Chicago-Kent Class of 2013 Forum

[Bucky83]

Employed 9 months after graduation is the key here--89.5%--which is the lowest among all 100 schools. Shitty.

W&L is at 89.2%, someone is lower

Ha you are right...I didn't think a school with anything lower than that would be top 50.

Does anyone know what Kent's employed-after-9-months-after-graduation was last year?

[nit00]

91.8%

[nit00]

Down from 77 to 80 in the new rankings (and leapfrogged by Loyola-Chicago).

In other news DePaul almost drops out of the top 100, going from 87 to 98.

Kent's raw score actually stayed the same as last year's, Loyola went up by 3, and DePaul lost one point but still plummeted.

[toolfan]

Although -3 is insignificant, I thought C-K was on the rise. I believe their reputation is much better than their rank suggests. That said, a 90% employment rate isn't great. It's going to be tough for them to get back into the 60's with that figure looming.

I'm hoping their tuition drops in the near future.

[as stars burn]

I'm 95% certain I'll be attending in the fall. I put the first half of my seat deposit down a week ago---will put the other half down in June.

Has anyone had any luck negotiating aid with Kent? I e-mailed the admissions office just simply asking if there was anything I could do to increase my scholarship. I received scholarships and need-based aid $10,000 more at 2 similarly ranked schools (within 10 or so spots from Kent) than I got from Kent, so I figured I might as well give it a shot. It doesn't hurt to ask, and I would be so happy to even get even a $5,000 increase on my initial scholarship. I haven't received an email back yet (I expect one sometime this week as they're usually pretty good with getting back to e-mails), but I'll let everyone know!

[as stars burn]

Although -3 is insignificant, I thought C-K was on the rise. I believe their reputation is much better than their rank suggests. That said, a 90% employment rate isn't great. It's going to be tough for them to get back into the 60's with that figure looming.

I'm hoping their tuition drops in the near future.

You have to consider that some people choose not to work, go on to get another degree, just wanted to get a degree but will never have to work because of rich spouse, ect. There are a lot of factors riding on that 90% but all in all...considering the economy it could be much, much, worse.

[LawMuns]

Anyone going to the Dean's Program on 5/22?

[NervousInKC]

For those of you that are attending, where do you think you will live? Neighborhood? Alone or with roommates?

I'm really confused on what I want to do.

[seeper]

I'm going to Kent this fall and I'm going to be living in Oak Park. It's a suburb that is just outside the city limits to the west, but it's has two metro lines that go straight downtown to school. About a 40-45 min commute via public transportation. I looked at a bunch of neighborhoods in the city before I chose there. It's perhaps a little quieter than some people would like, but I like the safety and the amount of green space.

A good way to find out about neighborhoods is to go to one of the accepted student days and ask current students where they live and if they know of any people who have a nice place and are moving out.

Google maps is awesome for searching for apartments from a distance because it will let you show commutes via public transportation lines. You can also use google street view to look at neighborhoods. The website padmapper.com is a good one to look for apartment listings because it will pull listings off of craigslist and show them to you on a map. Good luck! See you this fall

[NervousInKC]

I'm going to Kent this fall and I'm going to be living in Oak Park. It's a suburb that is just outside the city limits to the west, but it's has two metro lines that go straight downtown to school. About a 40-45 min commute via public transportation. I looked at a bunch of neighborhoods in the city before I chose there. It's perhaps a little quieter than some people would like, but I like the safety and the amount of green space.

A good way to find out about neighborhoods is to go to one of the accepted student days and ask current students where they live and if they know of any people who have a nice place and are moving out.

Google maps is awesome for searching for apartments from a distance because it will let you show commutes via public transportation lines. You can also use google street view to look at neighborhoods. The website padmapper.com is a good one to look for apartment listings because it will pull listings off of craigslist and show them to you on a map. Good luck! See you this fall

Yeah, I've been Google mapping most of them to find out the transportation time and to do a street view. I'll probably end up in the West Loop or a little further out in Wicker Park. I hope to visit soon to get a better prospective and maybe pre-lease an apartment.

I'm excited to meet all of you in the fall!!

[Kobe_Teeth]

I live in Chicago now and will be living here this fall of course. I know quite a bit about the city. If you got questions...PM me...

Oak Park? - Good choice!

I live in Bridgeport. Its rather blue-collar but its quiet/safe/close-to-fun and my landlords are the nicest people ever. In fact, there are a lot of cheap apartments here that you can rent from super-nice families that won't screw you over. And IIT (undergrad) is hop skip and jump. As in free workout facilities!

But I have friends who live all over. Just ask.

[lawcycle2010]

Hi Everyone,

I currently live in Chicago and plan on moving up to Wisconsin for law school. I have a fully furnished apartment and I'm looking to sell my couches, dinning room table and chairs, coffee table and tv stand. They were all bought from Ikea less then a year ago.

