UChi Students & Alumni Taking Questions Forum

[appind]

i was wondering if someone can help shed light on this. i have a science background but may want to switch to a public service law area (such as civil rights law or employment law) after LS. If one is looks mainly for govt positions, what kind of government jobs one can get to work in public-private or tri-sector partnerships in the civil division area (say, IP law or administrative law) after LS? If one has no pre-LS experience in civil rights or employment law related matters, how easy is it to convince those recruiting to get such job in government?

[KMart]

I'm working my way through all 197 pages of this thread ( ), and I'm wondering: Does Regents still have a special rate for students? I emailed Regents directly and they said no, just that students aren't required to provide proof of income, but I'm wondering if maybe there is still a special rate on the UChi side of things that the Regents folks just aren't keen to mention right off the bat.

There's probably a referral credit you can get deducted off your first month rent but I don't think there's anything special rate-wise at Regent's for students.

[big_willy_style_333]

0L here, leaning towards Chicago. I have been living in Chicago for a few years now, up by Wrigley, and I would like to stay in my current apartment if possible. I have a car, but I understand that parking on campus is pretty dicey. Let's assume I can find a spot in HP to purchase on a monthly basis, such that parking is not an issue. How seriously will my grades and law school social life suffer if I live on the north side during 1L rather than in HP? There are a myriad of reasons for why I prefer to stay on the north side, but the primary few are cost/value vs. regents, non-law friends, and just generally superior neighborhood by most metrics.

ETA: I saw earlier in the thread someone saying that living up in lakeview would put you closer to bar review. is this true? I assumed bar review would be at whatever bars are down in hp, but i guess i have no idea if there even are bars near the campus

[big_willy_style_333]

Also, I am looking at what my commute would look like on the L, and it's not nearly as bad as I expected, at least length-wise. However, is it a terrible idea to walk to/from the Cottage/Grove green line stop in the evenings?

[charmonster]

It's hard to believe you live in Chicago if you think there are bars worth having bar review at in Hyde Park. I love Falcon Inn as much as the next guy but yeah no way bar review is always up north.

Living on the north side is fine if you prefer it. No way is it cheaper than Hyde Park (Regents is just expensive) but could be justifiable if you don't want to move or like your scene up there.

This won't affect your grades (lol). It might affect your social life a little but this place is small and most people don't find it hard to make friends. Since the law school clears out by 6 pm the only real difference would be your ability to hang out with people around HP on weekends/evenings. You'll be the one doing the legwork though, you're not going to convince many 1Ls to come up to the north side often.

Commutewise you could either drive or take the L. It's not hard to find street parking near the law school if you arrive by 8 a.m. or are willing to park closer to 63rd. In my opinion it's not sketchy to walk from the 63rd stop either. You won't be doing that in the evening much anyway. It might be just as fast to switch to the 2 in the Loop though.

[Necho2]

It's hard to believe you live in Chicago if you think there are bars worth having bar review at in Hyde Park. I love Falcon Inn as much as the next guy but yeah no way bar review is always up north.

Living on the north side is fine if you prefer it. No way is it cheaper than Hyde Park (Regents is just expensive) but could be justifiable if you don't want to move or like your scene up there.

This won't affect your grades (lol). It might affect your social life a little but this place is small and most people don't find it hard to make friends. Since the law school clears out by 6 pm the only real difference would be your ability to hang out with people around HP on weekends/evenings. You'll be the one doing the legwork though, you're not going to convince many 1Ls to come up to the north side often.

Commutewise you could either drive or take the L. It's not hard to find street parking near the law school if you arrive by 8 a.m. or are willing to park closer to 63rd. In my opinion it's not sketchy to walk from the 63rd stop either. You won't be doing that in the evening much anyway. It might be just as fast to switch to the 2 in the Loop though.

Yeah not sure how much getting back to the Loop helps, but the 2 starts running at 3:45 (and stops literally right in front of the law school), and your 1L classes will almost certainly be done before then, and it gets you up to the Loop in 20-25 minutes. I imagine that might position you better to get back to North Side than going from the law school all the way to the green line, and then all the way up to north side.

[WheninLaw]

0L here, leaning towards Chicago. I have been living in Chicago for a few years now, up by Wrigley, and I would like to stay in my current apartment if possible. I have a car, but I understand that parking on campus is pretty dicey. Let's assume I can find a spot in HP to purchase on a monthly basis, such that parking is not an issue. How seriously will my grades and law school social life suffer if I live on the north side during 1L rather than in HP? There are a myriad of reasons for why I prefer to stay on the north side, but the primary few are cost/value vs. regents, non-law friends, and just generally superior neighborhood by most metrics.

