Illinois 2011 applicants! Forum
- samfii
- Posts: 190
- Joined: Thu Nov 04, 2010 2:09 pm
Re: Illinois 2011 applicants!
Sooooo... how was it everyone?!!?
- mez06
- Posts: 349
- Joined: Tue Jun 08, 2010 4:11 pm
Re: Illinois 2011 applicants!
+1 seriously. What's up with the feedback? lol I'm eager to hear everyone's thoughts.samfii wrote:Sooooo... how was it everyone?!!?
- anthropologieaddict
- Posts: 151
- Joined: Fri May 28, 2010 8:17 pm
Re: Illinois 2011 applicants!
I really enjoyed myself! It seemed like the other potential classmates I spoke with did too. I got a lot of invaluable information, especially from the student panel and from Pless on financial aid/possible scholarships. As well as on potential places to live. Everyone was very welcoming and thought it was a long day, I felt it to be very worthwhile. Even for me as someone that already knows I'm attending. And I got to tour the ARC (their rec center) which was in one word, incredible. The Dean also gave a lot of good information, specifically on job prospects and what they are doing to get their graduates grades. I got a chance to speak with the lady who runs career services and she gave some valuable insight, specifically that they work with alumni well after they graduate to secure them jobs. She specifically spoke to me about an alum from the 1970's who they were currently working with to secure a position. Overall, great! I don't want to go on and bore everyone with the details but if you have any questions about it please ask!mez06 wrote:+1 seriously. What's up with the feedback? lol I'm eager to hear everyone's thoughts.samfii wrote:Sooooo... how was it everyone?!!?
- KingRajesh
- Posts: 117
- Joined: Sun Jan 16, 2011 3:39 pm
Re: Illinois 2011 applicants!
I enjoyed it as well! The Mock Class was very fun because Dean Smith is such an engaging individual. The Student/Faculty panels were great! Tons of really frank answers with little to no canned answers or sugarcoating. My parents really loved the school too.anthropologieaddict wrote:I really enjoyed myself! It seemed like the other potential classmates I spoke with did too. I got a lot of invaluable information, especially from the student panel and from Pless on financial aid/possible scholarships. As well as on potential places to live. Everyone was very welcoming and thought it was a long day, I felt it to be very worthwhile. Even for me as someone that already knows I'm attending. And I got to tour the ARC (their rec center) which was in one word, incredible. The Dean also gave a lot of good information, specifically on job prospects and what they are doing to get their graduates grades. I got a chance to speak with the lady who runs career services and she gave some valuable insight, specifically that they work with alumni well after they graduate to secure them jobs. She specifically spoke to me about an alum from the 1970's who they were currently working with to secure a position. Overall, great! I don't want to go on and bore everyone with the details but if you have any questions about it please ask!mez06 wrote:+1 seriously. What's up with the feedback? lol I'm eager to hear everyone's thoughts.samfii wrote:Sooooo... how was it everyone?!!?
The ARC is quite possibly, the best gym I've ever seen. 4 levels with 14 tons of weight equipment on the bottom floor? Awesome.
Pless said that he would be sending out an email with job placement for all but two of Illini Law graduates of the past couple years, and he would also email out salary information for 80% of the graduates.
I'm excited. I'm 95% sure I'm going to Illinois.
- masochist
- Posts: 247
- Joined: Tue Jun 29, 2010 3:14 pm
Re: Illinois 2011 applicants!
I'd second everything that was said by the two posters above. Illinois seems aggressively forthright, and the administration appears to take a lot of pride in making sure that applicants have accurate and reliable information about UIUC before they decide to matriculate. Both the current students and the accepted students were really friendly although the night out with the students was a little intimidating. The current student to accepted student ratio had to be about 10 to 1. ARC was awesome, and the cost of living in Champaign/Urbana is absurdly cheap. Barring a massive scholarship from the t14, I’ll be going to Illinois next year.KingRajesh wrote:I enjoyed it as well! The Mock Class was very fun because Dean Smith is such an engaging individual. The Student/Faculty panels were great! Tons of really frank answers with little to no canned answers or sugarcoating. My parents really loved the school too.anthropologieaddict wrote:I really enjoyed myself! It seemed like the other potential classmates I spoke with did too. I got a lot of invaluable information, especially from the student panel and from Pless on financial aid/possible scholarships. As well as on potential places to live. Everyone was very welcoming and thought it was a long day, I felt it to be very worthwhile. Even for me as someone that already knows I'm attending. And I got to tour the ARC (their rec center) which was in one word, incredible. The Dean also gave a lot of good information, specifically on job prospects and what they are doing to get their graduates grades. I got a chance to speak with the lady who runs career services and she gave some valuable insight, specifically that they work with alumni well after they graduate to secure them jobs. She specifically spoke to me about an alum from the 1970's who they were currently working with to secure a position. Overall, great! I don't want to go on and bore everyone with the details but if you have any questions about it please ask!mez06 wrote:+1 seriously. What's up with the feedback? lol I'm eager to hear everyone's thoughts.samfii wrote:Sooooo... how was it everyone?!!?
