Well, I got some great news yesterday - I was accepted to UC Hastings School of Law in San Francisco. This school is the oldest law school in the Western United States and has a very prestigious reputation, not only in California, but nationally as well. It is located in downtown San Francisco right next to the California Supreme Court and within walking distance from the financial district.
Transferring to Hastings is a no-brainer! University of San Diego was a tough call and I am not sure what I would have done had I not been accepted to Hastings. However, Hastings is an incredible, solid first tier law school and I am literally in awe that I was accepted and excited (and scared) as hell to start this fall. Several hundred law firms and organizations recruit at Hastings and the emloyment rate for graduates is roughly 95% with an average starting salary of just under $100k/year. These statistics, together with the curriculum and clinical offerings at Hastings offer to good of an opportunity to pass up. Hastings offers concentrations on family law, criminal law, and civil litigation, which are my three main legal interests and also offers more clinical programs than most schools.
Classes begin at the end of August so we have lots of work to do between now and then, e.g. find a nice place in the Bay Area, pack our belongings, and drive north 7 hours - I don't think it will be as taxing as the move from Salt Lake to San Diego was, however. The toughest part is up-rooting Summer and Kaia again as they have truly thrived in San Diego and have made a number of close friends. This is clearly difficult, but it is definitely worth it as I will be much more marketable as a lawyer with a degree from Hastings and we will all be better off in the long run.
There is an ever so slight chance I won't be going to Hastings if I get accepted to UC Berekely. However, it is also in the bay area so we would essentially move to the same place regardless of whether I attend Berkeley or Hastings. There is also a chance I may get into UCLA which would require some serious thought as it is perhaps the top school in Southern California. Also, the University of Utah is reviewing my transfer application and I competed in their law review write-on competition, so if I get accepted there and also make law review, that would be another potential option.
For all intents and purposes we are planning on moving to San Francicso where I will attend UC Hastings. Summer and kaia have been so great and I am forever grateful for the sacrifices they have made in order for me to realize my law school dream. I am sure they will again adapt well to a new city and you all will enjoy coming to visit as much or more as you have in San Diego.
After all, it is the city where Tony Benett claims to have left his heart...
P.S. Below are a couple of links that give some information about UC Hastings:
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Sunday, July 6, 2008
TRANSFERRING LAW SCHOOLS - THE CAUSE OF MY INSOMNIA
Before I enrolled in law school at Thomas Jefferson, I set a goal to transfer to a higher ranked school if I could place near the top of my class. I remember hoping for a rank in the top 20% which would make a potential transfer possible. Well, my current rank is 6th out of 224 students which places me in the top 2.5% of my class after the first year. Of course this thrills me and I now realize that transferring is no longer a possibility, but a reality.
I applied to 7 schools for potential transfer (I always tend to overdo things a bit): UCLA, University of San Diego, UC Hastings (in San Fran.), U of U, UC Berkeley, Georgetown, and George Washington (both in DC). I was not accepted to Georgetown, however I recently learned I have been accepted to transfer to U of San Diego (USD) and am waiting to hear from the rest. USD has the best reputation of the San Diego law schools by far, so one would think transferring is a no brainer. However, if I transfer, I have to give up my spot on law review as well as my class rank because I will obviously no longer be at Thomas Jefferson. It is still possible to write on to USD's law review and I can try to claw my way towards the top of the class there as well. What is making it super tough is the fact that Thomas Jefferson offered me a fellowship that - when added to my scholarship - covers 75% of my tuition.
I will be calling the financial aid department at USD tomorrow to set up a meeting to see if they can ease the burden of their $40k/year tuition - that's right $40k/year tuition :( However, they have an 80% first time bar passage rate for the CA bar compared to a 56% percent passage at Thomas Jefferson. I think I will pass the bar on my first try regardless of which school I attend, however, the job prospects from a USD graduate are much greater than a Thomas Jefferson graduate.
In the meantime, I will be watching the mailbox every day to see where else I get accepted. If it is UCLA or Berkeley, my bags are packed as they are two of the most prestigious schools in the nation. UCLA is ranked about 15th and Berkeley is 6th, while UC Hastings is ranked 35th, the U of U is 53rd, and George Washington is 20th. Thomas Jefferson is a tier 4 school, meaning it is somewhere between 150th - 200th, due in large part to the fact that it has only been accredited for 12 years. USD is currently ranked 85th. This ranking does not reflect USD's reputation in California, however, as the alumni network and job prospects are some of the best of any California school. Also, the school was ranked 50th a couple of years ago, but apparantley the career services office failed to submit employment data on time to US News - the ranking authority for schools - leading to a plummet in recent rankings. I should also note that Thomas Jefferson is most likely on its way up the charts because of a brand new downtown campus in the works and a bar passage rate that continually increases.