ETA: I saw earlier in the thread someone saying that living up in lakeview would put you closer to bar review. is this true? I assumed bar review would be at whatever bars are down in hp, but i guess i have no idea if there even are bars near the campus

I have the (probably unpopular/minority) opinion that living in HP is a good idea 1L year. But if you're already set in Wrigley, I'd stay put, you'll be fine. Plus you'll have the benefit of, you know, not living in the awfulness that is HP.

[big_willy_style_333]

It's hard to believe you live in Chicago if you think there are bars worth having bar review at in Hyde Park. I love Falcon Inn as much as the next guy but yeah no way bar review is always up north.

Living on the north side is fine if you prefer it. No way is it cheaper than Hyde Park (Regents is just expensive) but could be justifiable if you don't want to move or like your scene up there.

This won't affect your grades (lol). It might affect your social life a little but this place is small and most people don't find it hard to make friends. Since the law school clears out by 6 pm the only real difference would be your ability to hang out with people around HP on weekends/evenings. You'll be the one doing the legwork though, you're not going to convince many 1Ls to come up to the north side often.

Commutewise you could either drive or take the L. It's not hard to find street parking near the law school if you arrive by 8 a.m. or are willing to park closer to 63rd. In my opinion it's not sketchy to walk from the 63rd stop either. You won't be doing that in the evening much anyway. It might be just as fast to switch to the 2 in the Loop though.

Cool, thanks for the input. Yeah, the issue is probably with my understanding of the kind of drinking that bar review entails. coworkers who did undergrad at uchicago have told me there are a few decent college bars in hyde park.

And yeah, Regents is way more expensive than my current apartment for way less in terms of the actual living space. When I started looking at the options for apartments in hp in general, though, i was surprised at how high the prices are. ~$1500 for a studio in hp seems crazy given what that price will get you in more attractive neighborhoods. the amenities at regents do sound pretty sweet though

[beepboopbeep]

For those who chose Chicago over Columbia (assume same $$) - why?

Smaller class overall and Chicago >>> (and cheaper than) NYC.

Yea basically. Made this decision uhh 4 years ago now, I guess? It worked out. Had fun, have a good jerb.

Keep in mind "same $$" is actually like pretty substantially Chicago > Columbia if you are just talking "same amount of actual scholarship $". I got $10k less in actual scholarship from Chicago than from Columbia, but graduated with probably like $15k less debt from here than I would've from there after doing all the math.

[beepboopbeep]

Cool, thanks for the input. Yeah, the issue is probably with my understanding of the kind of drinking that bar review entails. coworkers who did undergrad at uchicago have told me there are a few decent college bars in hyde park.

You should investigate whether they actually went here.

[daedalus2309]

UChi bars are fine in a quiet grab a beer with friends way. Anything a little more upbeat and you have to go north

[call-me-bubbles]

.

[KMart]

OK, finally read through all 197 pages of this thread, but I've still got these questions. Sorry there are so many, but I'm trying to do my due diligence. Thanks so much in advance for any insight!

1. Is it relatively easy to get your first-choice clinic? I'm particularly interested in International Human Rights and the Young Center for Immigrant Children's Rights. In the past, people posted about how they generally got their first choice, but I'm just wondering if that's still the case, or if things have changed and it's now more difficult, for whatever reason.

yes

2. How beneficial or detrimental, if at all, is 1L summer clinic experience (as opposed to doing an SA or internship) for students aiming to go into Big Law? For those who are aiming for PI?

your SA doesn't matter nearly as much as you think it does

3. Do 1Ls get sufficient guidance on OCI/bidding and all that? Do 1Ls learn everything they need to know in order to be competitive for writing on to LR? I haven't worked as a paralegal or anything, so I worry I may be at a disadvantage relative to others who have had more extensive legal experience as 0Ls.

talk to your upperclassmen. they will be happy to help. as for learning how to write, that's kind of it's own thing. no one can write it for your. your LRW will try to teach you how to write. talk to your bigelow if you want extra help or are struggling. the school does a little for OCI and bidding, but i didn't find their review of my bidlist to be ultrahelpful. they do a mock-interview program over summer, however, that is immensely helpful. do that.

