Top 10 reasons TO go to my school

[QueensGrad]

This was really helpful on the old forums so I am reviving it. I will start with Queen's (may be out of date, someone else please chime in!):

 

1. Excellent clinic programs, especially for budding criminal lawyers (the prison law clinic). Most who want a clinic position were able to get one. 

2. Community: the best thing about QL. Everyone is new to Kingston and has to make new friends. This isn't a commuter school (most live within walking distance) and it ends up being really fun making new friends. Connections are extremely important in law and that starts as a student making connections with your peers. The party scene is great if you are into that, but so is the general social atmosphere.

3. Journals: There are lots of journals at QL now, such that many who want a spot will get one. 

4. The school admin: forget the horror stories you hear about Oz and Ottawa, the admin at QL are amazing. They go out of their way to help, are flexible in applying rules (i.e. extensions, degree requirements, course enrolment, etc.) The Dean works closely with the LSS president and actively works to respond to student concerns.

5. CDO: the CDO is amazing and will really work to help you find a job. They run lots of recruitment events and do lots of one on one sessions.

6. Kingston: a quiet city, but very lively on Queen's campus and at student hotspots. Plenty to do with the option to drive 3 hours to visit. Toronto whenever you want. Rent is fairly reasonable if you get a roommate. The lake is lots of fun in August/September. 

7. most of the profs are great and genuinely care about their students. There are a lot of young profs, which I found made them more relatable and also more innovative in how they approach teaching. The profs are great about giving you opportunities to do RA work, undergrad TA work, and. independent study projects. 

8. International law: if you are into international law, QL is the place to be with very strong faculty in this area as well as the castle program.

9. Restaurants: the Kingston restaurant scene is quite strong

10. Queen's Campus: a really nice campus (great limestone buildings) where everything is within walking distance. It was really fun having the energy of thousands of students all together on what is basically one campus (pre-COVID).

 

 

Edited June 7, 2021 by QueensGrad
Edited journal part

[QMT20]

10 minutes ago, QueensGrad said:

3. Journals: There are lots of journals at QL now, such that pretty much anyone who wants a spot will get one. 

I think the Journals at Queen's are great. There's the Queen's Law Journal, Canadian Labour & Employment Law Journal, and Canadian Journal of Commercial Arbitration now so you can get exposed to the academic-side of a lot of different areas of law. It's also meaningful work and it's a quick way to learn where to access lots of different resources at the school. 

But it's actually not true that "anyone who wants a spot will get one", at least not this year. There were 2-3 applicants for every volunteer editor spot (open to 1Ls) and at least one of the journals had 4 applicants for every for-credit student editor spot. While there is some overlap in the students applying to each, there were lots of people who did not get a spot as well. 

[QueensGrad]

11 minutes ago, QMT20 said:

I think the Journals at Queen's are great. There's the Queen's Law Journal, Canadian Labour & Employment Law Journal, and Canadian Journal of Commercial Arbitration now so you can get exposed to the academic-side of a lot of different areas of law. It's also meaningful work and it's a quick way to learn where to access lots of different resources at the school. 

But it's actually not true that "anyone who wants a spot will get one", at least not this year. There were 2-3 applicants for every volunteer editor spot (open to 1Ls) and at least one of the journals had 4 applicants for every for-credit student editor spot. While there is some overlap in the students applying to each, there were lots of people who did not get a spot as well. 

Thanks, that is good to know. It certainly felt that way during my year, but I probably over-exaggerated. Also do not forget the Global Justice Journal! I edited my post accordingly.

Edited June 7, 2021 by QueensGrad

[Dussy]

33 minutes ago, QueensGrad said:

7. most of the profs are great and genuinely care about their students. There are a lot of young profs, which I found made them more relatable and also more innovative in how they approach teaching. The profs are great about giving you opportunities to do RA work, undergrad TA work, and. independent study projects. 

