Midwest - best situation Forum
- Vincent Vega
- Posts: 1182
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Midwest - best situation
I have a favorite right now, but I just want to get feedback from some of you about this.
I grew up in northern Illinois, and I would like to return to the Chicago area to work when I graduate from law school. Like most prospective law students, I would like biglaw, but I am not stuck on it. If I am unable to work for a big corporate firm, I could see myself as a prosecutor in Cook County. I do not, however, have any personal connections in the Chicago legal market that will get me any job offers.
It's possible that I might get some more acceptances in the #20-30 range, but none of them are in the midwest, and most are unlikely to give me a competitive amount of scholarship money to attract me away from the Chicago market.
Iowa full ride = contingent upon staying in the top third of my class
Indiana full ride = no GPA or class rank stipulations
Please give your comments as well. Thanks!
I grew up in northern Illinois, and I would like to return to the Chicago area to work when I graduate from law school. Like most prospective law students, I would like biglaw, but I am not stuck on it. If I am unable to work for a big corporate firm, I could see myself as a prosecutor in Cook County. I do not, however, have any personal connections in the Chicago legal market that will get me any job offers.
It's possible that I might get some more acceptances in the #20-30 range, but none of them are in the midwest, and most are unlikely to give me a competitive amount of scholarship money to attract me away from the Chicago market.
Iowa full ride = contingent upon staying in the top third of my class
Indiana full ride = no GPA or class rank stipulations
Please give your comments as well. Thanks!
Last edited by Vincent Vega on Mon Jan 18, 2010 1:06 am, edited 1 time in total.
- pu_golf88
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Re: Midwest - best situation
I guess it depends how debt adverse you are and how set you are on working in Chicago. I personally say IU with a full ride, but if you don't want to work in Indiana at all and only want Chicago then U of I is probably best for you. That is assuming you don't mind the added debt. A free ride is tough to beat.
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Re: Midwest - best situation
U of I for 10 a year, or U of I with a 10K a year scholarship?
- Vincent Vega
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- Joined: Mon Oct 26, 2009 11:36 pm
Re: Midwest - best situation
I wouldn't hate living in Indiana, but my fiancee and I have our hearts set on getting back into Chicago.
- Vincent Vega
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- Joined: Mon Oct 26, 2009 11:36 pm
Re: Midwest - best situation
$10K scholarship per year.Desert Fox wrote:U of I for 10 a year, or U of I with a 10K a year scholarship?
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- chadwick218
- Posts: 1335
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Re: Midwest - best situation
I would take UIUC with $10K / year as a state resident (~$23,000 / year) over WUSTL (~$44,000 / year) for Chicago. IU-B is intriguing though. Although UIUC is going to offer better job placement into Chicago than IU-B, coming out of school with $69,000 less in loans for a school that is very similiarly assessed may not be a bad idea at all. I also think that Bloomington is a much better college town than Urbana-Champaign.
With that said, you may be able to leverage another $7-8k/year out of Illinois putting you at close to a 1/2 scholarship.
Forget about Iowa!
With that said, you may be able to leverage another $7-8k/year out of Illinois putting you at close to a 1/2 scholarship.
Forget about Iowa!
- vanwinkle
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Re: Midwest - best situation
I'm assuming UIUC is $10k/year scholarship.
Go to Indiana. Full tuition = win when you're outside the T10. The difference in education between UIUC and IU-B will not be that large, you'll need to do about as well in either school in order to place well when you graduate, and you can always say that you grew up near Chicago and want to return there to convince firms you're serious about working there (this is a plus no matter where you go if you wanna work in Chicago when you graduate).
UIUC is not so much better that it's worth an extra $60K over 3 years. WUSTL is definitely not worth sticker and it's overrated. You don't want to work in St. Louis when you graduate, so don't go to WUSTL.
Go to law school, kick ass, take lots of practice exams and prepare for the finals, and do the best you can. If you can do this and succeed, you can succeed for cheaper at Indiana than you can at UIUC, and have close to the same options on graduation.
Go to Indiana. Full tuition = win when you're outside the T10. The difference in education between UIUC and IU-B will not be that large, you'll need to do about as well in either school in order to place well when you graduate, and you can always say that you grew up near Chicago and want to return there to convince firms you're serious about working there (this is a plus no matter where you go if you wanna work in Chicago when you graduate).
UIUC is not so much better that it's worth an extra $60K over 3 years. WUSTL is definitely not worth sticker and it's overrated. You don't want to work in St. Louis when you graduate, so don't go to WUSTL.
Go to law school, kick ass, take lots of practice exams and prepare for the finals, and do the best you can. If you can do this and succeed, you can succeed for cheaper at Indiana than you can at UIUC, and have close to the same options on graduation.
- Vincent Vega
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Re: Midwest - best situation
I should have clarified - I am not an Illinois resident for tuition purposes. I moved to another state when I was 19, and given the residency regulations in IL I would not be able to claim residency for any of the three years there.chadwick218 wrote:I would take UIUC with $10K / year as a state resident (~$23,000 / year) over WUSTL (~$44,000 / year) for Chicago. IU-B is intriguing though. Although UIUC is going to offer better job placement into Chicago than IU-B, coming out of school with $69,000 less in loans for a school that is very similiarly assessed may not be a bad idea at all. I also think that Bloomington is a much better college town than Urbana-Champaign.