4. More generally, if anyone here comes from a less privileged background, have you found UChi to be adequately supportive? I'm a first-generation college student, so mentorship is important to me. Definitely experiencing imposter syndrome.

i'm going to guess yes but honestly i can't answer this for you.

5. If a student winds up in the bottom 10%, what kind of employment options are they looking at? I'd still imagine such a student's prospects are brighter coming out of UChi than a lower-ranked school. (Just thinking about the absolute worst-case scenario here...)

more than 90% end up with fed clerkships + biglaw. you have to hustle, but it's possible.

6. How are cell reception and Internet speed these days in different parts of/buildings in Hyde Park and at the law school itself? I read a lot of complaints from folks in Regents about shitty service and poor WiFi. (Also, is it really recommended to walk around the law school with an Ethernet cable, or is that a thing of the past?)

don't live in regents but the law school is fine. you can have an ethernet cable if you want internet in class but you certainly dont need one.

7. Does anybody have any thoughts on/experience with the JD/MA in International Relations dual degree, or any other dual degree program?

if you get accepted, ask to speak with someone with this background. i can't answer this because i have no idea.

8. Do spouses of law school students have access to UChi facilities and "perks" (ex. fitness center, healthcare, library, special rates for public transit)? I know spouses are eligible for U-SHIP, but I don't know if that only applies to spouses of students using the university insurance. I'll be keeping my own insurance (through my parents), but my spouse will be needing insurance.

i think but i'm honestly unsure. they get no special rate for transit. i believe they have a lower rate if they want access to the gym or library but i could be wrong here.

9. The 75th percentile scholarship award is $30,000 over three years -- that ain't much. I know the standard advice is to never go someplace at sticker (except maybe YHS YSH), but it seems like most students at UChi are actually going at near or full sticker price. I just want to confirm that that's the case so I can assuage some guilt I'm feeling, as it looks like I'll probably be in that boat. (Still waiting on financial aid, but my LSAT is at the 25th percentile, so I'm not expecting much.)

i dont talk to my fellow students about what scholarship they've received. i dont think anyone really talks about it. this is an incredibly hard question to answer.

10. Last but not least: Does anyone know the criteria or stats of students who have been awarded the Cafaro scholarship?

sorry but no

[skers]

OK, finally read through all 197 pages of this thread, but I've still got these questions. Sorry there are so many, but I'm trying to do my due diligence. Thanks so much in advance for any insight!

1. Is it relatively easy to get your first-choice clinic? I'm particularly interested in International Human Rights and the Young Center for Immigrant Children's Rights. In the past, people posted about how they generally got their first choice, but I'm just wondering if that's still the case, or if things have changed and it's now more difficult, for whatever reason.

2. How beneficial or detrimental, if at all, is 1L summer clinic experience (as opposed to doing an SA or internship) for students aiming to go into Big Law? For those who are aiming for PI?

3. Do 1Ls get sufficient guidance on OCI/bidding and all that? Do 1Ls learn everything they need to know in order to be competitive for writing on to LR? I haven't worked as a paralegal or anything, so I worry I may be at a disadvantage relative to others who have had more extensive legal experience as 0Ls.

4. More generally, if anyone here comes from a less privileged background, have you found UChi to be adequately supportive? I'm a first-generation college student, so mentorship is important to me. Definitely experiencing imposter syndrome.

5. If a student winds up in the bottom 10%, what kind of employment options are they looking at? I'd still imagine such a student's prospects are brighter coming out of UChi than a lower-ranked school. (Just thinking about the absolute worst-case scenario here...)

6. How are cell reception and Internet speed these days in different parts of/buildings in Hyde Park and at the law school itself? I read a lot of complaints from folks in Regents about shitty service and poor WiFi. (Also, is it really recommended to walk around the law school with an Ethernet cable, or is that a thing of the past?)

7. Does anybody have any thoughts on/experience with the JD/MA in International Relations dual degree, or any other dual degree program?

8. Do spouses of law school students have access to UChi facilities and "perks" (ex. fitness center, healthcare, library, special rates for public transit)? I know spouses are eligible for U-SHIP, but I don't know if that only applies to spouses of students using the university insurance. I'll be keeping my own insurance (through my parents), but my spouse will be needing insurance.

