University of Illinois Class of 2018 Forum

(housing, friendships, future exams, all things 2018)
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Which open house will you attend?

Friday, March 20
13
43%
Friday, April 3
8
27%
Undecided
0
No votes
Not attending an open house
9
30%
 
Total votes: 30

Username123

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University of Illinois Class of 2018

Post by Username123 » Fri Jan 09, 2015 3:01 pm

Thanks to AMilfordMan from the Class of 2016 Forum for the below UIUC info.

I thought it would be nice to start an Illinois c/o 2018 thread for those of us who are seriously considering attending.

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I posted this guide to visiting C-U in the applicants thread. Hopefully it is still useful here:

Housing
Champaign
Many of the frats/sororities are between: Gregory - 1st Street - Wright - Green. Housing tends to be pricey in this region due to proximity to class and bars.
North of Green: Cheap, cheap, cheap. Lots of UG engineers and international students in this part of town. The places aren’t the nicest, but they are on bus routes and the closest to County Market (the most convenient campus grocery store). Don’t go any further north than University Ave.
West of 1st Street: Lot’s of grad students. Prices vary. Mostly old houses turned into apts

Urbana
North of Florida, East of Lincoln, West of Vine, and South of University (the “state streets”….Illinois, Pennsylvania, etc.) is often on the more expensive side, but it is a very quiet, nice area. In general, Urbana is thought of as the more liberal, bike friendly, farmer’s market part of town. And it is. Hardwood floors, radiator heat, plenty of trees.
North of University is still not good.
East of Vine can get sort of far away and sketchy at times.
South of Florida is much more non-student residential. I wouldn’t expect to find much here, but it’s generally a nice area so long as you stay west of Philo road.

Savoy
This is where The Village is, and I've been told a lot of law students live there. Driving distance or a long bus ride. Cheap, quiet, and far away from everything. While that might not sound like a ringing endorsement, there are really some nice places in Savoy for a reasonable price. If you don’t mind the commute, it is worth looking into.

Local restaurants and bars
Thai - Siam Terrace, Urbana
Indian - Bombay Grill, Champaign
Chinese - Golden Harbor, Champaign
Mexican - Mas Amigos, Urbana
BBQ - Black Dog, Urbana
Burgers/fries - Seven Saints, Champaign and Crane Alley, Urbana
Breakfast - Courier Cafe, Urbana
Italian - Mia Za’s, Champaign
Sushi - KoFusion, Champaign does $1 sushi on Sunday and Monday
Random:
Desthil - Champaign does good fusion/high end/comfort food
Radio Maria - Champaign for tapas
Bacaro - the only $$$$ place in town

Bars:
Bro bars, undergrads, cheap drinks:
Joe’s, Firehaus, Brothers
Hipster/low-key:
Murphy’s
Sports and/or casual:
Legend’s, Guido’s, Esquire, Quality, Crane Alley, The Blind Pig and The Blind Pig Brewery***

***Likely the most popular bars for 21-30 year olds

Visit a few study locations
If you have a lot of time to kill during your visit, maybe spend some of it doing what you’ll likely be doing in law school; studying/reading/browsing the internet at a library or coffee shop. For starters, the campus has an Espresso Royale at seemingly every corner and downtown Champaign has Cafe Kopi.

Tour the campus
While Champaign-Urbana is a smaller town than many people are used to, the university itself is without a doubt a world-class research institution. Definitely take the chance to get out and explore, and try to appreciate C-U. The whole “metro” area is less than 250k people, but there are a huge variety of cultures represented on campus.
For reference, the law school is on the southern edge of campus, close to the stadiums, workout facility (ARC), and freshmen dorms. If you walk one block east from the law school and work your way north, you will go through the south quad, main quad, engineering/Bardeen quad, and northern/Beckman quad.
The part of town you might want to avoid starts just north of the Beckman quad. While there isn’t a lot of crime in C-U, it’s still best to stay south of University Ave.
Last edited by Username123 on Wed Jan 21, 2015 1:55 am, edited 2 times in total.

