UIUC 2L Taking Questions Forum

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thebobs1987

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Re: UIUC 1L Taking Questions

Post by thebobs1987 » Thu May 29, 2014 7:24 am

RLowry23 wrote:Any recommendations for how much we should take out in COL?

My COL will entirely be paid for by loans.

Sorry been traveling the past two weeks since finals ended. I took out about 18k for living expenses this year and I am not that frugal and still had just under 3k at the end of finals

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bugsy33

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Re: UIUC 1L Taking Questions

Post by bugsy33 » Thu May 29, 2014 11:21 am

A few random questions for ya:

What do you like most about studying at Illinois? Is there a noticeable political lean among the faculty and/or students? How is the social life? Do people ever visit Chicago for a weekend? Do law students attend football/basketball games? Have you seen any change in the number or quality of firms coming for OCI? Do you feel like the school is trending upwards, downwards, or staying the same? Would you choose Illinois again if you had to do it all over?

Thanks :)

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Chardee_MacDennis

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Re: UIUC 1L Taking Questions

Post by Chardee_MacDennis » Thu May 29, 2014 11:38 am

bugsy33 wrote:A few random questions for ya:

What do you like most about studying at Illinois? Is there a noticeable political lean among the faculty and/or students? How is the social life? Do people ever visit Chicago for a weekend? Do law students attend football/basketball games? Have you seen any change in the number or quality of firms coming for OCI? Do you feel like the school is trending upwards, downwards, or staying the same? Would you choose Illinois again if you had to do it all over?

Thanks :)
1. I like that it's a good school with decent employment numbers and has a relatively relaxed atmosphere.

2. No real political lean; individuals may hold their own views, but I don't get an institutional vibe.

3. Social life is awesome. It's a great college town with options away from campus/undergrads.

4. People do visit Chicago quite often. It's a quick ride by either car or train.

5. Yes; tix are pretty cheap.

6. Re: OCI, not sure yet; we'll know in a few months. Most here expect it to be at least what is was last year.

7. If you're referring to a trend in the USNWR rankings, I'd say were trending up. It'll be interesting to see where the medians for the c/o 2017 end up.

8. I would.

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bugsy33

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Re: UIUC 1L Taking Questions

Post by bugsy33 » Thu May 29, 2014 11:48 am

Thanks for the quick reply and great answers.

One more, albeit kinda stupid, question:

How do people generally view UIUC in Illinois? I'm from Michigan where everyone basically worships UofM and thinks you piss gold if you go there. I understand that this is the case for other schools like PSU, OSU, and UW. Does having UChicago and NW downplay the lay prestige associated with UIUC? Do people see it as a school for UC/NW rejects?

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Chardee_MacDennis

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Re: UIUC 1L Taking Questions

Post by Chardee_MacDennis » Thu May 29, 2014 12:15 pm

bugsy33 wrote:Thanks for the quick reply and great answers.

One more, albeit kinda stupid, question:

How do people generally view UIUC in Illinois? I'm from Michigan where everyone basically worships UofM and thinks you piss gold if you go there. I understand that this is the case for other schools like PSU, OSU, and UW. Does having UChicago and NW downplay the lay prestige associated with UIUC? Do people see it as a school for UC/NW rejects?
I mean, "lay prestige" is such a stupid and ambiguous term. No one outside the legal profession cares. You could say you go to some TTT and lay people will ooh and aww.

As an IL resident, however, I can say that UIUC is generally viewed as a very good school. It's definitely not quite on par with Chicago or NU, and I think some of our alumni have a bit of a chip on their shoulders because of that. So, alumni will sometimes go out of their way to hire UIUC grads, but you'll find this mostly and small- to mid-size firms, not so much for biglaw because those firms have a certain number of callback slots designated for each school. It's a strong regional school and not viewed as a Chicago-NU rejection spot.

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workaholic82

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Re: UIUC 1L Taking Questions

Post by workaholic82 » Thu May 29, 2014 12:23 pm

Chardee_MacDennis wrote:
bugsy33 wrote:Thanks for the quick reply and great answers.

One more, albeit kinda stupid, question:

How do people generally view UIUC in Illinois? I'm from Michigan where everyone basically worships UofM and thinks you piss gold if you go there. I understand that this is the case for other schools like PSU, OSU, and UW. Does having UChicago and NW downplay the lay prestige associated with UIUC? Do people see it as a school for UC/NW rejects?
I mean, "lay prestige" is such a stupid and ambiguous term. No one outside the legal profession cares. You could say you go to some TTT and lay people will ooh and aww.

