Transitioning to Penn Law
Samantha Stowers L’19 gathers perspectives from current 1Ls about how they transitioned to Penn Law after making the decision to attend.
While Penn Law students come from a wide variety of places and backgrounds, they are united by their love for this school. Many top law schools promote values like collegiality, but Penn Law sets itself apart in practice. Penn Law’s community makes the transition to law school easy with the endless support offered by faculty, upperclassmen, and your peers. Read on to learn more from current 1L students about choosing the right fit for law school, finding housing, transitioning into your new environment, and life during 1L year!
After considering many top-notch law schools, how did you know Penn Law was the right fit for you?
“There were two things that ultimately influenced me to chose Penn Law over the other top schools I had been admitted to. The first was my visit to the campus. The feeling I got from the other students, the faculty, and the administration was one of welcome. Everyone I ran into was willing to take a minute (or five) out of their busy schedules — and I now know how busy their schedules actually were — to talk to me about my choices and why, in their opinion, Penn Law was such an incredible environment in which to study. The second, and admittedly the thing that pushed me over the edge and solidified my choice in Penn Law, was the unbelievable responsiveness from the vast alumni network and the current students as well. I lived across the country and Penn Law alums in my city reached out on multiple occasions to see if I wanted to grab a coffee and discuss my options with them.”
— Jesse Marks L’19
“I was really drawn to Penn Law’s interdisciplinary approach, location, and collegiality. They really emphasize collegiality, and at first I figured it was something all schools would be proud of and promote, but the more people I met from Penn Law, the more I realized that it was a uniquely inclusive and friendly community. Everyone helps everyone at Penn Law, and that’s the kind of place I wanted to be.”
— Heath Khan L’19
“Beginning with my acceptance phone call, Penn Law stood out in its outreach efforts. Members from Lambda Law also called, and when I visited they took me to dinner and showed me how inclusive Penn Law is of the LGBT community. Coming from a smaller undergrad program, a strong community was very important to me. I also knew I wanted to be in a city and eventually work in NYC (though you can go anywhere from Penn Law!), so Penn Law was the perfect fit.”
— Andrew Wilson L’19
“I came from a small undergraduate college, so small class size was important to me. Also, while it may seem like an admissions buzzword, the collegiality that exists on campus and among Penn Law’s students is real, and it sets the school apart from similarly ranked institutions. I wanted a place where everyone was working hard, but my classmates would look up from their books from time to time, get involved in other things, and treat each other kindly and with respect.”
— Meg Ryan L’19
Once you decided to attend Penn Law, how did you find and select housing for your first year of law school?
“I visited on admitted student’s day and used that weekend to check out apartments in West Philly and Center City. Having a short commute to school was my chief concern. At first I thought West Philly would be the best bet, but it turns out that the trolley from Center City is insanely convenient. I found an apartment right by a Trader Joe’s (grocery stores are notoriously sparse in Philly) that had a gym and a trolley stop right outside. For me, it helped to know that I wanted a gym and a 15-minute max commute. If you can narrow down your search based on a few key necessities, the apartment hunt is a lot easier.”
— Heath Khan L’19
“I actually got into Penn Law pretty late, so I had to scramble to find housing. Luckily, the Law School offered guaranteed housing to all graduate students in their graduate dorms at Samson East. I’ve met many other law students in the dorms, and the three-minute walk to the Law School can’t be beat.”
— Dani Lazarus L’19
“I was coming from Austin, where you have to start looking almost a year in advance. That is definitely not the case here! I found my roommates at ASW, and we all met one weekend in mid-summer to tour and find a place. There is no need to use a realtor — Craigslist, Padmapper, Zillow, etc. are just fine.”
— Andrew Wilson L’19
“I knew that I wanted to live in Center City and reached out to a few current students for suggestions. Philadelphia has a lot of great luxury apartment buildings that are much more affordable than in other big cities such as New York, Boston, or D.C. I was also amazed to learn that brokers don’t charge prospective tenants a fee. I decided to visit Philly in early June to lock down a place. A broker took me to several apartments in the Rittenhouse Square area, and I signed my lease later that day!”
— James Wieler L’19
Where did you attend undergraduate or work before starting law school? What was the transition like to Penn Law and Philadelphia?
“Before coming to Penn Law, I worked in Boston at an economic consulting firm for three years providing support for expert witness testimony on litigation cases. Working with lawyers on these matters gave me a taste of how powerful a lawyer’s ability to think could be. So I was very excited learn the trade and go mono a mono with the notorious cold calls I’d only seen in The Paper Chase and Legally Blonde. While it took some time readjusting from work mode to school mode, upperclassmen are always willing to offer their support. It’s amazing to take a step back and realize how much Penn Law has dramatically sharpened the way I think in just a few months.”
— James Wieler L’19
“I went to Yale and I graduated in 2016. I didn’t have any full-time work experience between college and law school, but I did a lot in college. I was always busy doing something other than classes, whether it was running political campaigns or producing shows and short films. 1L is really academically demanding, but I am also really enjoying it because the classes are interesting and the people are great.”
— Catherine Shaw L’19
“I worked in Los Angeles for five years before coming to Penn Law. For the past couple of years, I worked as an actor, so I knew I was in for a serious lifestyle change. Everyone knows that 1L is hard, and I thought that going from the relaxed, poolside lifestyle of LA to cold calls and late nights in the library was going to be a real challenge. Before coming to law school the most high-pressure moment of my career was saying, “I can’t wait to try this!” in an IHOP commercial (the director made me say it about 100 times and I ended up eating nine pieces of French toast/pure sugar). Luckily, there were a ton of orientation events before the semester, so by the time classes came it felt like our class was already a team, and we were going to get through it together. Also, I went to undergrad at Temple, so I’d lived in Philly before, and it’s a great place. It has the feel of a big city but is really manageable.”
— Heath Khan L’19
As a 1L, you chose two electives for your spring semester. Of the two you signed up for, which is your favorite and why?
“My favorite elective is Land Use Law because it is taught by Professor Pritchett. I had the opportunity to hear him speak on a few panels during my first semester and I knew that I would take literally any class he taught. His passion for his areas of interest (land use and local government) is inspiring and, in addition to having a wealth of interesting experience in land use law, he is just a genuinely kind man with a great sense of humor.”
— Meg Ryan L’19
“I signed up for Administrative Law and Land Use Law, and Admin is probably my favorite class so far in law school. I’ve always been a government and politics junkie — I was a public policy major in college — and I’m fascinated by the intersection of politics and the law, which is frequently explored in Admin. It’s incredible to see the contents of our textbook play out in real life, and my professor, Cary Coglianese (one of the top regulatory experts in the country) begins every class describing how what we’re learning is happening before our eyes.”
— Dani Lazarus L’19
“I’ve really enjoyed Intro to Intellectual Property with Professor Balganesh. Not only did I come in really interested in the subject matter based on some courses I had taken in undergrad at Swarthmore, but also, Professor Balganesh’s adherence to the traditional form of the Socratic method teaches students so much more than any material found in a textbook. From day one, he has pushed students to think analytically and to criticize any flawed reasoning in court opinions. This is what lawyers do and learning this way of thinking is why I came to law school.”
— James Wieler L’19