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WichitaShocker

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Re: University of Illinois Class of 2018

Post by WichitaShocker » Sat Jan 10, 2015 9:00 pm

Checking in. UIUC is one of my top 3 choices. My fiancee and i are hoping to visit soon.

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Re: University of Illinois Class of 2018

Post by Okie25 » Sun Jan 11, 2015 7:28 pm

I'll probably be at the open house at the end of March. Are you guys going to fly to Chicago and then rent a car?

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WichitaShocker

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Re: University of Illinois Class of 2018

Post by WichitaShocker » Sun Jan 11, 2015 7:45 pm

Okie25 wrote:I'll probably be at the open house at the end of March. Are you guys going to fly to Chicago and then rent a car?
I'll probably drive, it's about 8 and a half hours from me.

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Re: University of Illinois Class of 2018

Post by Username123 » Sun Jan 11, 2015 9:51 pm

I'll probably try to fly into Chicago or St. Louis for cheap and drive in.

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Chardee_MacDennis

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Re: University of Illinois Class of 2018

Post by Chardee_MacDennis » Mon Jan 12, 2015 1:25 am

Current 2L. If you have any Qs, shoot.

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Re: University of Illinois Class of 2018

Post by KamronK » Mon Jan 12, 2015 3:56 pm

I'll be flying in to Chicago from Phoenix in March and taking the Illini Shuttle for the open house. It's looking like a 90% chance that I'll be attending Illinois because of the scholarship money, so I have to ask - Any big football fans here? I like to spend my weekends with Arizona State football, Arizona Cardinals, and the Baltimore Ravens.

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WichitaShocker

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Re: University of Illinois Class of 2018

Post by WichitaShocker » Mon Jan 12, 2015 4:16 pm

Chardee_MacDennis wrote:Current 2L. If you have any Qs, shoot.
They may show my priorities, but what bar should we go to when we visit?

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Chardee_MacDennis

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Re: University of Illinois Class of 2018

Post by Chardee_MacDennis » Mon Jan 12, 2015 7:55 pm

WichitaShocker wrote:
Chardee_MacDennis wrote:Current 2L. If you have any Qs, shoot.
They may show my priorities, but what bar should we go to when we visit?
Totally depends on the experience you want to have. For the undergrad/frat star experience, try Joe's, Brother's or Firehaus (Red Lion if you're feeling particularly adventurous). If you're looking for something a bit more upscale, downtown Champaign might be your style-Blind Pig, Quality, Big Grove are good choices.

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Re: University of Illinois Class of 2018

Post by Okie25 » Thu Jan 15, 2015 2:19 pm

Chardee_MacDennis wrote:Current 2L. If you have any Qs, shoot.
Job prospects? Do most people you know have something lined up for the summer? What percentage are getting Biglaw

Recommendations for living?

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Re: University of Illinois Class of 2018

Post by Chardee_MacDennis » Thu Jan 15, 2015 3:37 pm

Okie25 wrote:
Chardee_MacDennis wrote:Current 2L. If you have any Qs, shoot.
Job prospects? Do most people you know have something lined up for the summer? What percentage are getting Biglaw

Recommendations for living?
A caveat for anyone asking about employment: I'm speaking mostly anecdotally because I don't know what everyone has lined up, and some folks just don't talk about it.

Generally, most folks expect biglaw hiring to be at least what it was last year. In my best estimation, approximately 20% (IP and non-IP) or so have biglaw lined up for next year. Others have small- or mid-size firm gigs lined up, as well. At this point, my guess would be that most don't have anything lined up, but I'm basing this on nothing concrete. The school (although it places fairly well in biglaw given its ranking) hasn't really been a powerhouse in biglaw hiring in the past 5-6 years. There are opportunities, though, provided your grades are where they should be (top 20-ish%, below that it gets random). Most folks will find something before graduation, but others won't-its just the game.