As an IL resident, however, I can say that UIUC is generally viewed as a very good school. It's definitely not quite on par with Chicago or NU, and I think some of our alumni have a bit of a chip on their shoulders because of that. So, alumni will sometimes go out of their way to hire UIUC grads, but you'll find this mostly and small- to mid-size firms, not so much for biglaw because those firms have a certain number of callback slots designated for each school. It's a strong regional school and not viewed as a Chicago-NU rejection spot.
As a tangent to this, a practicing lawyer on tls told me biglaw hiring in Chicago has contracted badly, and that they only tend to hire outside of nu and u of c only for ip, urm and those with connections. Would you say that if you're not one of the aforementioned, it's unlikely to get biglaw regardless of grades?

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Chardee_MacDennis

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Re: UIUC 1L Taking Questions

Post by Chardee_MacDennis » Thu May 29, 2014 12:31 pm

workaholic82 wrote:
Chardee_MacDennis wrote:
bugsy33 wrote:Thanks for the quick reply and great answers.

One more, albeit kinda stupid, question:

How do people generally view UIUC in Illinois? I'm from Michigan where everyone basically worships UofM and thinks you piss gold if you go there. I understand that this is the case for other schools like PSU, OSU, and UW. Does having UChicago and NW downplay the lay prestige associated with UIUC? Do people see it as a school for UC/NW rejects?
I mean, "lay prestige" is such a stupid and ambiguous term. No one outside the legal profession cares. You could say you go to some TTT and lay people will ooh and aww.

As an IL resident, however, I can say that UIUC is generally viewed as a very good school. It's definitely not quite on par with Chicago or NU, and I think some of our alumni have a bit of a chip on their shoulders because of that. So, alumni will sometimes go out of their way to hire UIUC grads, but you'll find this mostly and small- to mid-size firms, not so much for biglaw because those firms have a certain number of callback slots designated for each school. It's a strong regional school and not viewed as a Chicago-NU rejection spot.
As a tangent to this, a practicing lawyer on tls told me biglaw hiring in Chicago has contracted badly, and that they only tend to hire outside of nu and u of c only for ip, urm and those with connections. Would you say that if you're not one of the aforementioned, it's unlikely to get biglaw regardless of grades?
I haven't heard anything, but we're not in a position to give good answers to anything re: OCI at the moment; we haven't received 2nd semester grades yet, and the OCI firm list hasn't been posted. I would say early-/mid-July we'll be able to give more definitive answers.

thebobs1987

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Re: UIUC 1L Taking Questions

Post by thebobs1987 » Sun Jun 01, 2014 10:51 am

Chardee_MacDennis wrote:
workaholic82 wrote:
Chardee_MacDennis wrote:
bugsy33 wrote:Thanks for the quick reply and great answers.

One more, albeit kinda stupid, question:

How do people generally view UIUC in Illinois? I'm from Michigan where everyone basically worships UofM and thinks you piss gold if you go there. I understand that this is the case for other schools like PSU, OSU, and UW. Does having UChicago and NW downplay the lay prestige associated with UIUC? Do people see it as a school for UC/NW rejects?
I mean, "lay prestige" is such a stupid and ambiguous term. No one outside the legal profession cares. You could say you go to some TTT and lay people will ooh and aww.

As an IL resident, however, I can say that UIUC is generally viewed as a very good school. It's definitely not quite on par with Chicago or NU, and I think some of our alumni have a bit of a chip on their shoulders because of that. So, alumni will sometimes go out of their way to hire UIUC grads, but you'll find this mostly and small- to mid-size firms, not so much for biglaw because those firms have a certain number of callback slots designated for each school. It's a strong regional school and not viewed as a Chicago-NU rejection spot.
As a tangent to this, a practicing lawyer on tls told me biglaw hiring in Chicago has contracted badly, and that they only tend to hire outside of nu and u of c only for ip, urm and those with connections. Would you say that if you're not one of the aforementioned, it's unlikely to get biglaw regardless of grades?
I haven't heard anything, but we're not in a position to give good answers to anything re: OCI at the moment; we haven't received 2nd semester grades yet, and the OCI firm list hasn't been posted. I would say early-/mid-July we'll be able to give more definitive answers.
Yeah, we'll know for sure in a couple months, but I don't think that's true based on my friends that are 3Ls and recent grads. A lot of the Chicago firms have been increasing their summer class sizes the last two years. Not pre-recession, but larger. 1/4 of U of I gets big law and I don't think that is all IP or connections.

should-i-do-it

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Re: UIUC 2L Taking Questions

Post by should-i-do-it » Tue Sep 16, 2014 6:14 pm

I'm applying this year. When did you guys start hearing back? I've got a 162 and am signed up for a retake in December. Should I send in my app and not tell them about the December retake. I want my file to be looked at early in the cycle and if they know I'm retaking it won't be looked at till scores comes out in January. Or do you guys think it doesn't matter. I'm trying to get as much money as possible too.