9. The 75th percentile scholarship award is $30,000 over three years -- that ain't much. I know the standard advice is to never go someplace at sticker (except maybe YHS YSH), but it seems like most students at UChi are actually going at near or full sticker price. I just want to confirm that that's the case so I can assuage some guilt I'm feeling, as it looks like I'll probably be in that boat. (Still waiting on financial aid, but my LSAT is at the 25th percentile, so I'm not expecting much.)

10. Last but not least: Does anyone know the criteria or stats of students who have been awarded the Cafaro scholarship?

Dude, chill out, and go make some bad life decisions.

[beepboopbeep]

OK, finally read through all 197 pages of this thread, but I've still got these questions. Sorry there are so many, but I'm trying to do my due diligence. Thanks so much in advance for any insight!

1. Is it relatively easy to get your first-choice clinic? I'm particularly interested in International Human Rights and the Young Center for Immigrant Children's Rights. In the past, people posted about how they generally got their first choice, but I'm just wondering if that's still the case, or if things have changed and it's now more difficult, for whatever reason.

depends on the clinic, federal criminal justice seemed a bit tougher. i'd guess you could get those pretty easily, yea

2. How beneficial or detrimental, if at all, is 1L summer clinic experience (as opposed to doing an SA or internship) for students aiming to go into Big Law? For those who are aiming for PI?

doesn't matter for the former, no idea on the latter

3. Do 1Ls get sufficient guidance on OCI/bidding and all that? Do 1Ls learn everything they need to know in order to be competitive for writing on to LR? I haven't worked as a paralegal or anything, so I worry I may be at a disadvantage relative to others who have had more extensive legal experience as 0Ls.

re: OCI, sure? But this is one of those things where you need to be able to do your own research. There are lots of resources out there to help decide on firms. Find them and use them. A common refrain from those who used career services heavily during OCI was that the advice they got often left them worse off--honestly, pretty much every law student at any school seems to have this impression--so it's better to be able to figure this stuff out for yourself. re: writing on to LR, well... not everyone can do it, so I don't know what you're asking? is it something like "is it a level playing field?" sure? Everyone has the same opportunity to hustle and ask questions and work hard. I don't feel like paralegaling or whatever really matters except for like figuring out your own happiness / what you want to do.

4. More generally, if anyone here comes from a less privileged background, have you found UChi to be adequately supportive? I'm a first-generation college student, so mentorship is important to me. Definitely experiencing imposter syndrome.

Yea, I come from one. Mom was a single parent working multiple jerbs. I don't know what you want UChi to do here? It supported me by giving me awesome access to social mobility and only costing like one arm instead of an arm and a leg. It didn't hold my hand and give me etiquette lessons, but, look, any elite school is going to have a lot of people from wealthy backgrounds and if you want to be in that world, it's useful to get practice learning to pass. Mentorship is available if you seek it out, same as probably everywhere

5. If a student winds up in the bottom 10%, what kind of employment options are they looking at? I'd still imagine such a student's prospects are brighter coming out of UChi than a lower-ranked school. (Just thinking about the absolute worst-case scenario here...)

Only knew a couple who were near this range and they landed on their feet, but it seemed like a struggle

6. How are cell reception and Internet speed these days in different parts of/buildings in Hyde Park and at the law school itself? I read a lot of complaints from folks in Regents about shitty service and poor WiFi. (Also, is it really recommended to walk around the law school with an Ethernet cable, or is that a thing of the past?)

Ethernet cable is worth but I never had issues.

7. Does anybody have any thoughts on/experience with the JD/MA in International Relations dual degree, or any other dual degree program?

No idea but general negative feelings on specialty stuff like this

8. Do spouses of law school students have access to UChi facilities and "perks" (ex. fitness center, healthcare, library, special rates for public transit)? I know spouses are eligible for U-SHIP, but I don't know if that only applies to spouses of students using the university insurance. I'll be keeping my own insurance (through my parents), but my spouse will be needing insurance.

I think KMart is right but also unsure. I think the benefits for spouses are not great iirc.

9. The 75th percentile scholarship award is $30,000 over three years -- that ain't much. I know the standard advice is to never go someplace at sticker (except maybe YHS YSH), but it seems like most students at UChi are actually going at near or full sticker price. I just want to confirm that that's the case so I can assuage some guilt I'm feeling, as it looks like I'll probably be in that boat. (Still waiting on financial aid, but my LSAT is at the 25th percentile, so I'm not expecting much.)

Is that really it? It didn't feel like it. I only knew what a few of my closest friends had, and it was a lot more than that, but I have no idea how representative that is.

