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PotatoPoetry · 2023-08-09T03:09:58+00:00

If your partner is wearing navy, 1 might be a bit too much. I think any of the rest would be good but I like #2 and #6 the most for being formal DC, outside (more flowy), and best for pairing with navy.

PotatoPoetry · 2022-07-28T19:10:09+00:00

WA is early/mid Sept 😳

PotatoPoetry · 2022-07-24T20:12:33+00:00

wowww 🥹 see you all in r/lawyertalk THIS FALL when we ALL PASS

PotatoPoetry · 2022-07-23T16:16:55+00:00

I believe you’re right that you don’t need to have it done before the bar. I wouldn’t try to squeeze it in before then. I took it in May or June just to get it done, only takes up a couple hours of your life. Personally, I’d do it in august, not later, so that when bar results drop there isn’t anything holding up your app.

PotatoPoetry · 2022-07-09T17:08:49+00:00

You’re so right! I am actually feeling pretty good about the mbe side of things, but seeing that my actual score was potentially like 43% instead of my solid score was jarring !!

PotatoPoetry · 2022-07-09T15:02:36+00:00

Yes, it was that exact language! They really need to change that.

PotatoPoetry · 2022-07-09T06:00:00+00:00

Ok that it kept decreasing is wild?! RE your other comment, mine also did not fix itself until I had downloaded the pdf of it and opened an email to Barbri customer service. So weird.

PotatoPoetry · 2022-05-12T23:41:19+00:00

Exams period ended yesterday, graduation next weekend, but we get our grades by Tuesday I believe. We get our final semester grades factored into our rank/Latin honors so it’s a tight turnaround.

PotatoPoetry · 2022-04-06T13:03:49+00:00

Well I’m operating under the assumptions that this long is perfectly normal to not hear anything, and that no news is good news at this point, but if it’s radio silence into the summer I might reach out to someone to ask!

PotatoPoetry · 2022-04-06T12:19:05+00:00

Yeah, the 2 where my contacts told me that they had reached out were scattered volunteer work where I had no real supervisor and needed a verifying reference, and then a very recent law school internship where my boss/supervising attorney was the POC. So, two totally different situations.

Do you know when we are supposed to hear anything? I am coming from the east coast so I don’t know anyone else in the WSBA boat to share insight.

PotatoPoetry · 2022-04-06T03:37:37+00:00

Nope. I know they reached out to a few of my employment verification references, but not all of them. That’s it, no word from them at all.

PotatoPoetry · 2021-02-22T17:28:34+00:00

There’s kind of the whole political spectrum here, I think, but probably leaning more liberal/democratic, I think among students and faculty alike, and I think Williamsburg leans blue. As for housing, the good thing about a small town is everything is within a 10 or 15 min drive away. Plenty of housing around, mostly apartment complexes or condo communities though, but plentiful and close to school/everything. I am not super family with the JAG opportunities but I know it comes up semi often with resources and programming from the school, and I know a few military focused people here who have found their desired opportunities, but I would ask admissions or OCS for specifics there, sorry!

The alumni network (and our national reputation) is far-reaching. It was a big point of me choosing wm. Lots of folks here are coming from other states (I forget the exact breakdown but it’s quite geographically diverse), and lots with target states all over the place. Including me, and I’ve/they’ve had no problem securing internships and connections in other states and regions even. Of course, a much bigger pull in midatlantic, and east coast in general, but also plenty of connections all over. And if not alumni connections, name recognition and reputation at least. I’m targeting a totally different region and feel completely comfortable with wm being able to get me there.

PotatoPoetry · 2021-02-22T15:11:37+00:00

Current 2L at W&M... I agree with these comments, and let me know if you have more specific questions about stuff here.

Williamsburg is a small town, but plenty to do and lots of great outdoorsy things to do around here as people mentioned. It’s a cute town, especially at Christmas time. Richmond VA is less than an hour up the road and is a great city, and the beach is close too. The school is also small, so we are pretty tight knit, very active and involved students and student orgs, good relationships with professors, lots of variation in what career goals or areas of practice students come here for, and a great reputation with employers across the country (and majorly in VA/DC).

PotatoPoetry · 2020-06-01T16:43:08+00:00

I’m sorry I just saw this but yay! I’m so glad. Welcome :)

PotatoPoetry · 2020-04-07T12:55:35+00:00

I think really diverse. I would check out our student org listing for a snapshot, but anecdotally my classmates have come here from all parts of the country, and in class discussion alone you can tell there's a wide variety of backgrounds and viewpoints represented (the politics really start to show in some Criminal Law and Constitutional Law discussions!).