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Wingtip88

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Re: UIUC 2L Taking Questions

Post by Wingtip88 » Tue Sep 16, 2014 8:10 pm

If you told us your GPA it would help. From what many of my friends have told me, UIUC is very generous with scholarships.

should-i-do-it

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Re: UIUC 2L Taking Questions

Post by should-i-do-it » Tue Sep 16, 2014 11:00 pm

Wingtip88 wrote:If you told us your GPA it would help. From what many of my friends have told me, UIUC is very generous with scholarships.
3.2

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isuperserial

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Re: UIUC 2L Taking Questions

Post by isuperserial » Tue Sep 16, 2014 11:29 pm

should-i-do-it wrote:
Wingtip88 wrote:If you told us your GPA it would help. From what many of my friends have told me, UIUC is very generous with scholarships.
3.2
I would send in the app, you'll get accepted, and if you do better you'll send that score out to everyone and profit. If you don't, then cross that bridge when you come to it.

thebobs1987

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Re: UIUC 2L Taking Questions

Post by thebobs1987 » Wed Sep 17, 2014 12:07 pm

Send in the application, indicate that you are retaking the LSAT in December. If you get a 165 or above you should be close to a full ride if this cycle is similar to the last two

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should-i-do-it

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Re: UIUC 2L Taking Questions

Post by should-i-do-it » Wed Sep 17, 2014 2:00 pm

thebobs1987 wrote:Send in the application, indicate that you are retaking the LSAT in December. If you get a 165 or above you should be close to a full ride if this cycle is similar to the last two
The thing is if I tell them I'm retaking in December they won't make a decision till after scores come out. This wouldn't be to late would it?

thebobs1987

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Re: UIUC 2L Taking Questions

Post by thebobs1987 » Wed Sep 17, 2014 4:21 pm

should-i-do-it wrote:
thebobs1987 wrote:Send in the application, indicate that you are retaking the LSAT in December. If you get a 165 or above you should be close to a full ride if this cycle is similar to the last two
The thing is if I tell them I'm retaking in December they won't make a decision till after scores come out. This wouldn't be to late would it?
No, you would be fine.

illiniguy1551

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Re: UIUC 2L Taking Questions

Post by illiniguy1551 » Wed Sep 17, 2014 11:25 pm

should-i-do-it wrote:
thebobs1987 wrote:Send in the application, indicate that you are retaking the LSAT in December. If you get a 165 or above you should be close to a full ride if this cycle is similar to the last two
The thing is if I tell them I'm retaking in December they won't make a decision till after scores come out. This wouldn't be to late would it?
I took the February LSAT after being wait-listed, got in with 75% off the week after new scores went out, and negotiated more after that. It shouldn't matter, they are hungry for LSAT scores, just have a complete application before like May.

Callsam

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Re: UIUC 2L Taking Questions

Post by Callsam » Sat Sep 20, 2014 3:05 pm

should-i-do-it wrote:
thebobs1987 wrote:Send in the application, indicate that you are retaking the LSAT in December. If you get a 165 or above you should be close to a full ride if this cycle is similar to the last two
The thing is if I tell them I'm retaking in December they won't make a decision till after scores come out. This wouldn't be to late would it?
I'm in a similar situation. I was supposed to retake on Sept but moved it to Dec. will they know I've moved it. I'm not sure how much I would improve and I'm already above median lsat. Should I just tell them to consider with my current score and then if I improve ask for more $$$ or just wait till after dec

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thebobs1987

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Re: UIUC 2L Taking Questions

Post by thebobs1987 » Sun Sep 21, 2014 10:37 am

Callsam wrote:
should-i-do-it wrote:
thebobs1987 wrote:Send in the application, indicate that you are retaking the LSAT in December. If you get a 165 or above you should be close to a full ride if this cycle is similar to the last two
The thing is if I tell them I'm retaking in December they won't make a decision till after scores come out. This wouldn't be to late would it?
I'm in a similar situation. I was supposed to retake on Sept but moved it to Dec. will they know I've moved it. I'm not sure how much I would improve and I'm already above median lsat. Should I just tell them to consider with my current score and then if I improve ask for more $$$ or just wait till after dec
Yes, apply now. Also, on the application there should be a spot to let them know you're taking it in December. Then if you increase your score get more $$$. Good luck

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mornincounselor

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Re: UIUC 1L Taking Questions

Post by mornincounselor » Thu Jan 07, 2016 4:45 am

Chardee_MacDennis wrote: I haven't heard anything, but we're not in a position to give good answers to anything re: OCI at the moment; we haven't received 2nd semester grades yet, and the OCI firm list hasn't been posted. I would say early-/mid-July we'll be able to give more definitive answers.
thebobs1987 wrote: Yeah, we'll know for sure in a couple months, but I don't think that's true based on my friends that are 3Ls and recent grads. A lot of the Chicago firms have been increasing their summer class sizes the last two years. Not pre-recession, but larger. 1/4 of U of I gets big law and I don't think that is all IP or connections.
Bump. How did OCI go?