10. Last but not least: Does anyone know the criteria or stats of students who have been awarded the Cafaro scholarship?

One guy on here a few years ago had it. I think he had HYS stats.

[elterrible78]

10. Last but not least: Does anyone know the criteria or stats of students who have been awarded the Cafaro scholarship?

One guy on here a few years ago had it. I think he had HYS stats.

When did you crawl out from under your rock to post again in here?

I was one of the first round of Cafaro scholars, and I did have HYS stats, but the other two Cafaros didn't (one was like mid-high 160s LSAT, with a 4.0 from an undergrad whose lack of prestige was rivaled only by my own undergrad). What we did have in common was that we were all po'. Or at least came from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. And were all fucking awesome people.

Edit: My bad, one of the other Cafaros definitely did have HYS stats, considering he got into H.

[big_willy_style_333]

Just went through the previous posts to get a better sense of how the grading scale works, but I am still left with a couple questions related to grades:

1) Why? I don't understand why they would give their students a grading scale that could even potentially cause issues with employers' comprehension of it, especially when peer schools have moved in the exact opposite direction in terms of grade specificity (moving to some variation of HP/P/LP). Is the idea really just that employers might be so confused by it that they simply assume applicants are smart just because they went to UChi? Given the potential cost associated with having a weird grading scale, I imagine there is a more tangible benefit. Anyone have any experience applying to jobs outside of OCI and care to share how employers viewed their transcript? I will definitely ask about this at ASW, but any thoughts from less shilly sources would be helpful

2) I saw that the first set of exams only accounts for about ~15% of your 1L grades. It's nice that you have a gentler introduction to law school and get to learn a bit about exams before they have a substantial impact on your employment options, but do exams then count for ~42% of your 1L grades in each of the subsequent quarters (or is a good portion of the remaining 85% comprised of non-exam grades)? Seems like whatever benefit you get from easing into it would be outweighed by the subsequent stress of 85% of your grades being jammed into exams during the remainder of 1L.

[WheninLaw]

Just went through the previous posts to get a better sense of how the grading scale works, but I am still left with a couple questions related to grades:

1) Why? I don't understand why they would give their students a grading scale that could even potentially cause issues with employers' comprehension of it, especially when peer schools have moved in the exact opposite direction in terms of grade specificity (moving to some variation of HP/P/LP). Is the idea really just that employers might be so confused by it that they simply assume applicants are smart just because they went to UChi? Given the potential cost associated with having a weird grading scale, I imagine there is a more tangible benefit. Anyone have any experience applying to jobs outside of OCI and care to share how employers viewed their transcript? I will definitely ask about this at ASW, but any thoughts from less shilly sources would be helpful

2) I saw that the first set of exams only accounts for about ~15% of your 1L grades. It's nice that you have a gentler introduction to law school and get to learn a bit about exams before they have a substantial impact on your employment options, but do exams then count for ~42% of your 1L grades in each of the subsequent quarters (or is a good portion of the remaining 85% comprised of non-exam grades)? Seems like whatever benefit you get from easing into it would be outweighed by the subsequent stress of 85% of your grades being jammed into exams during the remainder of 1L.

1) The point of the grading scale is to have more distinctive gradations, which is good for numerous reasons. Most employers understand it by virtue of previously hiring UoC grads, or being a UoC grad themselves (most of your OCI interviews will be alumni). When they do not, they will either ask, or simply not care and give you the benefit of the doubt by virtue of being from UoC.

2) I think it's more like 15%, 35%, 50%, but that's a total guess. Spring quarter is heavily weighted and very difficult. I think it is a good system - most people have no idea how to take a law school exam, so making the first set count as 50% seems brutal to me.

[curry1]

Is living in the South Loop feasible 1l? It seems like hp/kenwood are completely dead food zones. Thanks to those who responded to my clerkship questions!

[BlendedUnicorn]

Is living in the South Loop feasible 1l? It seems like hp/kenwood are completely dead food zones. Thanks to those who responded to my clerkship questions!

HP is definitely not a food dead zone- arguably better than the south loop now. It's been undergoing a mini (mega) renaissance lately. Something to do with the school's 5 billion dollar fundraising spree.

It's definitely doable but I definitely wouldn't recommend it. 1L year most people are going to be concentrated in HP. 2 and 3L year, go wild.

