Environment of profs and culture at uOttawa

[Lawapplicant1233]

Could someone who currently goes to uOttawa tell me about the way that profs are accessible and are open to help and mentor during your time at uOttawa? Additionally, I was wondering what the culture is like among students, like is it cut-throat or…? 

[capitalttruth]

In my experience, most profs are nice. Some aren't necessarily built to provide mentorship, and are better off as researchers, but that's not specific to uOttawa. I would say these profs are in the minority, though. As for the student environment, we are a large school, and I find that people have to form clicks in order to digest the experience of being among 300 people. A lot of is very high school-ish, but I'm an older student so my perspective is influenced by that. The environment is not competitive per se, people are there to support you. Most people I've met are willing to share notes, talk to you if you don't understand something etc. Ultimately, though, I think it's important to learn early on that law school students are your colleagues, and not necessarily your friends. Of course you can make long-lasting friendships in law school, and many do, but it's important to remember that not everyone is your friend.

[goodisgood]

2L here. Every prof I've wanted to speak to (all of them) has been accessible. Some online, some in person, some both. For the moot, we've had to reach out to professors that none of us actually took courses with and they were all gracious in clarifying questions we had about our research. When I've needed reference letters, I reached out to the professors I naturally connected with and they were super willing to help on multiple occasions. 

Student-culture wise there are definitely some groupings but no one is rude. I've swapped notes with people and done group exam study sessions too. It is not cut-throat. 

[VIPigeon]

I’m a 2L and a mature student (early 30s). My favourite part about uOttawa is the profs. I find them so kind, accessible and helpful.

I haven’t had any issues with cliques at school, but I imagine with the amount of students we have there must be some drama, somewhere. However, it’s not cut-throat at all. Everyone I’ve spoken to has been happy to share notes or fill me in on a missed class. I have friends of all ages who are thoughtful and intelligent, and the general environment at school is pretty relaxed. Even through the recruits, I have found most people to be pretty supportive of each other. 

[gglaw]

I'm a 1L right now and the student culture and profs are easily one of the reasons I decided to come to Ottawa in the first place. My experience has been nothing short of that. The profs are phenomenal (the one's I have had at least). There are probably a few that maybe might not gel well with certain students but will work great for others. It all depends and it happens at every school but they have been phenomenal so far, both with course content, support, and research. As for the students, same thing. I would say 95% of the student body is amazing (speaking from English Common Law perspective). I have made a great group of friends and everyone in class is so encouraging and supportive.