The Village, 75 Armory, and Place 117 are all popular options. Armory books pretty quickly, so if you want to live there and you know you're coming here, get on it. The Village is huge, so you shouldn't have any issues. You can also look on Craigslist, Padmapper, or the Illini Tenant Union if you're looking for a random apt/house to rent.

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WichitaShocker

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Re: University of Illinois Class of 2018

Post by WichitaShocker » Thu Jan 15, 2015 3:57 pm

Chardee_MacDennis wrote:
Okie25 wrote:
Chardee_MacDennis wrote:Current 2L. If you have any Qs, shoot.
Job prospects? Do most people you know have something lined up for the summer? What percentage are getting Biglaw

Recommendations for living?
A caveat for anyone asking about employment: I'm speaking mostly anecdotally because I don't know what everyone has lined up, and some folks just don't talk about it.

Generally, most folks expect biglaw hiring to be at least what it was last year. In my best estimation, approximately 20% (IP and non-IP) or so have biglaw lined up for next year. Others have small- or mid-size firm gigs lined up, as well. At this point, my guess would be that most don't have anything lined up, but I'm basing this on nothing concrete. The school (although it places fairly well in biglaw given its ranking) hasn't really been a powerhouse in biglaw hiring in the past 5-6 years. There are opportunities, though, provided your grades are where they should be (top 20-ish%, below that it gets random). Most folks will find something before graduation, but others won't-its just the game.

The Village, 75 Armory, and Place 117 are all popular options. Armory books pretty quickly, so if you want to live there and you know you're coming here, get on it. The Village is huge, so you shouldn't have any issues. You can also look on Craigslist, Padmapper, or the Illini Tenant Union if you're looking for a random apt/house to rent.
Follow up to this, in your opinion, do most people looking for work in Chicagoland find something? To qualify this, I don't mean everybody, and I don't mean just big law.

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Chardee_MacDennis

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Re: University of Illinois Class of 2018

Post by Chardee_MacDennis » Fri Jan 16, 2015 12:26 pm

WichitaShocker wrote:
Chardee_MacDennis wrote:
Okie25 wrote:
Chardee_MacDennis wrote:Current 2L. If you have any Qs, shoot.
Job prospects? Do most people you know have something lined up for the summer? What percentage are getting Biglaw

Recommendations for living?
A caveat for anyone asking about employment: I'm speaking mostly anecdotally because I don't know what everyone has lined up, and some folks just don't talk about it.

Generally, most folks expect biglaw hiring to be at least what it was last year. In my best estimation, approximately 20% (IP and non-IP) or so have biglaw lined up for next year. Others have small- or mid-size firm gigs lined up, as well. At this point, my guess would be that most don't have anything lined up, but I'm basing this on nothing concrete. The school (although it places fairly well in biglaw given its ranking) hasn't really been a powerhouse in biglaw hiring in the past 5-6 years. There are opportunities, though, provided your grades are where they should be (top 20-ish%, below that it gets random). Most folks will find something before graduation, but others won't-its just the game.

The Village, 75 Armory, and Place 117 are all popular options. Armory books pretty quickly, so if you want to live there and you know you're coming here, get on it. The Village is huge, so you shouldn't have any issues. You can also look on Craigslist, Padmapper, or the Illini Tenant Union if you're looking for a random apt/house to rent.
Follow up to this, in your opinion, do most people looking for work in Chicagoland find something? To qualify this, I don't mean everybody, and I don't mean just big law.
That's diifcult to answer since most students won't find something until next year or even after graduation. I'm sure most people will eventually find something, but whether that's in Chicago, I can't say. There are plenty of small firms in the city that may have openings, but you'll have to hustle and network to find most of those gigs. State's attorney/PD gigs are possible, as are other government type positions.