[chicago-gunner123]

Just went through the previous posts to get a better sense of how the grading scale works, but I am still left with a couple questions related to grades:

1) Why? I don't understand why they would give their students a grading scale that could even potentially cause issues with employers' comprehension of it, especially when peer schools have moved in the exact opposite direction in terms of grade specificity (moving to some variation of HP/P/LP). Is the idea really just that employers might be so confused by it that they simply assume applicants are smart just because they went to UChi? Given the potential cost associated with having a weird grading scale, I imagine there is a more tangible benefit. Anyone have any experience applying to jobs outside of OCI and care to share how employers viewed their transcript? I will definitely ask about this at ASW, but any thoughts from less shilly sources would be helpful

2) I saw that the first set of exams only accounts for about ~15% of your 1L grades. It's nice that you have a gentler introduction to law school and get to learn a bit about exams before they have a substantial impact on your employment options, but do exams then count for ~42% of your 1L grades in each of the subsequent quarters (or is a good portion of the remaining 85% comprised of non-exam grades)? Seems like whatever benefit you get from easing into it would be outweighed by the subsequent stress of 85% of your grades being jammed into exams during the remainder of 1L.

1) To echo the poster above, the point of the grade scale is to have a bunch of different gradations which separate students out. It definitely does not confuse most OCI employers because most people who come to OCI to interview are UChicago alums. Those who are not UChicago alums also don't seem to have much of a problem with it because it isn't hard to see that a 180 is higher than a 178 etc. I applied to a job 1L summer outside of OCI and the employer did not understand our grading scale. He made a joke about how "UChicago is weird" and then moved on; I still got an offer. It really isn't a big deal and I think all my classmates would agree the grading scale isn't much of an impediment.

2) The breakdown is 15%, 30%, 55% although the LRW grade you get at the end of spring quarter is based on assignments throughout the year. Don't get me wrong, Spring quarter definitely sucks, but I liked being eased into things. When you first take law school exams in the fall you really have no idea what you are doing and how to approach them. It is nice that you cannot really kill your law school GPA in that first quarter while you get the hang of it. By the time Spring quarter came around, I definitely felt like I knew what I was doing.

[KMart]

Is living in the South Loop feasible 1l? It seems like hp/kenwood are completely dead food zones. Thanks to those who responded to my clerkship questions!

HP is definitely not a food dead zone- arguably better than the south loop now. It's been undergoing a mini (mega) renaissance lately. Something to do with the school's 5 billion dollar fundraising spree.

It's definitely doable but I definitely wouldn't recommend it. 1L year most people are going to be concentrated in HP. 2 and 3L year, go wild.

HP is not better food-wise than South Loop. That being said, HP is fine for food. South Loop is feasible but few people will do it.

[BlendedUnicorn]

Is living in the South Loop feasible 1l? It seems like hp/kenwood are completely dead food zones. Thanks to those who responded to my clerkship questions!

HP is definitely not a food dead zone- arguably better than the south loop now. It's been undergoing a mini (mega) renaissance lately. Something to do with the school's 5 billion dollar fundraising spree.

It's definitely doable but I definitely wouldn't recommend it. 1L year most people are going to be concentrated in HP. 2 and 3L year, go wild.

HP is not better food-wise than South Loop. That being said, HP is fine for food. South Loop is feasible but few people will do it.

2 years ago it wouldn't have been close. Now I honestly think it is- maybe not for fine dining but for good student level food HP has become really strong.

[Snuffles1]

Hi folks

... and to contribute more productively:

1. spousal eligibility for gym membership isn't tied to USHIP usage and is a decent deal -- but unlike for students, it's not free. FWIW, Mr Snuffles bought a membership for Henry Crown (the older gym) because he said it was less annoying than being surrounded by wannabe frat boys in Ratner.
2. I don't know for sure but strongly suspect that there is no special spousal library privilege. Spouses can't get a UC ID card, and I don't see how you'd enter the libraries or check out books without one. If your spouse has another current academic affiliation s/he can get day passes on an ad hoc basis, but that's about it. Also, if your spouse has a specific permissible reason for needing library access, s/he can apply for a "campus card" that grants library privileges but (if I remember right) not much else.
3. Unfortunately I don't know about transit discounts for spouses but Campus & Student Life should be able to tell you that really quickly (if it isn't on their website).

[curry1]

How do you all feel about Chicago's placement in California? Does it vary between LA and the Bay Area (assume very solid ties to both)?