UChi Students & Alumni Taking Questions Forum

[Xifeng]

Scat, you foul northerner! Back to your fancy law school with its safe neighborhood and proximity to numerous dining options!

I literally live a block away from both a Chipotle and a Qdoba.

/peaceout

Enjoy having this pop up on your "view your posts" & give my regards to bkitty <3

Also I hate you and your food options.

[timeandspace11]

Thanks for doing this guys!!

is easy to live in he downtown area and commute to U Chi without a car?

Do a lot of graduates take government positions upon graduation?

Do graduates spread out across the country??

Thanks again. I love Chicago and would love to go to law school here.

It is possible to commute from downtown if you're near a bus that travels to the law school or close by, such as the 2. If not, the commute will suck and you'll probably either want to have a car or live nearby.

Aside from temporary clerkships, no. Government jobs are very competitive and it's much easier to get a biglaw job, and most people have those lined up well before governments start hiring. UChicago students are also more likely to self select into firm work. That said, if you really want to work for the government, its definitely possible out of here, probably as likely as any of its peer schools, and our LRAP is pretty decent.

Yes, our graduates spread out across the country, moreso than most of our peer schools. Chicago is our largest market, and only 1/3 of our graduates stay in Chicago. Another 1/4 go to NYC. After that, it spreads out across the country as people tend to go to where they grew up or have ties. Naturally bigger markets, such as DC and California, are more popular, but a UChicago law degree is about as national as they come.

Awesome thanks for the help. Good to know the LRAP is decent.



Does the school give out good amounts of financial aid, and do you believe this is a school worth getting into a lot of debt for?

[Emma.]

I have to imagine, though, that many professors are pretty generous about not using many grades under median, since they don't have to follow any distribution other than making a 177 the median. From what I've heard, one Elements professor gave almost a quarter of the class A/A- grades (180+) and only a handful of grades lower than a B- (173 or lower).

No.

[swoozie]

Hi! I also just got off the WL last Friday, but I don't think I can get in a visit before my May 1 deadline. I'm going to try to read through this thread as I have time, but I thought I'd put a question out there first (sorry if it's been asked). Chicago was basically my top choice coming into the cycle, now things are a bit muddier since I've had a chance to visit some other schools and get their financial aid offers. I haven't visited Chicago in over 6 years, last time I visited was to check out the undergrad before college. I really liked Chicago after that visit (but didn't go).

I guess what I'm asking is, if I liked the undergrad area/feel, how well does that carry over to the law school? I'm a bit worried because Chicago is one of the last schools I'm trying to decide between, but the only one I haven't visited this year. I know some law schools are very different/isolated from their undergrads, and some schools I visited seemed more integrated.

[bk1]

Enjoy having this pop up on your "view your posts" & give my regards to bkitty <3

Also I hate you and your food options.

She and I nommed some Qdoba tonight. And there are much worse threads that pop up on view my posts.

[Dany]

Hi! I also just got off the WL last Friday, but I don't think I can get in a visit before my May 1 deadline. I'm going to try to read through this thread as I have time, but I thought I'd put a question out there first (sorry if it's been asked). Chicago was basically my top choice coming into the cycle, now things are a bit muddier since I've had a chance to visit some other schools and get their financial aid offers. I haven't visited Chicago in over 6 years, last time I visited was to check out the undergrad before college. I really liked Chicago after that visit (but didn't go).

I guess what I'm asking is, if I liked the undergrad area/feel, how well does that carry over to the law school? I'm a bit worried because Chicago is one of the last schools I'm trying to decide between, but the only one I haven't visited this year. I know some law schools are very different/isolated from their undergrads, and some schools I visited seemed more integrated.

The law school is on the south side of the undergrad campus, and while I make it a point to do things on the main campus as much as possible, I'd say most law students don't very often. I do know a lot of people that will study at the undergrad library or go get coffee at the C-Shop, though. I'd say they both have a similar academic feel, and if you liked the area, that's good. I think in general law students are pretty isolated in the law bubble, but if you want to do more stuff with the rest of campus it's totally possible. I think of myself as a student of the whole university, and if you really liked UChicago undergrad, I think you'll like our law school.