 

 

 

Just want to echo this. I just finished 1L, and all my professors, except one who at worse was 'fine' or 'okay', were absolutely exceptional. 

[King of Queens]

What kind of work does you do as an editor for the journals? Is it just editing submissions as it sounds or is there more involved? 

Edited June 7, 2021 by King of Queens

[King of Queens]

18 minutes ago, Dussy said:

Just want to echo this. I just finished 1L, and all my professors, except one who at worse was 'fine' or 'okay', were absolutely exceptional. 

I know most of your year was spent online but I assume you had some in person classes in Sept, did a portion of the profs say no to using laptops in class? I know most people say to do handwritten but I'm curious.

[Dussy]

7 minutes ago, King of Queens said:

I know most of your year was spent online but I assume you had some in person classes in Sept, did a portion of the profs say no to using laptops in class? I know most people say to do handwritten but I'm curious.

Yes. My section had three professors who did not allow it. However, from what I can tell it is extremely unusual/unlikely that a section will have this many professors who do not allow computers in class. I am sure others had a different experience. 

[goosie]

37 minutes ago, King of Queens said:

What kind of work does you do as an editor for the journals? Is it just editing submissions as it sounds or is there more involved? 

I can only speak to the WJLS - I've never worked on the CJLJ. As a Staff Editor, you're really just editing. It depends a bit on what a particular article needs or at which stage of the process it's in, but normally you're doing some substantive editing (flagging gaps in arguments, areas where further research is needed, etc), spelling and grammar checks, and editing citations (this is by far the bulk of the work). It's not necessarily glamorous work, but I enjoyed it because 1. it exposed me to some really interesting academic legal work that I otherwise didn't get to explore and 2. becoming familiar with the McGill Guide and legal citations is incredibly helpful for LRWA. If you're interested, I also think the WJLS accepts article submissions year-round, including from students.

Should clarify - I go to Western, things could certainly be different at other schools.

Edited June 7, 2021 by goosie
clarification

[Guest QueensDenning]

5 hours ago, goosie said:

I can only speak to the WJLS - I've never worked on the CJLJ. As a Staff Editor, you're really just editing. It depends a bit on what a particular article needs or at which stage of the process it's in, but normally you're doing some substantive editing (flagging gaps in arguments, areas where further research is needed, etc), spelling and grammar checks, and editing citations (this is by far the bulk of the work). It's not necessarily glamorous work, but I enjoyed it because 1. it exposed me to some really interesting academic legal work that I otherwise didn't get to explore and 2. becoming familiar with the McGill Guide and legal citations is incredibly helpful for LRWA. If you're interested, I also think the WJLS accepts article submissions year-round, including from students.

Should clarify - I go to Western, things could certainly be different at other schools.

I was on QLJ. It sucked I consider it a bit waist of time and did not apply to continue next year. 

[King of Queens]

12 hours ago, Guest QueensDenning said:

I was on QLJ. It sucked I consider it a bit waist of time and did not apply to continue next year. 

Would you mind talking about your time there? Was it just a lot of tedious editing without any substantive work?

[honeydijon]

I’m wondering if someone from uOttawa can chime in here? I’m (virtually) heading there in the fall, and I would love to hear what students love about the school! 

[ZineZ]

I believe it's extremely useful to have a new discussion on this - but I'm also going to include the historical version of this thread, as provided by@efrefgg. It is attached. 

You can also find parts of this discussion archived on the WayBackMachine : https://web.archive.org/web/20171102144828/http://lawstudents.ca/forums/topic/26568-10-reasons-to-go-to-my-law-school/

Keep in mind that the discussions I've linked above are rather dated, so please do provide updated information from your schools! 

10_reasons_to_go_to_my_school.txt

[ccq35]

In no particular order, a biased and non-exhaustive list of reasons for McGill:

1. Reputation: McGill consistently ranks in the top 20-30 law schools in the world and second only to U of T in Canada (depending on who you ask, of course). Brand recognition is high, even outside of Canada, and as the country’s oldest law school, the Faculty has had a long time to build up its stellar reputation.

