Current 1L - ASK ME ANYTHING!

[Skittles]

Hi everyone! 

Congratulations on your acceptances! You have all worked so hard and should be proud of yourself for all your efforts. I know this time last year I had a ton of questions about law school and in particular about the program at UofO so I thought I would share my experience. I am just wrapping up my 1L year so feel free to ask me any questions you have or PM me as well! 

Edited April 23, 2023 by Skittles

[Almostthere]

Hi,

I got into Ottawa and have a few questions:

1) Why did you choose UOttawa law?

2) Is it possible to manage a part-time job during 1L?

3) I always thought that I would practice in Toronto. I hear some cases of UOttawa graduates coming to work in Toronto, but not many. How difficult is it to come back and practice in Toronto? I am asking since I am debating whether to just reapply to Toronto law schools in the next cycle and push off law school for now. 

4) Are there any 1L summer opportunities? How competitive are they?

Thank you for answering these questions! I appreciate it very much. 

 

[msephora]

Congrats on wrapping on up 1L! I have a couple questions: 

1. When did you receive your confirmation of enrolment?

2. What is the average dynamic between lectures & tests? (Do the tests reflect what’s discussed in class? Or are they focused on readings?)

Thanks!

[scooter]

Not OP but I'll chime in on a few things

53 minutes ago, Almostthere said:

2) Is it possible to manage a part-time job during 1L?

It's possible but I wouldn't necessarily recommend it. There are lots of opinions on the forum about this if you search. If you absolutely need to for financial reasons then you can make it work. 

56 minutes ago, Almostthere said:

3) I always thought that I would practice in Toronto. I hear some cases of UOttawa graduates coming to work in Toronto, but not many. How difficult is it to come back and practice in Toronto? I am asking since I am debating whether to just reapply to Toronto law schools in the next cycle and push off law school for now. 

It's definitely possible to work in Toronto fro uOttawa. It doesn't make sense to wait and reapply purely for this reason. A lot of people here leave Ottawa to work in other cities after graduation, including Toronto. Attending school in Toronto won't make enough of a difference that you should reject Ottawa and reapply

1 hour ago, Almostthere said:

4) Are there any 1L summer opportunities? How competitive are they?

1L summer positions through structured recruits are very competitive (this goes for all schools). That said, everyone I know who wanted to do something law-related has found something. There are smaller local firms who hire first year students, many people get research positions with profs, you can organize your own research projects or internships, etc. I would set the expectation that for the first summer, you may do something part-time that is law related like research, while having another job like serving/bartending/whatever else you find. This would be true for any school.

[scooter]

14 minutes ago, msephora said:

1. When did you receive your confirmation of enrolment?

Enrolment in courses happens toward the end of June. Last year they sent out some info at the end of May.

If you're asking about like a letter of enrolment for lines of credit etc., you'll have to wait to get this until after you register in courses. You request it through uozone

14 minutes ago, msephora said:

2. What is the average dynamic between lectures & tests? (Do the tests reflect what’s discussed in class? Or are they focused on readings?)

This depends on the professor but generally I don't think profs are asking questions about things they never talked about in class. The readings are either cases or supplementary textbook material. It's all related to the lecture. The cases are going to be discussed in class. The supplementary stuff may or may not be, but it supports your understanding of the concepts. 

Edited April 24, 2023 by scooter
hit send too early

[ng5492022]

When did you get accepted after you applied? 

[scooter]

20 hours ago, ng5492022 said:

When did you get accepted after you applied? 

January

[Skittles]

On 4/24/2023 at 4:56 PM, ng5492022 said:

When did you get accepted after you applied? 

February! 

[flertalgerdal1]

Question about bursaries/scholarships. I see the deadline is early May for application based, on the portal...if applicable, when are students notified of receiving these awards?

[Skittles]

4 hours ago, flertalgerdal1 said:

Question about bursaries/scholarships. I see the deadline is early May for application based, on the portal...if applicable, when are students notified of receiving these awards?

