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I liked your comments as well Stuje!  I didn't find the building claustrophobic at all.  I thought the library was really well laid out and I liked the simple floor plan and convenience of it all.  The staff was friendly enough, I should have emphasized that more, I was just not too impressed with their professionalism or competence. 

And I am sure I will be guilty of internet surfing, but since when was not being hypocritical a necessary requirement for law school!!  :D

As far as the weather, I went to grad school in Ann Arbor for several years and I could never understand why people there would prefer it to be zero degrees and sunny over forty five and cloudy??  We are not primitive man, we do not need to see the sun every day to know she is still there and the gods are not displeased with us!!!  I imagine for you, it will be the other way around, trying to figure out why lesser Seattlites are happy with grey rainy skies for the 42nd day in a row ... but seriously, I remember back in the early 90's when everyone in the world was moving to Seattle we led the nation in suicides for a couple of years and most of them were people in their first winter.  Definitely invest in a good Goretex rain jacket and some quality boots.  Like you pointed out, fashion takes a back seat to function out here (more Norwegian influence?)

Finally, for the long version of my decision making, see the U.W. thread in the One L section.  Short version: still very torn between LC for free and U.W.  Comments and suggestions welcomed!!

Wow, I never realized I had a thread devoted to my decision making already!!!  I was sort of hoping to see Red and Curly on here arguing over me, but I guess that would be too much and you guys will have to do!!!  :D

I just got back from U.W. today -- see my post in the reviews area -- and played golf on Monday with a lawyer in Montlake who will hire me next summer if I do go there.  The financial aid people have my file all screwed up, they have me listed as a resident, which I am not, but it seems pretty unlikely I will get any grants/scholarships so that means it is just a matter of what loans I get so it is not such a big deal.  They are the only school that has taken my $17,000 EFC from FAFSA seriously!!  Yeah, I'll just write them a check..... NOT.

At this point I think I am probably down to U.W. and Lewis and Clark.  If I were 25 or even 28 I would go to NYU in a heartbeat.  But the amount of loans I would have to take is intimidating.  Even more intimidating though is the thought of having to live in a dorm for three years because that is all I could afford in the village.  At my age that just doesn't seem right or fun and actually could be much more stressful than law school itself and I might wind up killing some obnoxious punk kid before I develop the Johnny Cochrane skills to get away with it.

U.W. vs. Lewis and Clark for $50K less is a really tough call.  I am not very worried about keeping the scholarship at LC (2.95, which is basically in top 50% and if I can't do that I shouldn't be a lawyer in the first place) but U.W. seems to have much much more of a "wow" factor for all the lawyers I talk with.  Plus they have better facilities, better professors, better students, a better library and more extensive class offerings.  But $50K is basically a year's income after taxes and at my age I don't have that many years left.

So it is a tough call.  If I go to LC I need to be in the top ten in my class to have the same options that I would coming out with a decent U.W. GPA.  U.W. curve and lack of class rankings are friendlier also.

I am still meeting with local attorneys and I am sure I will go right down to the wire.  All your comments are of course welcome also, but forgive me if I pay more attention to what the local legal talent says!!!

Just got back from U.W. today.  Rather than start a new thread I will add my $.02 here.

(1) Staff.  Worthless.  Rating - 0 of 10.  I made an appointment with the admissions/financial aid office for this morning.  I arrived and the staff person asked me what questions I had.  I had a list of five very specific questions.  She successfully answered zero.  At one point she told me "wow, you know a lot more about this stuff than I do."  Not what I want to hear when I am thinking about spending $50K on your school.  I then went to the financial aid office.  My aid package is messed up because they have me listed as a resident, which I am not.  I am tempted to just let it slide, bank error in my favor, but I certainly don't want it to come back to bite my rear down the road.  No merit aid, no seeming rhyme or reason to how aid is distributed.  Full disclosure - part of my frustration here is that if they would give me a full ride it would make my decision a lot easier!!
     The students with whom I spoke shared my low opinion of the staff.  One student I talked to said his aid package wasn't finalized until well after he accepted admission.  That seems a bit backwards to me. 

(2) Students.  Above Average.  Rating - 7 of 10.  I sat in on one class and about 60% of the students seemed to stay on task through the whole hour.  Classes are every day but are really short, so I was a little surprised at how much surfing, emailing, im'ing and craig's listing was going on.  How hard is it to pay attention for 50 minutes?
     The student responses were fairly intelligent and the professor was able to lead a discussion at an acceptable but not superior level.
Most of the students seemed very laid back.

(3) Building/Campus.  Superior.  Rating - 10 of 10.  U.W. is a great campus that I have always liked.  Gates Hall is a technological marvel.  Well-designed, great classrooms, high tech everything, not sure what else you could ask for. 

(4) Faculty.  Superior.  Rating - 9 of 10.  All the professors with whom I spoke were friendly and helpful.  All the students reported positive experiences. 

(5) Campus/Area.  Superior.  Rating - 9 of 10.  I grew up in the Puget Sound region, so Seattle is not new for me.  The U district is actually a LOT cleaner and less "seedy" than it was 15 years ago.  I was sad to see that the Tower Records where Nirvana played the Nevermind release party is gone .... but the Blue Moon is still there!  As the OP noted, the culture is a little stand-offish.  People in Seattle and the PNW generally will never be rude to you but they won't go out of their way to make friends with you either.  Two of the biggest cultural influences are Norwegian and Japanese, which I think has a lot to do with that.  Also, if you have never lived here the rainy winters can be depressing enough that you should take it into consideration.

Overall: Great university, great building, professors seem eager to help, students are capable.  Staff is inept and bureaucracy dominates.  Once you are there that doesn't seem to matter much based on students I spoke with.  8 out of 10.


Batman graphic novels (Frank Miller or Jeph Loeb)

The best Batman graphic novel is The Killing Joke by Alan Moore (V for Vendetta, Watchman, Big Numbers, Miracleman).  Dark Knight is good, but Moore's stuff has more depth than any other writer in the comics medium.  Watchman is the most richly textured comic ever.

Are you a real stalker until you have changed your name to attempt to hide your stalking?

General Off-Topic Board / Re: Do you enjoy pointless arguments?
« on: April 02, 2006, 03:40:31 AM »
What if he wanted to live in New York and clerk there?

EDIT: REPETITION - your point.

Why does your life need to be so orderly?

General Off-Topic Board / Re: I wonder about this....
« on: April 02, 2006, 03:39:06 AM »
What if I never dance again?
And my guilty feet have no rhythm?
Should I have known better than cheat a duck?
Can time ever mend the careless whispers my good friends?

« on: April 02, 2006, 03:35:17 AM »
What if he wanted better clerkship opportunities?

« on: April 02, 2006, 03:32:24 AM »
Why can't I CHOOSE LIFE and wear a big white T shirt?