With that said, you may be able to leverage another $7-8k/year out of Illinois putting you at close to a 1/2 scholarship.
Forget about Iowa!
Last edited by Vincent Vega on Mon Jan 18, 2010 1:11 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Midwest - best situation
TCR is to negotiate with Illinois. Tell them that both schools gave you a full ride and see if they'll match.
- vanwinkle
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Re: Midwest - best situation
This is the CALI award answer.Desert Fox wrote:TCR is to negotiate with Illinois. Tell them that both schools gave you a full ride and see if they'll match.
- chadwick218
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Re: Midwest - best situation
IU-B then! Congrats and enjoy Bloomington.Halibut6 wrote:I should have clarified - I am not an Illinois resident for tuition purposes. I moved when I was 19, and given the residency regulations in IL I would not be able to claim residency for any of the three years there.
WUSTL is by no means worth sticker let alone 1/2 tuition given your full-ride at IU-B. Personally, I think that WUSTL needs to spend more time focusing on career placement and less time gaming their numbers so as to continue to climb in the rankings.
Unless WUSTL or UIUC toss more than 1/2 tuition your way, only admission to a T14 + or a school like Vandy would really sway my decision to pass up a full scholarship at IU-B.
- Vincent Vega
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Re: Midwest - best situation
Thanks for your responses - they have been enlightening.
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Re: Midwest - best situation
if you dont mind, stats?
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- Vincent Vega
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Re: Midwest - best situation
165/3.92
- vanwinkle
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Re: Midwest - best situation
Is studying and retaking a possibility? 5 more LSAT points and you're in at several T14 schools, with that ballin' GPA.Halibut6 wrote:165/3.92
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Re: Midwest - best situation
+1vanwinkle wrote:Is studying and retaking a possibility? 5 more LSAT points and you're in at several T14 schools, with that ballin' GPA.Halibut6 wrote:165/3.92
- Vincent Vega
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Re: Midwest - best situation
Considered at length, even registered for the December LSAT before withdrawing. I studied my ass off for the Sept. LSAT and matched my best-ever PT with the 165. I know my limits, and I know it would take a lot for me to be able to improve a lot more. RC is my worst section, and it's also regarded as the most difficult to improve in.vanwinkle wrote:Is studying and retaking a possibility? 5 more LSAT points and you're in at several T14 schools, with that ballin' GPA.Halibut6 wrote:165/3.92
It's really easy to say you only need five more points, but it's a lot harder to actually do it. So after considerable thought (and agony, fwiw), I decided to move forward with this cycle.
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Re: Midwest - best situation
at least you gave it some thoughtHalibut6 wrote:Considered at length, even registered for the December LSAT before withdrawing. I studied my ass off for the Sept. LSAT and matched my best-ever PT with the 165. I know my limits, and I know it would take a lot for me to be able to improve a lot more. RC is my worst section, and it's also regarded as the most difficult to improve in.vanwinkle wrote:Is studying and retaking a possibility? 5 more LSAT points and you're in at several T14 schools, with that ballin' GPA.Halibut6 wrote:165/3.92
It's really easy to say you only need five more points, but it's a lot harder to actually do it. So after considerable thought (and agony, fwiw), I decided to move forward with this cycle.
- Vincent Vega
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- Joined: Mon Oct 26, 2009 11:36 pm
Re: Midwest - best situation
To clarify my situation a little, I am getting married soon, and my future wife and I are really motivated to get on with our careers. It would be a real drawback to have to hold back a year.
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Re: Midwest - best situation
since your getting married soon i would highly suggest the full ride at Indiana/Iowa.Halibut6 wrote:To clarify my situation a little, I am getting married soon, and my future wife and I are really motivated to get on with our careers. It would be a real drawback to have to hold back a year.
im indecisive about which one is better, Indiana or Iowa.
- vanwinkle
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Re: Midwest - best situation
In that case, maybe you should ask where your fiancee wants to live for the next 3 years. If she's okay with Bloomington (which from what I hear is a pretty fun place to live) then really consider going there.Halibut6 wrote:To clarify my situation a little, I am getting married soon, and my future wife and I are really motivated to get on with our careers. It would be a real drawback to have to hold back a year.
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Re: Midwest - best situation
+1
Last edited by rookhawk on Fri Jan 29, 2010 6:18 pm, edited 1 time in total.
- vanwinkle
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Re: Midwest - best situation
Yeah, with those numbers, why no app to ND? Surely they'd take you.rookhawk wrote:I'd suggest applying to ND with your scores as well, you might get in, you might get a scholly and that school will carry more weight than the other options. Never hurts to try.
- Vincent Vega
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Re: Midwest - best situation
No fee waiver, recent history of being overwhelmingly stingy with scholarships to people in my range, fact that I would take almost any other midwest regional school over ND all other things equal.
Seriously? What are you waiting for?
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