PM me if you're interested, I certainly will give a fellow TLSer a GREAT deal!

[as stars burn]

I'm probably going to be living in Tailor Lofts my first year. I'm in need of a furnished apartment for the first year until my fiance can re-located to Chicago when he lands a job. We currently just have one set of furniture that would be impossible to fill two apartments, so it's much easier for me to just find something furnished for right now. I'm not too keen on $1400-$15,500 rent for a 500sq.ft. studio, but it's furnished, all utilities are included, and I can walk to campus (will hardly pay anything for gas) so the perks add up. We're NOT taking out COL loans (we're living entirely on my fiance's income and our hefty savings that we've managed to save--my fiance will be paying for mine and his rent until he can move--this is definitely going to be around $2,000) I've spoken to a few students who live there and they seem to like it quite a bit. We'll definitely move to something more reasonable once my fiance moves up but for now it's really difficult for me to find a furnished apartment in a good area over there.

[NervousInKC]

I'm probably going to be living in Tailor Lofts my first year. I'm in need of a furnished apartment for the first year until my fiance can re-located to Chicago when he lands a job. We currently just have one set of furniture that would be impossible to fill two apartments, so it's much easier for me to just find something furnished for right now. I'm not too keen on $1400-$15,500 rent for a 500sq.ft. studio, but it's furnished, all utilities are included, and I can walk to campus (will hardly pay anything for gas) so the perks add up. We're NOT taking out COL loans (we're living entirely on my fiance's income and our hefty savings that we've managed to save--my fiance will be paying for mine and his rent until he can move--this is definitely going to be around $2,000) I've spoken to a few students who live there and they seem to like it quite a bit. We'll definitely move to something more reasonable once my fiance moves up but for now it's really difficult for me to find a furnished apartment in a good area over there.

I can absolutely see why this might be a great option for some people, especially with your need of furniture. I have just the opposite problem: I need someplace big enough for my furniture. I just wanted to point out just a few reasons why I have decided against Tailor Lofts... not to discourage anyone, but just in case some people haven't thought about these things...

• The amount you will pay for a studio there is 200-400 dollars more than other, bigger places

• The utilities are paid, but there is a "Green Cap." This is a limit on how much Tailor Lofts will pay toward the bill, and any leftover is billed to the residents... they do not specify what the actual amount is

• The building is under construction, so people cannot move until two days before orientation on the 14th. However, you are still required to pay a full month's rent

• Although I would prefer to walk to school, the CTA U-Pass is included in student fees so all students will be able to ride the train without paying a daily fare. You cannot opt out of this fee. So if you decide live further out, you wouldn't have to pay for gas to get to school

Again, I can totally see why this wouldn't matter to some people. Tailor Lofts may still prove to be the best option for some. I just wanted to add my .02

[as stars burn]

I'm probably going to be living in Tailor Lofts my first year. I'm in need of a furnished apartment for the first year until my fiance can re-located to Chicago when he lands a job. We currently just have one set of furniture that would be impossible to fill two apartments, so it's much easier for me to just find something furnished for right now. I'm not too keen on $1400-$15,500 rent for a 500sq.ft. studio, but it's furnished, all utilities are included, and I can walk to campus (will hardly pay anything for gas) so the perks add up. We're NOT taking out COL loans (we're living entirely on my fiance's income and our hefty savings that we've managed to save--my fiance will be paying for mine and his rent until he can move--this is definitely going to be around $2,000) I've spoken to a few students who live there and they seem to like it quite a bit. We'll definitely move to something more reasonable once my fiance moves up but for now it's really difficult for me to find a furnished apartment in a good area over there.

I can absolutely see why this might be a great option for some people, especially with your need of furniture. I have just the opposite problem: I need someplace big enough for my furniture. I just wanted to point out just a few reasons why I have decided against Tailor Lofts... not to discourage anyone, but just in case some people haven't thought about these things...

• The amount you will pay for a studio there is 200-400 dollars more than other, bigger places

• The utilities are paid, but there is a "Green Cap." This is a limit on how much Tailor Lofts will pay toward the bill, and any leftover is billed to the residents... they do not specify what the actual amount is

• The building is under construction, so people cannot move until two days before orientation on the 14th. However, you are still required to pay a full month's rent

• Although I would prefer to walk to school, the CTA U-Pass is included in student fees so all students will be able to ride the train without paying a daily fare. You cannot opt out of this fee. So if you decide live further out, you wouldn't have to pay for gas to get to school

Again, I can totally see why this wouldn't matter to some people. Tailor Lofts may still prove to be the best option for some. I just wanted to add my .02

