Chicago 3L Taking Questions. Forum

[AngryAvocado]

Thanks for answering the OCI question. I should probably know this, but does OCI typically occur during or just before classes start?

OCI this year was from August 10-21st. Class does not begin here until ~ September 30th. OCI is held at about the same time, give or take a few weeks, at all schools. Chicago starts later than most schools though, so it is a long time before school for us. It is nice though because it gives people plenty of time to do callbacks without any concern for missing class.

Oh wow, had no idea that was the case. I really like that juggling class and interviews should be kept to a minimum, but I'd imagine that could complicate some 1L summer gigs, no? Or will most of them have ended by that point?

[jms1987]

How many (if any) firms on west coast interviewed at OCI?

[A Fern Port]

Oh wow, had no idea that was the case. I really like that juggling class and interviews should be kept to a minimum, but I'd imagine that could complicate some 1L summer gigs, no? Or will most of them have ended by that point?

It definitely shortened 1L summer gigs, yeah.

Actually, looking at the academic calendar for next year (see this), they moved OCI back a couple weeks this year to August 24-September 3rd. This will still leave three weeks for callbacks, but will allow 1Ls to have a 10 week summer.

This shouldn't really interrupt anyone's plans. If you get a firm, you would likely get only 8-10 weeks anyhow. Most summer jobs aside from firms will last 6-10 weeks, and are often pretty flexible about dates, so if you wanted a week or two off, it would be possible.

[A Fern Port]

How many (if any) firms on west coast interviewed at OCI?

Lots. You could use all 50 bids on California offices if you wanted.

More or less every V100 firm does OCI at Chicago (and peer schools), and most of those firms let you interview for any of their offices.

California is the third most common state for grads to go to, I believe (after NY and IL). They offer Bar/bri for California at the University of Chicago, if that's any indication of popularity.

[tintin]

are there any social events with other grad schools? how easy is it (with a little effort) to meet people outside the law school?

i know most people go into private practice, but is PI work at least somewhat represented in terms of events, resources, etc? what about gov?

edit: what is the social scene like?

[A Fern Port]

are there any social events with other grad schools? how easy is it (with a little effort) to meet people outside the law school?

i know most people go into private practice, but is PI work at least somewhat represented in terms of events, resources, etc? what about gov?

The grad school people seem to organize a fair number of events, perhaps a few per quarter, where you could meet other grad students. There might even be more than that, I don't really notice. I have been to some of those events, and met lots of people from other grad schools. It is pretty easy to meet other grad students.

There are lunch meetings and student groups geared towards public interest jobs. It seems like 5-10% of students intend to work in public interest immediately after graduation.

As for government, there may be a few informational meeting for those wishing to enter government service every year. I think it might be because those jobs are pretty easy to find. It's generally pretty well-known how you would go about applying for the DOJ, SEC, or any of the other major federal or state government positions. I know a few people going that route, and I don't necessarily think they needed a great deal of events or resources to help them along their way.

[tintin]

thank you!

I am trying to decide between penn and chicago- any advice? wisdom? penn seems to have a better gay scene and some profs who work in this area (which i am interested in) which chicago is better with clerkships, academia, etc, thus the dilemma.

do you like hyde park?

[Mr. T6]

are there any social events with other grad schools? how easy is it (with a little effort) to meet people outside the law school?

i know most people go into private practice, but is PI work at least somewhat represented in terms of events, resources, etc? what about gov?

edit: what is the social scene like?

I had a generally hard time meeting other grad students.

PI work is well-represented by CLF. Many people want to work in the government.

As far as social scene, law school is the first time in my life that I've been rejected by women in favor of guys who are nerdier and smaller than I am.

[Mr. T6]

thank you!

I am trying to decide between penn and chicago- any advice? wisdom? penn seems to have a better gay scene and some profs who work in this area (which i am interested in) which chicago is better with clerkships, academia, etc, thus the dilemma.

do you like hyde park?

I like Hyde Park, but it doesn't always like me back.

Penn is a great school. So is Chicago. Good luck with your decision. I have no doubt that you have a bright future ahead of you, considering you're picking between two of the most prestigious law schools in the nation.

[A Fern Port]

thank you!

I am trying to decide between penn and chicago- any advice? wisdom? penn seems to have a better gay scene and some profs who work in this area (which i am interested in) which chicago is better with clerkships, academia, etc, thus the dilemma.

do you like hyde park?

Hyde Park is a fun little neighborhood. I think living here 1L is a good idea, as it has some nice eateries, and you'll meet a lot of other 1Ls on the bus to school/in Regents. You should move north in 2L/3L though, to experience the city, and because fewer of your classmates will be in Hyde Park anyhow.

I know a few gay/lesbian people at Chicago, and they generally seems happy. Unsure how the "scene" is though. Have you talked to any gay/lesbian Chicago students? They'd obviously know a lot more about the scene than I would.

I went to ASW at both Penn and Chicago, and liked them both. I chose Chicago due to the perception that it has better placement in the west than Penn does, and the better clerkship placement. I still believe both of those things. Also, I felt the chairs at Chicago, in the classrooms, were more comfortable.

But yeah, they're both good schools, and you should be okay at either place.

[jms1987]

How many (if any) firms on west coast interviewed at OCI?

Lots. You could use all 50 bids on California offices if you wanted.

More or less every V100 firm does OCI at Chicago (and peer schools), and most of those firms let you interview for any of their offices.