2. Dual degrees: two degrees for (much less than) the price of one! Depending on where you want to practice (or not, academia, policy, and other options are also valid career choices!), your mileage may vary on how useful two degrees end up being, but the pedagogical value in learning both common and civil law transsystemically is huge. This also helps with career flexibility, for obvious reasons.

3. Tuition: this is a big one. For a non-Quebec resident, tuition is approximately $10-11k per year; for a Quebec resident, it’s half of that. Keep in mind that the program is designed to be 3.5 years, but even then, McGill is a veritable bargain. Hard to believe that the Faculty can provide a world-class education for such low tuition, but I’m certainly not complaining. Virtually no required textbooks either; readings are mostly assigned via digital coursepacks.

4. Career options: see 1. and 2. McGill’s reputation and dual degrees open a lot of doors, both in Canada and beyond. U of T and Osgoode (and possibly Ryerson now) likely have an edge over McGill if your heart is set on Bay Street because of their proximity and increased networking opportunities, but McGIll places plenty of people in Toronto nevertheless.

5. Faculty and instructors: McGill boasts some truly excellent faculty members, both from a pedagogy and research perspective, as well as dedicated research centres (e.g. the Centres for Human Rights & Legal Pluralism, and for Research in Air & Space Law). Again, your mileage may vary depending on your interests, but McGill certainly earns its reputation here.

6. Student diversity: not sure how McGill stacks up against other law schools in terms of racialized minority, Indigenous, and LGBTQ+ students, but the Faculty attracts a wide cross section of applicants, from many walks of life, with varied aspirations. Very lively student body, with journals, clubs, internships, etc. to suit any interests you might have.

7. Supreme Court clerkships: the dual degrees, bilingualism, and academic reputation really help here, and McGill has a really strong track record (about 1 in 5 over the past decade) with clerkship placements.

8. Campus: the Faculty exists within three buildings: Old Chancellor Day Hall is a beautiful old mansion built in the late 1800s; the Nahum Gelber Law Library with its big Illuminati window, and New Chancellor Day Hall, which… depends on how much you like Brutalist architecture. Also, the walk up Peel street to the Faculty is… a bit brutal. McGill itself exists on the southern slope of Mount Royal, and the campus has a great mix of architectural styles that reflect its storied history. Located several blocks north of the heart of downtown Montreal, McGill occupies prime real estate and is really accessible.

9. Montreal: speaking of location, Montreal is a wonderful city. Period. Like McGill, Montreal has a great mix of old and new (the city is often described as “European”), and the cost of living is very reasonable for such a large city. Great food, great nightlife, solid public transit, and consistently ranked among the best student cities in the world.

10. Bilingualism: on habite dans un pays bilingue… ’nuff said.

[Lawllapalooza]

On 6/7/2021 at 8:19 PM, Guest QueensDenning said:

I was on QLJ. It sucked I consider it a bit waist of time and did not apply to continue next year. 

I don't mean to sound like a jerk as I am genuinely sorry that you had a shitty time on QLJ, but you using "bit waist" instead of "big waste" while complaining about what was presumably an editing position was nothing short of poetic.

[Sacamano]

5 minutes ago, Lawllapalooza said:

I don't mean to sound like a jerk as I am genuinely sorry that you had a shitty time on QLJ, but you using "bit waist" instead of "big waste" while complaining about what was presumably an editing position was nothing short of poetic.

And what about the lack of a comma after It sucked ??

[CheeseToast]

32 minutes ago, Sacamano said:

And what about the lack of a comma after It sucked ??

That would be a comma splice and also incorrect, albeit due to grammar and not spelling. What you're looking for is a dash, period, or semicolon. 