I totally agree with everything you're saying. It's funny because I lived in housing EXACTLY like this in undergrad my entire 4 years so everything is exactly the same as when I was in undergrad: paying the whole months rent when you have to move in 2 weeks into the month, having a cap on electricity and they bill you the rest if you go over, ect. (granted I'm paying a little more, but it's still the same). In undergrad, I managed to never get billed for electricity overages, and I enjoyed my time even though I did feel like I was paying way too much money. I guess it's for the convenience. I've research my brains out and it's still the best I can do right now without physically being there to look at things myself. I've found plenty of cheaper one bedroom apartments, but because my fiance will have all the furniture it's incredibly important to have this. I'm also going to Kent part-time so I won't have the CTA U-PASS (unless of course I transfer to full-time next year) so living close was a MUST for me. Thanks for the heads up though :) Once my fiance is up in Chicago with me we can look around for cheaper housing....for now, this will have to do. Thank God we've saved quite a bit of money.

[NervousInKC]

I totally agree with everything you're saying. It's funny because I lived in housing EXACTLY like this in undergrad my entire 4 years so everything is exactly the same as when I was in undergrad: paying the whole months rent when you have to move in 2 weeks into the month, having a cap on electricity and they bill you the rest if you go over, ect. (granted I'm paying a little more, but it's still the same). In undergrad, I managed to never get billed for electricity overages, and I enjoyed my time even though I did feel like I was paying way too much money. I guess it's for the convenience. I've research my brains out and it's still the best I can do right now without physically being there to look at things myself. I've found plenty of cheaper one bedroom apartments, but because my fiance will have all the furniture it's incredibly important to have this. I'm also going to Kent part-time so I won't have the CTA U-PASS (unless of course I transfer to full-time next year) so living close was a MUST for me. Thanks for the heads up though Once my fiance is up in Chicago with me we can look around for cheaper housing....for now, this will have to do. Thank God we've saved quite a bit of money.

Good luck to you! I'm sure it will be a great fit for your situation and everything will work out. And it makes me feel much better that you didn't end up getting charged for electricity!

[as stars burn]

I totally agree with everything you're saying. It's funny because I lived in housing EXACTLY like this in undergrad my entire 4 years so everything is exactly the same as when I was in undergrad: paying the whole months rent when you have to move in 2 weeks into the month, having a cap on electricity and they bill you the rest if you go over, ect. (granted I'm paying a little more, but it's still the same). In undergrad, I managed to never get billed for electricity overages, and I enjoyed my time even though I did feel like I was paying way too much money. I guess it's for the convenience. I've research my brains out and it's still the best I can do right now without physically being there to look at things myself. I've found plenty of cheaper one bedroom apartments, but because my fiance will have all the furniture it's incredibly important to have this. I'm also going to Kent part-time so I won't have the CTA U-PASS (unless of course I transfer to full-time next year) so living close was a MUST for me. Thanks for the heads up though :) Once my fiance is up in Chicago with me we can look around for cheaper housing....for now, this will have to do. Thank God we've saved quite a bit of money.

Good luck to you! I'm sure it will be a great fit for your situation and everything will work out. And it makes me feel much better that you didn't end up getting charged for electricity!

Thanks! :) Yeah, I don't think I'll be home an excessive amount (will probably spend most my days on campus/at club meetings/ect.) so hopefully won't ever get charged for electricity overages haha. Looking forward to meeting everyone in the Fall :)

[awarunn]

What kind of 0L prep are you guys doing? I am doing LEEWS and reading GTM atm. Both have been great so far. I bought the contracts E&E and read the intro. I'm not sure how much of that I'll get into before school starts.

[as stars burn]

What kind of 0L prep are you guys doing? I am doing LEEWS and reading GTM atm. Both have been great so far. I bought the contracts E&E and read the intro. I'm not sure how much of that I'll get into before school starts.

All I'm doing is reading Getting to Maybe, Law School Confidential and Law School Without fear (the book we are required to read for orientation). Other than that, I'm learning to navigate OneNote, looking for laptops, saving money and enjoying my last summer of solitude.

[awarunn]

How do you like onenote? How much is it?

[awarunn]

NM I found it in MS office...lol.

[as stars burn]

How do you like onenote? How much is it?

Glad you found it! I do like it! Should make note-taking MUCH easier!

[lawdogg]

I believe I've selected Kent over UConn. Currently wondering where to look for housing. Thinking about Lincoln Park.

[gardners2]

Rising 2L at kent, feel free to pm with any questions.
L
Lawdog-
Lincoln park is a great neighborhood. I currently live their. However, it is extremely expensive. Wicker park, bucktown, lincoln square and lakeview are much better values. Also, the blue line stop is closest to school. So check out the neighborhood with direct access to the blue line (bucktown, wicker- if you can put up with trendy places and people). Hope that helps.

[awarunn]

Is it necessary for me to buy the 3rd edition of Law School Without Fear or can I get by with the second edition. The price difference is pretty big.