Loved it and Hated it
Written: Aug 12 '00 (Updated Nov 18 '07)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: good academics
Cons: student morale, location
The Bottom Line: It's very much worth it and I'm proud to be a UC Hastings alumna.
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| rkwalton's Full Review: University of California, Hastings -- Hastings Col... |
I was accepted into Hasting's Class of 1997. Due to personal reasons, I took a few leaves of absence while I was there. However, I managed to graduate from their Tax concentration specialization
Like most law students, I was thrilled to be accepted into a good law school. I was also intimidated and scared. Hastings has a program called LEOP (Legal Education Opportunity Program) and I was lucky enough to be admitted to that program. LEOP's orientation started a few days before regular orientation and it was great. Sue Lunbeck is the head of LEOP and I still keep in contact with her. The guidance and support Sue and her staff provides for the LEOP students is crucial. We knew the drill and what would be expected of us.
The entering class is broken up into 5 sections and you take all the same courses with your section. The exceptions are the Legal Research and Writing course requirement, the first year moot court course, and the first year statutory elective course. After the first year, you're free to choose whatever courses you like. You do have to complete a writing requirement and that is usually done by taking a seminar course.
Hastings has a first year elective course program that a lot of other schools don't offer. During the second semester of your first year you'll be able to choose from a few elective courses. These courses are statute based. The idea is to help first year students learn how to navigate and interpret statute based law. Most law school courses are taught by having the class read specific cases and then have Socratic method type discussions of those cases during class. Make sure you read the "going to law school" types of books to know how it works.
I took Federal Income Tax with Professor William Hutton as my first year elective. I loved it. I expected to dread it. But I found it to be very interesting and definitely challenging. After that I took other courses in Federal Taxation. The tax professors at Hastings are demanding, they expect you to apply yourself. But they are amazing. These guys know their stuff and it was great to be in their classes. While I was there, Hastings established various concentration programs. I decided to pursue the tax concentration and, somehow, I managed to do that successfully.
I honestly believe I received a great legal education at Hastings. However, the morale is low. That's due to the fact that it is law school and no matter where you go, that will be demanding. Overall, the students feel they aren't treated that well. It doesn't help that Hastings isn't part of a larger campus. You can never really get away and maybe study in the medical school library because there isn't one. I got around that problem by going to other local law schools like USF, Boalt Hall (UC Berkeley) or Golden Gate to study. The paranoia level runs high around finals time, and I rarely used the Hastings library.
During my first year, there was a major reshuffling of the Career Services office. It has improved but I think it still has a lot of room for improvement. I often heard people complain that the focus was too much on traditional law firms and not enough on in-house work, not for profit work and other career paths that you could pursue with a law degree. However, most of the people I know from Hastings are working as attorneys, so they do find employment. Maybe not through the on-campus interview process but they get jobs.
I thought the Hastings staff was great. I've heard horror stories about the Records Office. My experience has always been good. In fact, I recently ordered transcripts, and I made a mistake on the form. I came in person to take care of the problem. Before I opened my mouth they handed me my transcripts with a smile. They're nice folks who are working under a lot of pressure. Hastings has a huge student body. The entering classes have over 500 students each year. My take on interaction with the staff is that there are a lot of students who are just plain rude and arrogant. If you treat the staff in a disdainful manner, what do you expect? I found if I was nice and friendly to the staff, the staff was nice and friendly to me. No one wants to deal with a jerk. So mind your manners and you'll have pleasant interaction with the staff.
My interaction with my professors was always positive. I found them to be very open to talking to me during their office hours. They're there to teach and, at least for me, I found them to be interested in me as a person as well as being there when I had questions about the courses. Hastings does have a professor/student mentor program. You're paired up with a professor who is someone you can turn to if you have questions. I never used that option because I found other professors who I got along with a lot better. Nothing against the professor who was my mentor but we didn't click.
As for living in San Francisco, it's great! It is a great city with tons of stuff to do. During my first year a few people from my section would go to a place in the Embarcadero for drinks. Those were definitely fun times and we used that time to blow off some steam. There are tons of things to do. Whatever your hobbies, you'll find some group in the city to bond with (if you can find the time.)
Housing in San Francisco can be difficult. Hastings has student housing in a building called the Tower. The Tower is just a block from the 200 McAllister Street building and it's in the same block where most of the courses take place. I never lived in the Tower. I've never been one for student housing. Even at UCLA I avoided student housing and dorms. Housing in the city can be hard to get and expensive. Since I moved to the city over 6 years ago, I really cannot comment on that. The Tower just wasn't for me.
Hastings is located in the Tenderloin district of the city. The Tenderloin can be a scary place for suburb dwelling types. I won't lie, the Tenderloin is a crappy neighborhood. However, I grew up in South Central L.A. (which isn't as bad as the media portrays it unless you're in the projects.) And I often studied at USC, which is in a shady area of L.A. So the Tenderloin didn't freak me out as I've seen that type of scene before. The Tenderloin sucks but you definitely get "entertainment" (if you can call it that) from the locals. Plus, there are a lot of cheap and good restaurants around the neighborhood, if you're willing to wander around. There are a couple of dark but very fun bars too! A practical benefit of the location is the school's proximity to the Federal Building and the Superior Court building. Both buildings are literally just a couple of blocks away. I know a few people who clerked for judges and all they had to do was walk a couple of blocks to the courts.
Overall, I found my time at Hastings to be very challenging and very stressful. But there were a lot of fun moments too. But that is the nature of law school, I can't say it would have been better had I chosen to go somewhere else. Other law schools are usually affiliated with larger campuses. So you have tons of resources at your disposal. Hastings is part of the University of California system but, like UCSF Medical School, it is a free standing institution. Hastings has three buildings 200 McAllister (the administration building), 198 McAllister (for classes) and the Tower at 100 McAllister.
The law school curriculum is rigorous and there will be times of very little sleep for anyone who decides to pursue a law degree. But that's part of the process. My main objection to the experience were with some of my more intense than necessary classmates. However, not all of them were like that and I have friends from Hastings who I'm sure I'll have for a lifetime.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
rkwalton
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Location: Seoul, South Korea/San Francisco, CA
Reviews written: 18
Trusted by: 5 members
About Me:
Going back to school after 5 years away!!!
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