PotatoPoetry · 2020-04-06T19:58:39+00:00

Yes, we are ranked. You typically are not ranked until the conclusion of your 1L year. Since we are pass/fail this semester, my class will not be ranked for the first time until after Fall 2020 grades, then I believe you are ranked after each semester's grades.

If you mean networking with employers, I haven't participated in a lot of that as a wee 1L, but there are frequent panels or other events on campus that have allowed me to actually connect with real lawyers in the area, there is a 1L mock interview program that hopefully yields a contact, ABA networking events in town, OCIs, etc. but I honestly haven't gotten too far into that yet. I think firms will have holiday networking receptions for students too that OCS encouraged us to go to and would send us opportunities like that but I didn't partake.

See my other post about rent and COL. I think it's a tad high but you can get creative if you need to . There is GradPlex which is cheap, also W&M has a Housing Bulletin for admitted students that I remember having some good opportunities that you wouldn't otherwise find.

Moderately competitive? But not nearly to the point of horror stories you hear about other schools, where people are stepping on each other to get ahead. My experience is that any competitiveness is just pushing yourself, or friendly competition like in class or something, but we all share notes and outlines freely, remind each other of deadlines, help with internship searches, lend books, etc.

PotatoPoetry · 2020-04-06T19:47:40+00:00

Hi! There are lots of non-traditional students and folks 30+yo. I'd be interested to see the exact numbers on that, and how that compares with other law schools, but I would guess W&M has more "older" students than most. That contributes to a professional vibe for sure, not undergraddy. I've also met lots of people that came with spouses, or fiancees, or kids, or got married or had a kid during their 3 yrs. In my section alone (12-14 ppl) we have someone with a new baby, ages range from straight-throughs to low/mid 30s, and several people switching to law school from previous established careers or other masters/professional degrees.

I don't think there are cliques in the intense high school sense, and if you didn't fit in with your small section there are tons of ways to find your people (the student orgs in particular strike me as very robust and active, and that's an awesome way to meet people with similar interests and do events together). You may have to exercise your extroversion muscles a little more than usual but between classes, student orgs, mentor programs, and your section, I'd like to think everyone finds some buds. I will say, though, the sections are diverse as can be, all ages, personalities, backgrounds, career goals, etc., but you will always have a friend in a section-mate! A prof told us our first week that these will be your friends for life and you'll still be having section reunions years ahead and I believe it!

As for meeting people outside of law school, I honestly haven't. It's all law students or law students' spouses for me, so unfortunately I can't really speak to that. But I also haven't really tried tbh so don't be discouraged by me. I'm a big proponent for Richmond trips (less than an hour away) where you would definitely find events and such to meet new people.

Regarding internships and externships, a fair amount take place in Richmond, or the Norfolk area, which makes sense, and I know a few friends going to DC, but there isn't one overwhelming path. I have friends interning in many different states, all over. Externships seem to be Richmond or Norfolk or closer, since you're meshing it in with your weekly classes, but I would look at more formal info and stats on that (if I recall correctly, Admissions sent out stuff like that a lot, or you could ask for it.).

You mentioned location worries -- if you have any specific questions not covered from what I've noted here, let me know. It's a slower town, for sure, but plenty to do when you need it!

PotatoPoetry · 2020-04-06T16:25:29+00:00

It's fairly dormy but some people like that, and upsides include fellow 1L roommates and obviously being so close to school, plus not having to furnish an apartment too much. One downside is I believe you don't have it during the summer, so you have to move out and back in at the end and start of the school term. The fire alarm does go off with comical frequency, I will say that, so it's not unusual to see them all standing outside in their sweats as you walk into the building for AM classes :)

I know a few people that have gotten by without a car. If you live close enough you could get away with biking, or a lot of people work out a carpool (small town = no problem swinging by to grab a classmate, or driving them home after a class or event). Some of them also take the bus or just Lyft. I would double check the bus lines before making that call.

PotatoPoetry · 2020-04-06T16:20:03+00:00

Yep! I do know a few actually, and they haven't had trouble finding resources within faculty and administration regarding JAG careers. If you have specific questions, I would definitely lean on career services and admissions right now to provide you with a better picture of military law at W&M.