From what I remember, students were notified in August!

[flertalgerdal1]

1 hour ago, Skittles said:

From what I remember, students were notified in August!

Thank you!

[Asdfghjkl123]

Are lectures recorded or available online? 
 

Is there a core textbook every 1L reads? If so, what is it? I wouldn’t mind getting a jump on the reading. 

[Skittles]

5 hours ago, Asdfghjkl123 said:

Are lectures recorded or available online? 
 

Is there a core textbook every 1L reads? If so, what is it? I wouldn’t mind getting a jump on the reading. 

Our lectures are not recorded or available online- all of our classes have been in person this year! 

The textbooks are different based on the professor you have. I would honestly say relax this summer! 1L hit me like a truck HAHA

[Asdfghjkl123]

2 hours ago, Skittles said:

Our lectures are not recorded or available online- all of our classes have been in person this year! 

The textbooks are different based on the professor you have. I would honestly say relax this summer! 1L hit me like a truck HAHA

Thanks for the reply. Can I also ask what your schedule is like as a 1L? Are you in class five days a week?

[LegalOrangutan]

Congrats on finishing 1L! @Skittles @scooter 

I have a couple of questions! Do you guys have any recommendations for how to study in 1L? And how does studying vary between different classes? Are there any particularly challenging professors or classes we should be aware of in advance? 

[cactusjack6]

On 5/4/2023 at 12:17 PM, LegalOrangutan said:

Congrats on finishing 1L! @Skittles @scooter 

I have a couple of questions! Do you guys have any recommendations for how to study in 1L? And how does studying vary between different classes? Are there any particularly challenging professors or classes we should be aware of in advance? 

[Bobby S]

Hi

I got a letter of acceptance but it says that I ve to firmly accept before June 15 to register for classes on June 20th. Since I m on the wait list for another school , I m wondering whether I can wait to firmly accept the offer until Jul 1st and register for classes at the later date. Thanks. 

[Debtful]

you can but wont get to pick your class. the popular profs/small groups fill up fast.

[Olive]

Hi everyone, I’m wondering if any current students or alumni could comment on what percentage of the class ends up working in Toronto? 

[Debtful]

2 hours ago, Olive said:

Hi everyone, I’m wondering if any current students or alumni could comment on what percentage of the class ends up working in Toronto? 

Almost positive uOttawa doesn't track this so there are no numbers. You can search uottawa students/alumni on linkedin and see where they are but it won't be a comprehensive number. 

[cactusjack6]

4 hours ago, Olive said:

Hi everyone, I’m wondering if any current students or alumni could comment on what percentage of the class ends up working in Toronto? 

Search up Toronto 1L and Toronto 2L 2023 Recruit Ultra Vires and you can see how many from Uottawa ended up in BigLaw in this years recruitments.

[Debtful]

Keep in mind biglaw isnt necessarily representative about who ends up in Toronto. From your other post it looks like you are interested in criminal law. Most criminal law firms won't be represented in the 2L recruit.

[Chewy]

11 minutes ago, Debtful said:

Most criminal law firms won't be represented in the 2L recruit.

What do you mean by this? I'm unaware of how these recruits work. When would criminal law firms be active in recruiting?

[Olive]

39 minutes ago, Debtful said:

Keep in mind biglaw isnt necessarily representative about who ends up in Toronto. From your other post it looks like you are interested in criminal law. Most criminal law firms won't be represented in the 2L recruit.

Yes, this is exactly why I was asking as I know that the recruit includes mostly big law and government agencies often do not report their stats for the UV publications. I’m trying to gauge how much of an advantage it would be to choose Ottawa over UBC for work in Toronto 

[Debtful]

CC is a federal. statute so it'll be taught pretty consistently across jurisdiction. The potential benefit of Ottawa over UBC is proximity. Look at the opportunities the schools have re. criminal law clinics, internships, curriculum with a focus on CL.