The hardest part is that I personally think the ranking system is a bunch of crap. I have had a great experience at Thomas Jefferson and feel the legal education I have received thus far is as good as any other law school. The reality, however, is that leading law firms generally recruit from the higher ranked schools as they have usually been around longer and are better known.
Time will tell I guess..... "Should I stay or should I go now....."
I applied to 7 schools for potential transfer (I always tend to overdo things a bit): UCLA, University of San Diego, UC Hastings (in San Fran.), U of U, UC Berkeley, Georgetown, and George Washington (both in DC). I was not accepted to Georgetown, however I recently learned I have been accepted to transfer to U of San Diego (USD) and am waiting to hear from the rest. USD has the best reputation of the San Diego law schools by far, so one would think transferring is a no brainer. However, if I transfer, I have to give up my spot on law review as well as my class rank because I will obviously no longer be at Thomas Jefferson. It is still possible to write on to USD's law review and I can try to claw my way towards the top of the class there as well. What is making it super tough is the fact that Thomas Jefferson offered me a fellowship that - when added to my scholarship - covers 75% of my tuition.
I will be calling the financial aid department at USD tomorrow to set up a meeting to see if they can ease the burden of their $40k/year tuition - that's right $40k/year tuition :( However, they have an 80% first time bar passage rate for the CA bar compared to a 56% percent passage at Thomas Jefferson. I think I will pass the bar on my first try regardless of which school I attend, however, the job prospects from a USD graduate are much greater than a Thomas Jefferson graduate.
In the meantime, I will be watching the mailbox every day to see where else I get accepted. If it is UCLA or Berkeley, my bags are packed as they are two of the most prestigious schools in the nation. UCLA is ranked about 15th and Berkeley is 6th, while UC Hastings is ranked 35th, the U of U is 53rd, and George Washington is 20th. Thomas Jefferson is a tier 4 school, meaning it is somewhere between 150th - 200th, due in large part to the fact that it has only been accredited for 12 years. USD is currently ranked 85th. This ranking does not reflect USD's reputation in California, however, as the alumni network and job prospects are some of the best of any California school. Also, the school was ranked 50th a couple of years ago, but apparantley the career services office failed to submit employment data on time to US News - the ranking authority for schools - leading to a plummet in recent rankings. I should also note that Thomas Jefferson is most likely on its way up the charts because of a brand new downtown campus in the works and a bar passage rate that continually increases.
The hardest part is that I personally think the ranking system is a bunch of crap. I have had a great experience at Thomas Jefferson and feel the legal education I have received thus far is as good as any other law school. The reality, however, is that leading law firms generally recruit from the higher ranked schools as they have usually been around longer and are better known.
Time will tell I guess..... "Should I stay or should I go now....."
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
My First Post!
Hello Everyone -
I thought it would be a good time to finally break the ice and write my first post. I need Summer to show me how to paste links and photos to my page, so there will be nothing fancy for a bit.
I got some good news yesterday - my summer internship qualifies for federal work study, meaning I will start getting paid! I wasn't aware of this until now which is a shame because I worked 92 hours in June for FREE. I love what I am doing though and now it will be even sweeter knowing I get some money. Hell, it costs me $5 every day just to drive to the court house and back!!!!
We are thinking of driving up to SLC and hanging out the first week of August. Originally we were going to come up for Kaia's 3rd birthday on September 2, but I will be too busy with school and we wouldn't be able to spend more than a few days.
I realize this post is incredibly dull compared to Summer's, Shauna's, and our new blogging superstar - Andrew Scheier. However, I will be posting some fun stuff soon with guidance from blog-goddess Summer.
I thought it would be a good time to finally break the ice and write my first post. I need Summer to show me how to paste links and photos to my page, so there will be nothing fancy for a bit.
I got some good news yesterday - my summer internship qualifies for federal work study, meaning I will start getting paid! I wasn't aware of this until now which is a shame because I worked 92 hours in June for FREE. I love what I am doing though and now it will be even sweeter knowing I get some money. Hell, it costs me $5 every day just to drive to the court house and back!!!!
We are thinking of driving up to SLC and hanging out the first week of August. Originally we were going to come up for Kaia's 3rd birthday on September 2, but I will be too busy with school and we wouldn't be able to spend more than a few days.
I realize this post is incredibly dull compared to Summer's, Shauna's, and our new blogging superstar - Andrew Scheier. However, I will be posting some fun stuff soon with guidance from blog-goddess Summer.
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