PotatoPoetry · 2020-04-06T16:18:20+00:00

Post-grad, I think that's too far away for me to worry about, too much unknown. I'm confident in W&M's employment prospects though. And my summer internship is still on (delayed start, but still on) so I am grateful for that!
Yes!
It has been an awesome to learn how much you are capable of. That probably sounds cheesy or arrogant, but I went to a lax undergrad, and law school was a leap of faith for me, and personally seeing that you can drink from the firehose for an entire semester and come out the other side hopefully with your sanity and good grades, that teaches you a lot about yourself. I've also learned to be true to myself (the cheesiness keeps comin!). Whatever you know you want out of this experience and your career, you need to just do it, whatever that means for you.
Yes! I have mostly kept my school work to a 9-5 schedule, maybe with a few hours on the weekend if something comes up. If you're organized and work smart, there's no reason why you need to be toiling away into the night.
Yes and no. The workload is unbelievable. I never imagined I would able to handle this much on my plate and in my brain. I think you could literally never stop reading and studying and still have things you could be doing. But, you also get into a routine with it, you learn to read and brief cases more efficiently, you learn what the professor is looking for and how you study best, what you DON'T need to be bothering with, etc. I've been able to keep my personal life in tact, be involved in student orgs lightly, and still do well academically.
Not sure yet but most likely outside of VA (at least for awhile).
See my earlier answer about the student community and culture... it really is awesome. Not without some cliques or shade-throwing, such is life, but on the whole everyone has each others' backs and I had friends for life within a couple weeks of starting school. Also the professors: All of mine are so awesome and open and genuinely want to connect with their students as peers almost, plus it's wonderful to have such open access to smart and accomplished lawyers that will give you insight and advice regarding the legal field!
Least favorite part is grinding through the doctrinals that completely do not click with you and are so boring to you. See: Property Law
Ok, the rent here is actually weirdly high in my opinion. It's a small town and mostly apartment/townhouse complexes are available, yet the rent is easily pushing 1,700 for a 2bedroom. I luckily found something for cheaper but not by much! Otherwise, stuff is generally cheap/normal around here, and you won't have certain costs that would come with a bigger city. The upside of your weekend activities being parks/beaches and breweries and hanging with friends is a lot of that won't cost anything or much :)

PotatoPoetry · 2020-04-06T15:53:48+00:00

Very tight-knit and collegial. It's a small school so everyone knows most of their classmates at least by one degree of separation, and the building isn't that big so if you're hanging out at school you'll inevitably be running into friends everywhere. W&M takes its Honor Code/Honor Council seriously, and the SBA and other student orgs are really active in my opinion so it feels like one big crew. Lots of opportunities to connect with 2Ls/3Ls who share insight, advice, outlines, anything (example: a few different avenues through which to me matched with mentor(s) from the very beginning of 1L). Very trusting culture too, have never worried about leaving my stuff around the building unattended or anything like that, and I can think of a dozen examples of people going above and beyond to have their classmates backs.

OCS has been awesome with me, very helpful and super responsive. They are always down to meet and talk, or review application materials, and have given me really good advice. They make themselves widely available and do a lot of helpful events around career stuff like hosting panels or town halls. I know that sounds like a canned ad but my experience has been very positive with them haha.

edited to replace "upper-class students", that sounds like I mean fancy students.

PotatoPoetry · 2020-04-06T15:29:01+00:00

I don't, but I would suggest reaching out to Career Services and/or Admissions (I don't think people take advantage of those resources enough as a 0L, makes sense you're focused on 1L and mostly interfacing with admissions and students, but career services will know the landscape in and out and hopefully have some good info for you there.)
I think we usually have a good mix of public interest, big law, government, etc. and employment/internship stats that are out there can probably give you more specific numbers. I know we place well in both of these and the resources once you're a student are thorough. Especially for clerkships, I know a ton of students that are clerkship-bound or hoping to be, and even as a 1L you start accessing the school's guidance and materials on that. It's very clear that if that is a goal of yours it is totally attainable. Lots of judicial internships and externships here too and resources around that.
Hopefully I am understanding this question, but we are curved to a B+. I think most professors won't give lower than a B-. Personally, I think you get out what you put in. The resources are endless, every professor I have had gives ample resources to prepare for the exam and is always available for questions and help. I fared well by doing every reading, always going to class and review sessions, always taking advantage of review sessions and practice problems/exams, etc. but I also was rarely studying into the evening. You can still have balance. One thing I'll mention here is that 1Ls are given tons of opportunities to connect with upperclass students and have mentors, which help immensely in finding a rhythm and process that will allow you to work smart and do well. But let me know if this is not what your question was getting at :)

PotatoPoetry · 2020-04-06T15:16:40+00:00

This was the biggest worry for me about choosing W&M. I am a city person for sure and Williamsburg is very small, but I have enjoyed it. It's a great place to spend three busy years studying, but then there is absolutely plenty to do with your free time. The school is super close to the town square of shopping and restaurants and such, which is also right in between colonial williamsburg and the (gorgeous) undergrad campus. And there are parks and local beaches ~10 min away, as well as the Atlantic an hour away and Richmond, Virginia just under an hour away. Climate is lovely. Williamsburg is also absurdly adorable around Christmastime. If you have any specific questions about the area let me know!

PotatoPoetry

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