of the beholder.  I don't mind the tuition price, but DC is kind of an expensive place to live in (understatment).  I wouldn't say that WCL is "overpriced" per se.  From my experiences in the short amount I've been here, everybody (faculty, staff, dean's - etc) has been incredibly helpful and friendly.  I feel like an open door atmosphere, minimal competition, and great faculty are worth the few extra pennies. 

2) Do I think they should give out more scholarships.  Absolutely...but it is what it is.

3) Am I sad that my school lags in placement when compared to its private brothers?  I'm not really sure where you get this from.  I can imagine that those schools, SMU and Tulane, place better in the south.  But in comparison, WCL will place better in the DC area (including NY, Boston etc).  If you're looking into international and public interest, then WCL should be one of the tops on your list.  If you're looking for a sure-in to BIGLAW, WCL isn't going to be as sound of a choice.  WCL grads do land BIGLAW, but class rank becomes important.

Anyway, your post made you come off as a troll, that's why the guy jumped down your throat.  Had you not explained yourself further, I probably would've felt the same way.  Lesson #1 - Try not to use words that attack somebody's law school. 


*And yes, I'm a "he"...

[iscoredawaitlist]

I think your school is overpriced and should give far more scholarships, do you agree?

Also are you sad that your school lags in placement when compared to its private brothers (SMU, Tulane)?

what possible reason could you have for posting this? is AU overpriced? maybe. should it give out more scholarship money? probably. Is he* responsible for either of those things? no, he's not. He's offering to HELP people, and you give him that kind of attitude for exactly which reason?

You gain absolutely nothing from posting this. Nobody gains ANYthing from posting this. The only possible reason I can see for this is that you're programmed to think any time someone mentions WCL, you need to jump on the school.

If he tried to say that WCL gave out lots of scholarship or that it was reasonably priced, then you'd probably have a reason to disagree with him and post that kind of thing. But he hasn't. He's offered to tell what AU/WCL is like, and that can be very helpful to other posters looking at the school.

*I don't know why I'm assuming he's a he and not a she.

PS. I doubt the vast majority of AU students care that they don't place quite as well in DC as SMU and Tulane place in Texas/Louisianna. That's just a guess.

He asked for questions - I am honestly interested in a WCL student's point of view on these issues.  Next time I will be sure to make sure to run my questions past you first.

I won't explain to you why *somebody* will gain *something* from this post, nor can I think of a time that I have "jumped on the school" in the past.

PS. Don't speak for a "vast majority" that you are not a member of - thanks.

Those were "loaded" questions. If you actually wanted to hear his side rather than assert your own you would have asked questions such as:
"Do you think AU is overpriced? Does it bother you they don't give out more scholarship money?" but instead you asserted your opinion and dared him to disagree. Then you asked whether he was "sad" about lagging placement as if his choice of school is the object of your pity.

Anyway, having gone to AU for undergrad as well as dated a current 2L at WCL (and having met many of her friends), I believe I have a reasonable basis for my doubts.

I don't remember you ever really rubbing me the wrong way before, so it's possible/probable you just came across unintentionally rude (electronic forums are prone to do that), but you have to understand why you got the reaction from me that you did. The truth is that if I thought you were a troll, I wouldn't have bothered feed you.

[Americanlaw10]

Oh and botbot...I'm pretty sure you're just Tulane trolling and hating against American.  Apparently you're already a student at Tulane Law?

See Oct 22, 2007: "I am fortunate enough to live in an amazing town where my downtime can be absurdly entertaining, but my law school activities are boring and overly time consuming." 
See Oct 21, 2007 "Disclaimer: I go to Tulane."
See Oct 22, 2007: "Good list except replace American with Tulane"

So why are you worried about American when you're soooo enamored with Tulane?  Is it because American rejected you, and you're still not over it?  Anyway, I'm offering to help out people that are seriously considering WCL - not lame Tulane trolls.  Get a life prick.  Don't you have property or something to brief?

[Americanlaw10]

The truth is that if I thought you were a troll, I wouldn't have bothered feed you.

He's a troll

[hurley325]

This is an interesting thread.  My top 2 schools are American WCL and Tulane.  My interests are international law and sports law, so both schools really appeal to me for that reason (among many others).  Although, based on LSN I think I've got a better chance at American, I would be ecstatic to get into either school.

Now for the questions:

How pervasive are the liberal attitudes at WCL?  Coming from a school in Texas where the C in our name should stand for conservative instead of Christian I think this could be a culture shock.  By Texas standards, I'm pretty liberal, but nationally I'm very middle of the road.

I've never been to DC, so what is the area that American is in like?  Also, where do most people live while attending WCL?

I haven't done as much research on WCL as I have on some of my other schools because I feel that it I've got about a 50/50 shot at best at admission, so I'll wait until I hear something.  I'm sure I'll be able to think of more questions too.

[Americanlaw10]

This is an interesting thread.  My top 2 schools are American WCL and Tulane.  My interests are international law and sports law, so both schools really appeal to me for that reason (among many others).  Although, based on LSN I think I've got a better chance at American, I would be ecstatic to get into either school.

Now for the questions:

How pervasive are the liberal attitudes at WCL?  Coming from a school in Texas where the C in our name should stand for conservative instead of Christian I think this could be a culture shock.  By Texas standards, I'm pretty liberal, but nationally I'm very middle of the road.

I've never been to DC, so what is the area that American is in like?  Also, where do most people live while attending WCL?

I haven't done as much research on WCL as I have on some of my other schools because I feel that it I've got about a 50/50 shot at best at admission, so I'll wait until I hear something.  I'm sure I'll be able to think of more questions too.

Well if you're priority is international, then you really can't go wrong at WCL.  I'm not sure of our rank, but I think it's top 5 in int'l law.  I, however, am not at all interested in int'l politics. 

Liberal Attitude:  Not nearly as bad as I expected!  I'm a diehard Republican from the Midwest Bible Belt, so that was something of concern for me.  A LOT of students at WCL are "libertarian" and not left wing-liberals per se.  But again, I can't really say that I've felt an overly oppressing liberal vibe at WCL.  The professors hint towards their political affiliations, but again, it's not oppressive.

DC is an awesome, AWESOME city.  If you've never been, then you should really consider coming to visit the campus.  American University is in the NW side of the city, a couple miles from Dupont Circle.  It's in what you could call the "suburbs" of Washington, DC.  It's pretty far away from the tourist and government district.  The law school itself is about a 1/2 mile away from the main campus. 

Living in DC:  It just depends on your price range and what your commute will be like.  There are two major complaints about DC; 1) Expensive rent and 2) Parking is a nightmare.  I know a good majority of people that sold their cars and use mass transit.  There is a Red Line stop at Tenleytown/AU where you can catch a shuttle that takes you right to WCL.  That being said, most people try to base where they live around the Red Line, or the N8 bus that takes you right to school.  I'd say to look in the Glover Park, Van Ness, Clevenland Park and Woodley Park areas (anything off of Connecticut Ave).  Downtown is fine, but you'll have a pretty good metro ride to get to school.

Good luck in your application to WCL.  If you have any particularly specific questions, feel free to PM me!