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sox49

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Re: UIUC 1L Taking Questions

Post by sox49 » Sun Jan 10, 2016 1:15 am

mornincounselor wrote:
Chardee_MacDennis wrote: I haven't heard anything, but we're not in a position to give good answers to anything re: OCI at the moment; we haven't received 2nd semester grades yet, and the OCI firm list hasn't been posted. I would say early-/mid-July we'll be able to give more definitive answers.
thebobs1987 wrote: Yeah, we'll know for sure in a couple months, but I don't think that's true based on my friends that are 3Ls and recent grads. A lot of the Chicago firms have been increasing their summer class sizes the last two years. Not pre-recession, but larger. 1/4 of U of I gets big law and I don't think that is all IP or connections.
Bump. How did OCI go?
Also wondering how biglaw hiring went last fall for uiuc

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Chardee_MacDennis

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Re: UIUC 1L Taking Questions

Post by Chardee_MacDennis » Mon Jan 11, 2016 5:24 pm

sox49 wrote:
mornincounselor wrote:
Chardee_MacDennis wrote: I haven't heard anything, but we're not in a position to give good answers to anything re: OCI at the moment; we haven't received 2nd semester grades yet, and the OCI firm list hasn't been posted. I would say early-/mid-July we'll be able to give more definitive answers.
thebobs1987 wrote: Yeah, we'll know for sure in a couple months, but I don't think that's true based on my friends that are 3Ls and recent grads. A lot of the Chicago firms have been increasing their summer class sizes the last two years. Not pre-recession, but larger. 1/4 of U of I gets big law and I don't think that is all IP or connections.
Bump. How did OCI go?
Also wondering how biglaw hiring went last fall for uiuc
For c/o 2016, it was on par with the previous year: ~20ish% biglaw, a few fed clerkships, though I don't know how everyone did. Top 10% is a safe bet to land a good number of interviews/callbacks/offers. Below top 10%, it really depends on a number of factors: interviewing ability; grades; firm selectivity; summer class; etc...Firms like Sidley/Jenner/Mayer/Latham have fairly strict grade cutoffs, firms like Kirkland/Winston will take a serious look at everyone they interview, and other firms like McGuire/Vedder/Chapman aren't terribly selective, but they have smaller classes.

No idea how c/o 2017 did overall.

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Re: UIUC 2L Taking Questions

Post by xspider » Tue Jan 12, 2016 6:36 pm

Is OCI lottery or pre-select? How many firms come to oci?

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Chardee_MacDennis

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Re: UIUC 2L Taking Questions

Post by Chardee_MacDennis » Tue Jan 12, 2016 10:26 pm

xspider wrote:Is OCI lottery or pre-select? How many firms come to oci?
100% pre-select, ~40-45 firms

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Re: UIUC 2L Taking Questions

Post by xspider » Wed Jan 13, 2016 3:13 am

Chardee_MacDennis wrote:
xspider wrote:Is OCI lottery or pre-select? How many firms come to oci?
100% pre-select, ~40-45 firms
Thanks a ton. Anyone have an idea how URMs perform at OCI? say at median or barely outside of top third.

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Chardee_MacDennis

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Re: UIUC 2L Taking Questions

Post by Chardee_MacDennis » Wed Jan 13, 2016 9:48 am

xspider wrote:
Chardee_MacDennis wrote:
xspider wrote:Is OCI lottery or pre-select? How many firms come to oci?
100% pre-select, ~40-45 firms
Thanks a ton. Anyone have an idea how URMs perform at OCI? say at median or barely outside of top third.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯

It's not as easy to predict URM jobs as it is admissions. The few I know who landed gigs had good grades, so I'm sure that was a major factor. I'd say if you're at median you better have something really special or else you're SOL. If you're top third-ish you might have a shot at some of the less selective firms. Maybe try to gun for a 1L diversity position, might be different.

I mean, it could be a tiebreaker b/t two candidates, but that assumes you had the grades/resume/interviewing skills to get there initially.

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