Unrelated, but make sure you tell Chicago about your other financial offers. Plenty of people got money off the WL last year (up to $54k, that I know of), so hopefully you're not looking at sticker. Good luck with your decision!

[Lekal]

Joining the recent group of people in off the waitlist- I'm also visiting on Friday. Any recommendations for a class to visit on that day? I'm going to be starting the drive from home (~6hrs) late on Thursday, so I'd prefer not to go to one of the 8:30 classes.

The recent question "Is Chicago worth getting into a lot of debt for?" is also something I'm worrying about at the moment- your views are appreciated. Thanks.

[Bildungsroman]

Joining the recent group of people in off the waitlist- I'm also visiting on Friday. Any recommendations for a class to visit on that day? I'm going to be starting the drive from home (~6hrs) late on Thursday, so I'd prefer not to go to one of the 8:30 classes.

The recent question "Is Chicago worth getting into a lot of debt for?" is also something I'm worrying about at the moment- your views are appreciated. Thanks.

My only class on Friday is civil procedure. While I love the class, it's not exactly riveting stuff for a potential student, and it's an hour and forty minutes long.

[bjsesq]

What is going on with ya'lls list serv. Y people so mad?

[swoozie]

Thank you @Dany. I didn't mean to ask if people do hang out around the undergrad a lot, but you answered the question I was trying to ask anyway (if I liked the undergrad, how likely would I like the law school aka are they similar or vastly different). I had some reservations because I was told Chicago is a school that almost requires a visit for fit. Still have them but I feel a tad better.

[Xifeng]

Joining the recent group of people in off the waitlist- I'm also visiting on Friday. Any recommendations for a class to visit on that day? I'm going to be starting the drive from home (~6hrs) late on Thursday, so I'd prefer not to go to one of the 8:30 classes.

The recent question "Is Chicago worth getting into a lot of debt for?" is also something I'm worrying about at the moment- your views are appreciated. Thanks.

My only class on Friday is civil procedure. While I love the class, it's not exactly riveting stuff for a potential student, and it's an hour and forty minutes long.

There's also Crim at 8:45!

But yeah. Crim and Civ Pro II (which is...not riveting).

[ellewoods110]

Chipotle is more than a rumor:
http://www.harpercourtchicago.com/node/31

[WhatSarahSaid]

I have to imagine, though, that many professors are pretty generous about not using many grades under median, since they don't have to follow any distribution other than making a 177 the median. From what I've heard, one Elements professor gave almost a quarter of the class A/A- grades (180+) and only a handful of grades lower than a B- (173 or lower).

No.

My fault, then. I think I was working off of a misunderstanding of these posts: http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... &start=527

[JollyGreenGiant]

Joining the recent group of people in off the waitlist- I'm also visiting on Friday. Any recommendations for a class to visit on that day? I'm going to be starting the drive from home (~6hrs) late on Thursday, so I'd prefer not to go to one of the 8:30 classes.

The recent question "Is Chicago worth getting into a lot of debt for?" is also something I'm worrying about at the moment- your views are appreciated. Thanks.

Looking at the class schedule for Friday, your options are:

Civ Pro II w/ Hubbard (don't know but I've heard great things)
Civ Pro II w/ Casey (really enjoy him)
Con Law III w/ Rosenberg (don't know him)
Privacy w/ Strahilevitz (don't know but I've heard great things)

These all start at 1035. I would recommend Privacy only because of subject matter. There's also a few classes at 140.

As for the "debt" question, I think it depends on your other options. Everyone's situation is different. Would I take sticker Chicago over a full ride at a MVP school? Most certainly not. But if I'm only getting ~$30k from one of those schools, I'd choose Chicago.

[Dany]

Joining the recent group of people in off the waitlist- I'm also visiting on Friday. Any recommendations for a class to visit on that day? I'm going to be starting the drive from home (~6hrs) late on Thursday, so I'd prefer not to go to one of the 8:30 classes.