[FriendlyMemeGuy493]

On 6/7/2021 at 1:42 PM, QueensGrad said:

2. Community: the best thing about QL. Everyone is new to Kingston and has to make new friends. This isn't a commuter school (most live within walking distance) and it ends up being really fun making new friends. Connections are extremely important in law and that starts as a student making connections with your peers. The party scene is great if you are into that, but so is the general social atmosphere.

 

 

 

Did you find you had a lot of classes with the same people? I know other schools have small group programs where you take a lot of courses with your section of students which is cool. I assume with the small total student body you'd be running into the same people frequently right? 

[QueensGrad]

10 hours ago, FriendlyMemeGuy493 said:

Did you find you had a lot of classes with the same people? I know other schools have small group programs where you take a lot of courses with your section of students which is cool. I assume with the small total student body you'd be running into the same people frequently right? 

Yes, there was a small section when I went there (could be different now) and it really felt like everyone knew everyone at the school by second year. There were maybe 5-10 people in my graduating class that I wouldn’t recognize. 

Edited June 10, 2021 by QueensGrad

[Goblin King]

Anyone here that can do Dal? 

[FriendlyMemeGuy493]

6 hours ago, QueensGrad said:

Yes, there was a small section when I went there (could be different now) and it really felt like everyone knew everyone at the school by second year. There were maybe 5-10 people in my graduating class that I wouldn’t recognize. 

That's great to know thanks! 

[onlyonemorelette]

On 6/7/2021 at 11:42 AM, QueensGrad said:

Rent is fairly reasonable if you get a roommate

How much approximate rent are we talking?

[QueensGrad]

4 hours ago, onlyonemorelette said:

How much approximate rent are we talking?

I paid around $600/month with two roommates, but there are options for every budget imo - I have seen rent down to $450 if you have 6-7 roommates, and up to $1300 for 1 bedrooms right downtown. Also if you live far away (by Kingston standards, i.e. driving distance), it can also get cheaper.

Edited June 11, 2021 by QueensGrad

[QueensDenning]

On 6/10/2021 at 3:23 PM, FriendlyMemeGuy493 said:

That's great to know thanks! 

There is still a small section. 

[groovy1363]

Can anyone do UBC 

[Aschenbach]

I'll do UBC:

1. The campus is gorgeous. You are surrounded on 3 sides by beaches and the ocean with views of the mountain. It is a 5-minute walk from the law school building to the beach and a 15 minute walk to the nude beach. I consider this a huge plus. Swimming pool is very nice too.

2. The building is very nice. Lots of natural light, modern tech, and a great library to study in. Like any law school, the library is overrun with SNAILs but during exam time certain sections are reserved for law students only.

3. Professors are nice and generally care about teaching and student learning. I found they cared much more than professors in undergrad. You also get to take courses with some of the leading scholars in different areas of law.

4. You have a good variety of experiential learning opportunities from moots, clinics, externships and workshops. I did both a clinic and a moot and thought the experience was great.

5. LSLAP gets a lot of hate, but it's a great opportunity to get hands-on legal experience in 1L.

6. Tuition is really reasonable (compared to other schools) at around $13 k per year.

7. If you're interested in working in Vancouver, it's the most well-connected school to the local market. UBC dominates Vancouver big law hiring.

8. UBC has national reach. Students regularly place in Toronto and Calgary big law. Most of my friends who did the Toronto recruit secured a Bay St job. You don't see a lot of UBC representation in Ontario though as most students prefer to stay out west.

9. The student body is large enough that you get a smattering of personalities and interests. You will find your group. It's also small enough that you know pretty much everyone in your year.

10. Students are competitive. I see this both as a plus and a con. It's a plus in that they want to do their best and it motivates you to also do your best. It's a con because the collective anxiety gets to you after awhile.

11. Vancouver and the UBC community is large enough that you can escape the law school bubble. You can choose to be involved as much or as little as you want to be. 

UBC also has issues like any other law school, but I think overall the positives outweigh the negatives.

Edited June 30, 2021 by Aschenbach