UChi Students & Alumni Taking Questions Forum

[Emma.]

I've been reading a lot about UofC Law and I saw something where the Dean said something along the lines of: UChicago is a place where reading headnotes on cases isn't enough to succeed, you're expected to delve into the material and come to class ready to be pushed.


I have heard talk like this quite a bit at ASW, too. So, do you feel that this claim (that UChicago is unique in that you delve into the law (etc etc)) affects exams?

Maybe to delve into this question a bit further, do exams look different because you're at UChicago? Do professors look for different types of answers on them? I know most (if not all) of you haven't been to other law schools, but is the structure/grading of exams different than what you're told in 0L books like GTM or LEEWS? Or does the claim derive from in-class discussions and stuff like that?


I know you're going to shoot for the ask again before your exams angle, but I really think this would help us as we approach 0L prep and it would let us know if we should be taking notes on this kind of stuff in class (plus exams must be fresh in your mind considering the date ).

Feel free to wait until after exams to answer! To echo:

GOOD LUCK ON FINAL EXAMS!!! You helpful posters have certainly earned good karma.

Please don't do any "0L prep," except maybe reading GTM. It is a total waste of time.

As far as how exams are structured, it is completely different from professor to professor, which is part of the reason that 0L prep is worthless. In terms of format, content, structure, the amount the professor wants you to "delve into the material," all these things are different even among just the professors at our school.

[Tanicius]

We do tend to teach torts differently than most places I think.

Do you guys focus more on policy and alternative compensation schemes to tort law?

[duckmoney]

We do tend to teach torts differently than most places I think.

Do you guys focus more on policy and alternative compensation schemes to tort law?

Look up Saul Levmore on YouTube. That's basically our torts class. Him rambling on about god-knows-what for a quarter and we're somehow expected to take an exam on it.

Also, best class in law school.

[ScratchableItch]

Thanks for taking questions everyone.

Sorry if this has been asked before, but can anyone share some info about UofC's graduate housing? It seems pretty flexible and affordable. Has anyone lived in one of those units? How do they compare to apartments near campus?

[JohnDorian]

-

[JohnDorian]

-

[ScratchableItch]

Definitely been said before. There are also more threads for it. I'm just a 0L but I'd recommend using the search function and reading through this thread (there's lots of helpful advice throughout anyways).

Haha well I did both, I was just seeing if anyone had any different perspectives.

[lemoned88]

If anyone could help me decide on housing that would be great. I know there's a bunch of threads on this, and while I've read them I'd love some more student perspective. I was looking at RegentPark, but the appliances seem kind of outdated/based on its reviews online it seems kind of overrated for the money they are charging.

Has anyone looked at DelPrado? If I live there will it be harder to meet people, etc?

Also I have never lived in the snow before/experienced a 'real' winter. Is it a bad idea to live somewhere where heat isn't included?


Any thoughts, really, are appreciated.

[duckmoney]

If anyone could help me decide on housing that would be great. I know there's a bunch of threads on this, and while I've read them I'd love some more student perspective. I was looking at RegentPark, but the appliances seem kind of outdated/based on its reviews online it seems kind of overrated for the money they are charging.

Has anyone looked at DelPrado? If I live there will it be harder to meet people, etc?

Also I have never lived in the snow before/experienced a 'real' winter. Is it a bad idea to live somewhere where heat isn't included?


Any thoughts, really, are appreciated.

The appliances in Regents are a bit "dated", but they are perfectly functional. They just don't look very pretty.

Regents is expensive; the main benefit is floor space. The apartments are 100+ square feet larger than anything else in Hyde Park. Also, it's the only place in Hyde Park with covered parking, although that's also pricey. The amenities are also pretty good; on site grocery store / restaurant / free printing / decent gym.

Regents a center of 1L social life. If you want to meet a lot of people and you don't live here, you'll have to come here. Del Prado is about 3 blocks away, so it wouldn't be miserable, but you don't have the convenience of being in the building.

You could also just wait until people go out to socialize.

[ringo]

If anyone could help me decide on housing that would be great. I know there's a bunch of threads on this, and while I've read them I'd love some more student perspective. I was looking at RegentPark, but the appliances seem kind of outdated/based on its reviews online it seems kind of overrated for the money they are charging.