Sorry, but employment Qs aren't as straightforward as admissions Qs. Lot less predictable and more dependent on who you know/luck/economy etc...

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WichitaShocker

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Re: University of Illinois Class of 2018

Post by WichitaShocker » Fri Jan 16, 2015 2:13 pm

Chardee_MacDennis wrote:
WichitaShocker wrote:
Chardee_MacDennis wrote:
That's diifcult to answer since most students won't find something until next year or even after graduation. I'm sure most people will eventually find something, but whether that's in Chicago, I can't say. There are plenty of small firms in the city that may have openings, but you'll have to hustle and network to find most of those gigs. State's attorney/PD gigs are possible, as are other government type positions.

Sorry, but employment Qs aren't as straightforward as admissions Qs. Lot less predictable and more dependent on who you know/luck/economy etc...
I understand, and thank you for your answer. A couple more quick questions, where are you originally from, are you happy with choosing Illinois, what made you choose illinois, and if you don't mind me asking, what other schools were you considering? If you do not want to answer these questions on a public forum I understand. Thank you for answering questions for us.

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pcph

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Re: University of Illinois Class of 2018

Post by pcph » Tue Jan 20, 2015 9:36 am

.
Last edited by pcph on Sat Jun 25, 2016 12:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: University of Illinois Class of 2018

Post by pcph » Tue Jan 20, 2015 9:38 am

.
Last edited by pcph on Sat Jun 25, 2016 12:10 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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WichitaShocker

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Re: University of Illinois Class of 2018

Post by WichitaShocker » Tue Jan 20, 2015 11:02 pm

[/color]
pcph wrote:
WichitaShocker wrote:
Okie25 wrote:I'll probably be at the open house at the end of March. Are you guys going to fly to Chicago and then rent a car?
I'll probably drive, it's about 8 and a half hours from me.
oh my gosh. Good luck with that! I'm 3.5 hours away when I'm at school/2 hours when I'm home. Pretty sure I'll be coming in from school... can't imagine driving 8-9 hours like you!
It won't be too bad. My fiancee will be coming with me, so I don't want to do 2 plane tickets.

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Okie25

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Re: University of Illinois Class of 2018

Post by Okie25 » Wed Jan 21, 2015 1:15 am

Someone wanna make a poll of which open house you'll be attending

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Re: University of Illinois Class of 2018

Post by Username123 » Wed Jan 21, 2015 1:54 am

Okie25 wrote:Someone wanna make a poll of which open house you'll be attending
Added!

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Re: University of Illinois Class of 2018

Post by Okie25 » Sat Jan 24, 2015 6:26 pm

Anyone know if there are classes which we'll definitely have fall semester, or is there no way of knowing this till you get your schedule. I was going to skim through some E&E's but only want to do this for classes I would have in the fall

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Re: University of Illinois Class of 2018

Post by Iwanttolawschool » Sat Jan 24, 2015 6:47 pm

Is there a facebook page or anything yet?

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Re: University of Illinois Class of 2018

Post by Chardee_MacDennis » Sat Jan 24, 2015 6:50 pm

Okie25 wrote:Anyone know if there are classes which we'll definitely have fall semester, or is there no way of knowing this till you get your schedule. I was going to skim through some E&E's but only want to do this for classes I would have in the fall
Not until you know what section you're in

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Re: University of Illinois Class of 2018

Post by Okie25 » Mon Jan 26, 2015 4:23 pm

Iwanttolawschool wrote:Is there a facebook page or anything yet?
Last edited by Okie25 on Wed Mar 04, 2015 1:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: University of Illinois Class of 2018

Post by Username123 » Fri Feb 06, 2015 4:16 pm

Just registered for the April 3rd Admitted Student Open House!

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bugsy33

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Re: University of Illinois Class of 2018

Post by bugsy33 » Fri Feb 13, 2015 1:07 pm

1L here, ready to answer Qs.

Seriously? What are you waiting for?

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