The recent question "Is Chicago worth getting into a lot of debt for?" is also something I'm worrying about at the moment- your views are appreciated. Thanks.

Looking at the class schedule for Friday, your options are:

Civ Pro II w/ Hubbard (don't know but I've heard great things)
Civ Pro II w/ Casey (really enjoy him)
Con Law III w/ Rosenberg (don't know him)
Privacy w/ Strahilevitz (don't know but I've heard great things)

These all start at 1035. I would recommend Privacy only because of subject matter. There's also a few classes at 140.

As for the "debt" question, I think it depends on your other options. Everyone's situation is different. Would I take sticker Chicago over a full ride at a MVP school? Most certainly not. But if I'm only getting ~$30k from one of those schools, I'd choose Chicago.

I wouldn't choose Civ Pro just because... it's Civ Pro, but Casey is awesome. I also highly recommend Strahilevitz as a professor even though I just had him for Property, not Privacy. He's incredible.

And agreed with JollyGreenGiant about debt. I personally wouldn't pay sticker at UChicago, but it really depends on your other options, and I'm sure plenty of people pay sticker here and end up fine.

[knickerbocker]

How bad is the LRW course? Does it take up a lot of time/ is it more stressful that other classes?

[Xifeng]

How bad is the LRW course? Does it take up a lot of time/ is it more stressful that other classes?

It's not my favorite class, but I don't think that's UChicago-specific.

It takes up a decent amount of time when your assignments become due, but they're pretty good at scheduling them so you have about a month after they're due before finals. For autumn quarter, you have an ungraded closed memo, for winter a graded open memo, and then for spring a brief (and ungraded oral arguments). So it becomes more difficult over time.

I don't think it's more stressful than other classes. It's worth less of your GPA, and it's graded on a slightly higher curve.

[pehaigllleises]

FYI - Privacy is not meeting this Friday.

[TaipeiMort]

How bad is the LRW course? Does it take up a lot of time/ is it more stressful that other classes?

It is designed in a way which makes it hard to get a crappy grade. I really liked LRW, as it is one of the few things in law school which actually prepare you for the real world. It will take a lot of time if you want an "A," as only a few get this grade. If not, it is really not stressful and really is pretty fun.

[Emma.]

How bad is the LRW course? Does it take up a lot of time/ is it more stressful that other classes?

It is designed in a way which makes it hard to get a crappy grade. I really liked LRW, as it is one of the few things in law school which actually prepare you for the real world. It will take a lot of time if you want an "A," as only a few get this grade. If not, it is really not stressful and really is pretty fun.

Oral argument was fun and I really liked my Bigelow, but I can't say that writing that damned brief was fun at all. That was the only time during 1L I really wanted to quit. Luckily that feeling only lasted about a week.

[JollyGreenGiant]

I hate LRW if only for the fact that it shows up 3 times on your transcript. Therefore, if you do worse in that class than others, it looks bad to people who just scan your resume (even though two of the quarters say "1 credit").

[knickerbocker]

Sorry to keep asking about LRW, but the reason I keep asking is that at the other place I'm considering, NYU, LRW isn't graded.
I thought that about 25% of the class got the equivalent of an A-range grade? Is that not right?

[TaipeiMort]

Sorry to keep asking about LRW, but the reason I keep asking is that at the other place I'm considering, NYU, LRW isn't graded.
I thought that about 25% of the class got the equivalent of an A-range grade? Is that not right?

In my LRW section (30 people?) 3 received an A.

[knickerbocker]

Damn. Just 3 out of 30? That's harsh.
Wait, so how is the curve in other 1L classes? About what percentage gets an A-range grade (180 and higher)?

[lsatcrazy]

Sorry to keep asking about LRW, but the reason I keep asking is that at the other place I'm considering, NYU, LRW isn't graded.
I thought that about 25% of the class got the equivalent of an A-range grade? Is that not right?

In my LRW section (30 people?) 3 received an A.

Out of curiosity, how do you know this? Is it on your transcript?