Has anyone looked at DelPrado? If I live there will it be harder to meet people, etc?

Also I have never lived in the snow before/experienced a 'real' winter. Is it a bad idea to live somewhere where heat isn't included?


Any thoughts, really, are appreciated.

The appliances in Regents are a bit "dated", but they are perfectly functional. They just don't look very pretty.

Regents is expensive; the main benefit is floor space. The apartments are 100+ square feet larger than anything else in Hyde Park. Also, it's the only place in Hyde Park with covered parking, although that's also pricey. The amenities are also pretty good; on site grocery store / restaurant / free printing / decent gym.

Regents a center of 1L social life. If you want to meet a lot of people and you don't live here, you'll have to come here. Del Prado is about 3 blocks away, so it wouldn't be miserable, but you don't have the convenience of being in the building.

You could also just wait until people go out to socialize.

0L here. The floorplan I was offered from Del Prado is what convinced me to go with Regents instead. I agree Regents seems overpriced, overrated, outdated, etc., and I don't know whether I'll really like it or not. But damn, that apartment in Del Prado is SMALL. I'll take the space and the view at Regents (for about the same price) and hope that balances out the other stuff you mention.

Having said that, if you think you can deal with the smaller space, Del Prado seems like a good choice. Several people in the c/o 2015 thread have already said they are living there.

[lemoned88]

--

[cjcregg]

http://www.law.uchicago.edu/prospective/employmentdata

So I just saw the 2011 employment numbers. Do you attribute the dramatic shift from private law practice to PI more to Chicago law grads' preferences (b/c of the better LRAP/PI program) or to the lagging firm job market?

I know you all don't have statistical data. But maybe you can form conclusions based on conversations with other Chicago students.

[rayiner]

http://www.law.uchicago.edu/prospective/employmentdata

So I just saw the 2011 employment numbers. Do you attribute the dramatic shift from private law practice to PI more to Chicago law grads' preferences (b/c of the better LRAP/PI program) or to the lagging firm job market?

I know you all don't have statistical data. But maybe you can form conclusions based on conversations with other Chicago students.

When you take out the 25 temporary law-school funded PI/Gov positions in 2011 (versus the 2 such positions in 2010), the PI/Gov placement actually went down slightly as a %-age of the class.

http://www.law.uchicago.edu/prospective ... /classof11
http://www.law.uchicago.edu/prospective ... /classof10

[MatMat]

http://www.law.uchicago.edu/prospective/employmentdata

So I just saw the 2011 employment numbers. Do you attribute the dramatic shift from private law practice to PI more to Chicago law grads' preferences (b/c of the better LRAP/PI program) or to the lagging firm job market?.

What's more terrifying to me is the 25 people (12% of the class) with school funded positions, up from 2 people the previous year.

My question to current students would be -- is this because people bid Chicago/other tough markets with no luck, or did people strike out with NYC firms? Did UofC really weather the recession worse than its peer schools?

Also, I realize that OCI in the fall of 2009 was brutal, but class of 2012 2L summer numbers still look rough (76% at firms, down from 89% for class of 2010). What's the sense for this year (2013 2L summers)? I was told by a student when visiting that, "getting jobs is like, really easy." I'm wondering how that squares with experiences of 25%-35% of the class of 2011.

[cjcregg]

oh wow...dismal.

[JollyGreenGiant]

http://www.quickmeme.com/meme/3pj16h/

I'm bored.

[Emma.]

http://www.law.uchicago.edu/prospective/employmentdata

So I just saw the 2011 employment numbers. Do you attribute the dramatic shift from private law practice to PI more to Chicago law grads' preferences (b/c of the better LRAP/PI program) or to the lagging firm job market?.

What's more terrifying to me is the 25 people (12% of the class) with school funded positions, up from 2 people the previous year.

My question to current students would be -- is this because people bid Chicago/other tough markets with no luck, or did people strike out with NYC firms? Did UofC really weather the recession worse than its peer schools?

Also, I realize that OCI in the fall of 2009 was brutal, but class of 2012 2L summer numbers still look rough (76% at firms, down from 89% for class of 2010). What's the sense for this year (2013 2L summers)? I was told by a student when visiting that, "getting jobs is like, really easy." I'm wondering how that squares with experiences of 25%-35% of the class of 2011.