California is the third most common state for grads to go to, I believe (after NY and IL). They offer Bar/bri for California at the University of Chicago, if that's any indication of popularity.

Thanks!

[tintin]

thanks again for the responses! very helpful as decision time is quickly approaching...

[A Fern Port]

thanks again for the responses! very helpful as decision time is quickly approaching...

No problem. You can't really make a bad choice between the two.

[tintin]

thanks again for the responses! very helpful as decision time is quickly approaching...

No problem. You can't really make a bad choice between the two.

i hope this is true...i really don't want to be one of those people coming back to post in another 6 months being all "i hate chicago cuz the people suck and its so competitive and conservative" or " i hate penn cuz no one goes into the things i want"

[Mr. T6]

thanks again for the responses! very helpful as decision time is quickly approaching...

No problem. You can't really make a bad choice between the two.

i hope this is true...i really don't want to be one of those people coming back to post in another 6 months being all "i hate chicago cuz the people suck and its so competitive and conservative" or " i hate penn cuz no one goes into the things i want"

This person . . . does not exist. Because you have no point of comparison, you can never know if a law school is right for you (or even if law school more generally is right for you). In retrospect, I may have been happier at Boalt because I have quirky/artistic interests, but who knows? And, more importantly, who cares?

[hiromoto45]

1. Have you ever had an issue with people not knowing about UC law (lay prestige problem)?

I have a concern that UC is unknown to most people and that one day when I decide to change careers and an HR manager sees UC law on resume, they will not know it is T5 and consider it equal to any other law school in the country (Cooley). I know at that point where one went to law school is less important factor than work experience.

In some conversations that I've had with people (that have limited knowledge about law schools) have no idea that UC is a private university and not the University of Illinois in Chicago. I keep getting questions like you couldn't get into Georgetown.

[A Fern Port]

1. Have you ever had an issue with people not knowing about UC law (lay prestige problem)?

I have a concern that UC is unknown to most people and that one day when I decide to change careers and an HR manager sees UC law on resume, they will not know it is T5 and consider it equal to any other law school in the country (Cooley). I know at that point where one went to law school is less important factor than work experience.

In some conversations that I've had with people (that have limited knowledge about law schools) have no idea that UC is a private university and not the University of Illinois in Chicago. I keep getting questions like you couldn't get into Georgetown.

I don't really see the importance of lay prestige. I've never applied to a legal job where people didn't realize UofC is a good school.

I have a hard time picturing myself applying to a job where the hiring people cared about school prestige but didn't know UofC was a good school. Seems like they would either not care about school prestige, or else know UofC was a good school.

In any case, if an when I decide to switch careers, I imagine that my work experience would be a lot more important than my law school anyhow, especially given that this hypothetical situation was for a non-law job.

[tintin]

how prevalent is use of the socratic method, and how hard are the professors on students when they arent prepared?

[A Fern Port]

how prevalent is use of the socratic method, and how hard are the professors on students when they arent prepared?

Most professors use the Socratic method. Some pick students randomly, but others will have people "on call" only a part of the time (such as going by last names, so on Mondays, A-J are on call, etc), or simply going down a class list in alphabetical order so you know when you'll be called on.

The vast majority of professors are not hard on students who did not do the reading. If you simply say "I don't know" to questions, pretty much no one will call you on it. If, instead, you say something completely wrong, there may be a few profs that care. Most professors just move on when someone doesn't know the answers, or it is obvious they did not do the reading.

Honestly, past the first couple times you're called on, I don't think most people mind the Socratic method much.

[rsg87]

How would you describe a typical day as a 1L? Is it possible to turn it into a 9-5 type job (not during the 3 weeks or so before exams? Just sent my seat deposit in and am anxious to get there in the fall, not excited about the weather though.

[A Fern Port]

How would you describe a typical day as a 1L? Is it possible to turn it into a 9-5 type job (not during the 3 weeks or so before exams? Just sent my seat deposit in and am anxious to get there in the fall, not excited about the weather though.

As a 1L, you will have 12 hours/week of class, as well as meetings for legal writing. For each hour of class, I would probably spend an hour reading for class. I admit this wasn't enough time to read the material thoroughly or take great notes, but it was enough for me to get the point of the case, which was all I wanted.

Usually, I was able to do about half this reading at school between classes, and would come home at 4, read for another hour, and then do whatever. If you wanted to, you could definitely treat it as a 9-5. I didn't do this though, because I'd often rather spend those hours eating or talking with friends at school, and then tend to read at night.

Being a 1L isn't really all that taxing. If you have something due for legal writing, that usually pretty much killed a couple days of my time, but you only have to do things for legal writing two or three times a year.

Outside legal writing, and outside exam periods, I don't think I ever put much more than 30 hours/week into 1L studies. Actually, I'd be shocked if it was even that much. (I didn't always do my readings, depends on how well I felt the prof explained the material in class, and how likely I was to be called on.)

[cranberry]

fern, what was your class rank after 1L?

[Mr. T6]

fern, what was your class rank after 1L?

We don't rank.

Fern did pretty well. I did okay with a lot more effort. Work != grades.

[A Fern Port]

fern, what was your class rank after 1L?

We don't rank, but I did pretty well, as Mr. T6 said.

[freeflowfox]

I know this is probably a difficult question to answer, but Chicago sticker vs Michigan 45,000. With your perspective, which one?

Thanks in advance.