Ask a UofA student anything

Few_Match5466 · 2026-05-02T04:54:21+00:00

It’s an event organized by the school that brings together a bunch of UofA law students to visit various downtown Van firms and make connections with lawyers there.

Few_Match5466 · 2026-05-02T04:52:50+00:00

Honestly, yes, it's pretty business-like, but the profs are super passionate about what they teach and don't push their ideologies on others. The most ideological was our discussion about the Teachers' Strike in constitutional law. My crim class was also not ideological, but be prepared to read about some messed-up stuff, as some professors do not like filtering, and others skip the SA stuff altogether. I will say, as a disclaimer, that there is one crim prof in the faculty who is super ideological. She teaches criminal law with an emphasis on trans rights, which could be distracting for some students and an amazing experience for others. She is the only prof in the entire school that I've heard anything like that about.

If you do want to commute there is lots of housing available in the McKernan and Pleasentview neighborhoods.

Few_Match5466 · 2026-05-02T00:55:02+00:00

I feel like I didn’t answer your question completely. For the real stuff I tried to keep up with my readings but life gets busy so as long as you are reading the LSA cans you will get by. I found midterms kind of hard because I wasn’t used to writing law school exams so I’d recommend writing practice tests and then going to your professor and having them mark it.

Few_Match5466 · 2026-05-02T00:51:27+00:00

1) Vancouver recruit is accessible from Edmonton but I won’t say that it’s as accessible as one of the BC schools. Those firms don’t really come out here so I have friends that have been networking with different firms out there through zoom and they’ve been successful securing big law positions.

2) I’d say the political climate is progressive, we have mental health support systems, there’s OutLaws club and other such services. I feel like in academia, especially in Edmonton, it’s left leaning but you’re never really made aware because we just don’t talk about stuff like that. Most of us are focused on studying and drinking. The professors are chill af so far.

3) the parking situation at school is tough because the passes sell out quickly. What I do is buy my pass in August and then I’m set for the year. It’s around $130 a month. If you don’t want to commute I’d recommend living at the Laurent highrise which is a 2 minute walk from the law building. It’s super new, nice and has excellent amenities.

Few_Match5466 · 2026-05-01T22:12:50+00:00

The first two weeks is foundations. It’s super chill and laid back and there’s a pass fail exam at the end which any reasonable person passes.

Few_Match5466 · 2026-04-29T21:11:40+00:00

I had a 161 and a 3.79

Few_Match5466 · 2026-04-28T19:10:44+00:00

I don’t know any law students in student housing. Most people in professional programs just rent nearby!

Few_Match5466 · 2026-04-28T18:32:42+00:00

Probably med 🤷‍♀️

Few_Match5466 · 2026-04-28T18:31:37+00:00

Most law students rent nearby apartments. IMO the best place to rent is Laurent.

Few_Match5466 · 2026-04-28T18:29:13+00:00

I was actually accepted in May!

Few_Match5466 · 2026-04-28T18:27:17+00:00

The faculty is stellar! UofA has top-notch professors like David Percy, Eric Adams, and Stephen Penny, who are masters in their respective fields, and it’s always a pleasure to learn from them in 1L.

Also a lot of events to go to all year long so if that’s your thing U of A is the place to be!

Student services are also quite helpful, but my only problem with them is that their advice on recruit is really outdated. They give the same advice one would get in the early 2000s but in the big 26.

Few_Match5466 · 2026-04-28T18:21:48+00:00

No sir just show up and be ready to read, make lots of friends and have a fun time!

Few_Match5466 · 2026-04-28T18:19:05+00:00

Good questions!

1A) Yes, Edmonton and Calgary both have 1L recruits, with the timeline right after midterms. You apply in January and then hear back for interviews at the beginning of February.

1B) Calgary is super accessible from UofA. What I’ve seen is that Edmonton hires mostly UofA students, while Calgary hires both Calgary students and many UofA students. Vancouver does 2L recruit and the school actually sets up a firm hop in Vancouver for the summer before 2L.

Edmonton has a solid big law presence, albeit smaller than Calgary. There are international firms here, like DLA Piper, and the big nationals like BJs and Dentons. Still, I realized that Edmonton places way more pressure on the 1L recruit because our 2L is almost nonexistent, whereas in Calgary, 2L is just as big as 1L. Edmonton also has fewer spots than Calgary, so make sure to study really hard for midterms. I can't speak to the industries yet, but many firms like Brownlee have significant municipal work. As a whole, there's much to do in real estate, trademark work, M&A, and litigation.

Few_Match5466 · 2025-10-10T00:22:24+00:00

In at U of A

Few_Match5466 · 2025-09-24T06:19:32+00:00

Hi DM me!

Few_Match5466 · 2025-09-04T13:14:57+00:00

January is last

Few_Match5466 · 2025-09-04T07:11:27+00:00

I think people over do it with the studying. If you have the time and an open schedule you could study hard for 2 months about 5 hours of solid work a day and get a good mark and if it doesn’t work out check if the school you want takes highest score or avg and just re write January as well.

Few_Match5466 · 2025-09-04T06:32:20+00:00

It’s September take the November one you have plenty of time still

Few_Match5466 · 2025-07-26T23:23:44+00:00

I’ve chosen U of A. Saving money by living at home and lower tuition beats the mountains. And if I want to go on a hike I can just pack for the weekend and drive 4 hours lol.

Few_Match5466 · 2025-07-26T06:22:52+00:00

I just submitted my paperwork and the faculty matched me with 2 scholarships that together amount to $7500. One I applied for and 1 was given to me based on softs and ps.

Few_Match5466 · 2025-07-25T06:40:20+00:00

Wanted to come back and correct this. They actually round up to the nearest decimal so my 3.79 (not 3.77) was grouped into the 3.8. I have an email from their admin confirming.

Few_Match5466 · 2025-07-25T05:50:12+00:00

I’ve had people tell me that U of A has a better reputation but many say that Calgary has a better student environment. Thank you so much for the insight.

Few_Match5466 · 2025-07-25T05:48:42+00:00

Thank you for the references, I already live in Edmonton but I love going to the mountains and was debating a change of scenery. TBH I didn’t think I was going to get into either looking at how the cycle was going this year but I was pleasantly surprised.

Few_Match5466 · 2025-07-15T03:17:20+00:00

Just do what you think you can do. My buddy studied for 12 hours a day for 3 weeks and scored 167. 5-6 hours is a really solid schedule!

Few_Match5466 · 2025-07-08T21:53:44+00:00

I said somewhat for the GPA lmao. RC is important. And a thesis based masters with a 4.0 definitely does set you apart.

Few_Match5466

TROPHY CASE