TBF, the experience of the rising 3L class was VERY different from the graduating 3Ls. Those guys really had it rough at OCI.

[noBass]

what kind of academic support is offered at Chicago? are there peer mentors ect for 1Ls? obviously one doesn't aim for it, but if you do poorly in a class is there an extra class or something like that or are you just pushed through?

[duckmoney]

what kind of academic support is offered at Chicago? are there peer mentors ect for 1Ls? obviously one doesn't aim for it, but if you do poorly in a class is there an extra class or something like that or are you just pushed through?

There are academic peer counselors, and you can always go to the dean of students, but for the most part everyone is just able to do fine on their own. Exams are graded on a curve, and the lowest grade is usually a C of some sort, so no one really fails classes. I've heard that if you get below a 168 or something the dean of students calls you in and talks to you, but you get credit as long as you stay above like a 160, which you should do as long as you speak English and know what a tort or contract is.

[2014]

First two of potentially many questions, I'm still combing through this thread

1. Is the COA budget sufficient to live in a studio in Regents/Del Prado/Algonqin? They have room and board at 13,500 which barely covers a years rent in any of those buildings, so it doesn't seem to leave much left for utilities/food/booze. Is there enough padding in the other categories to make do?

2. For bringing a car, do you know if it is possible to only get a garage pass for a couple of months to have it there and get acclimated? I'm thinking of driving up and having a car to get moved in and settled and then taking it home for thanksgiving and leaving it. Sound feasible?

Thanks in advance!

[StrictlyBusiness]

2. For bringing a car, do you know if it is possible to only get a garage pass for a couple of months to have it there and get acclimated? I'm thinking of driving up and having a car to get moved in and settled and then taking it home for thanksgiving and leaving it. Sound feasible?

Regents does parking on a monthly basis. I mentioned that I might not want to pay for a spot after Christmas and they made it seem like it was no big deal to do something like that. Not sure about Del Prado or anywhere else.

[blank403]

First two of potentially many questions, I'm still combing through this thread

1. Is the COA budget sufficient to live in a studio in Regents/Del Prado/Algonqin? They have room and board at 13,500 which barely covers a years rent in any of those buildings, so it doesn't seem to leave much left for utilities/food/booze. Is there enough padding in the other categories to make do?

2. For bringing a car, do you know if it is possible to only get a garage pass for a couple of months to have it there and get acclimated? I'm thinking of driving up and having a car to get moved in and settled and then taking it home for thanksgiving and leaving it. Sound feasible?

Thanks in advance!

COA budget is for 9 months, not 12.

[Xifeng]

First two of potentially many questions, I'm still combing through this thread

1. Is the COA budget sufficient to live in a studio in Regents/Del Prado/Algonqin? They have room and board at 13,500 which barely covers a years rent in any of those buildings, so it doesn't seem to leave much left for utilities/food/booze. Is there enough padding in the other categories to make do?

2. For bringing a car, do you know if it is possible to only get a garage pass for a couple of months to have it there and get acclimated? I'm thinking of driving up and having a car to get moved in and settled and then taking it home for thanksgiving and leaving it. Sound feasible?

Thanks in advance!

COA budget is for 9 months, not 12.

It's for 9 months, but you can probably assume you'll be getting at least $5k (summer money) and just average it out for 12 months, that's what I did.

The transportation budget is huge, and the book budget is GIANT. Unless you buy every single casebook brand new from the campus bookstore, there is no way you'll get near that amount (and every supplement known to mankind). If you're really concerned about it you can PM me and I can show you my general budget breakdown. No one I know has had any serious budget problems (even with one bedrooms) unless they spend really irresponsibly.

[Bildungsroman]

yeah, there's extra room in the book budget and transportation budget. I think I spent like $400 total on books this entire year.

But the credited response is, don't live in a studio. Get a two-bedroom and a roommate.

[2014]

Just assumed that finding a roommate was easier said than done at this stage of the game , thanks for the advice all and I'm gonna PM you Xifeng

Eta: Is it abnormal to have a studio or 1BR? Do most people find roommates?