The ARC is quite possibly, the best gym I've ever seen. 4 levels with 14 tons of weight equipment on the bottom floor? Awesome.
Pless said that he would be sending out an email with job placement for all but two of Illini Law graduates of the past couple years, and he would also email out salary information for 80% of the graduates.
I'm excited. I'm 95% sure I'm going to Illinois.
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- mez06
- Posts: 349
- Joined: Tue Jun 08, 2010 4:11 pm
Re: Illinois 2011 applicants!
Is that part of the scheduled events for the admit day or was that something random put on by some of the law students? And was it really a night out or simply another reception that just happened to be at night ?masochist wrote:I'd second everything that was said by the two posters above. Illinois seems aggressively forthright, and the administration appears to take a lot of pride in making sure that applicants have accurate and reliable information about UIUC before they decide to matriculate. Both the current students and the accepted students were really friendly although the night out with the students was a little intimidating. The current student to accepted student ratio had to be about 10 to 1. ARC was awesome, and the cost of living in Champaign/Urbana is absurdly cheap. Barring a massive scholarship from the t14, I’ll be going to Illinois next year.KingRajesh wrote:I enjoyed it as well! The Mock Class was very fun because Dean Smith is such an engaging individual. The Student/Faculty panels were great! Tons of really frank answers with little to no canned answers or sugarcoating. My parents really loved the school too.anthropologieaddict wrote:I really enjoyed myself! It seemed like the other potential classmates I spoke with did too. I got a lot of invaluable information, especially from the student panel and from Pless on financial aid/possible scholarships. As well as on potential places to live. Everyone was very welcoming and thought it was a long day, I felt it to be very worthwhile. Even for me as someone that already knows I'm attending. And I got to tour the ARC (their rec center) which was in one word, incredible. The Dean also gave a lot of good information, specifically on job prospects and what they are doing to get their graduates grades. I got a chance to speak with the lady who runs career services and she gave some valuable insight, specifically that they work with alumni well after they graduate to secure them jobs. She specifically spoke to me about an alum from the 1970's who they were currently working with to secure a position. Overall, great! I don't want to go on and bore everyone with the details but if you have any questions about it please ask!samfii wrote:Sooooo... how was it everyone?!!?
The ARC is quite possibly, the best gym I've ever seen. 4 levels with 14 tons of weight equipment on the bottom floor? Awesome.
Pless said that he would be sending out an email with job placement for all but two of Illini Law graduates of the past couple years, and he would also email out salary information for 80% of the graduates.
I'm excited. I'm 95% sure I'm going to Illinois.
Also, what were you guys thoughts about the actual city? The vibe of the student body of the law school?
Reason I ask, I visited a Top 40 school and def. didn't feel the vibe of intellectually curious and talkative students. Just bland personalities.
- KingRajesh
- Posts: 117
- Joined: Sun Jan 16, 2011 3:39 pm
Re: Illinois 2011 applicants!
It was a part of the scheduled event - a night out at some bar where you could just talk to students/some faculty. There was some food and free drinks, so it was sponsored by the school, but I didn't feel like it was a formal reception - you just had time to talk to people.mez06 wrote:
Is that part of the scheduled events for the admit day or was that something random put on by some of the law students? And was it really a night out or simply another reception that just happened to be at night ?
Also, what were you guys thoughts about the actual city? The vibe of the student body of the law school?
Reason I ask, I visited a Top 40 school and def. didn't feel the vibe of intellectually curious and talkative students. Just bland personalities.
The actual city is pretty awesome actually. Great public transportation, tons of different places to eat, a mall with decent stores, everything you'd expect from a big state school...
Every student that I talked to was actually really nice. People gave me their emails, answered questions, gave advice, and then introduced you to more people. I DID get a tour by some gunners though earlier that day. That was fun.
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Re: Illinois 2011 applicants!
was it cold? Did they talk about clerkships/ teaching fellowships?
what was your favorite experience of that weekend? and what sold Illinois for you (it seems for the most part all of you fell deeper in love after this weekend) do you recommend visiting?
what was your favorite experience of that weekend? and what sold Illinois for you (it seems for the most part all of you fell deeper in love after this weekend) do you recommend visiting?
- Hannibal
- Posts: 2211
- Joined: Mon Jul 12, 2010 12:00 pm
Re: Illinois 2011 applicants!
How did you guys get there? I'm wondering how easy it is to get in and out of U/C.
- anthropologieaddict
- Posts: 151
- Joined: Fri May 28, 2010 8:17 pm
Re: Illinois 2011 applicants!
It was in the 30's, they got some snow the night before the ASD. I think my favorite thing was just getting to hear all the different perspectives from the dean, pless, students, and faculty members. I don't really think you can get a sense of Illinois as a school and law school community without visiting, so if you are seriously considering attending I would highly recommend visiting. There was some talk about clerkships and academia (how one goes about getting those positions and such.)crossingforHYS wrote:was it cold? Did they talk about clerkships/ teaching fellowships?
what was your favorite experience of that weekend? and what sold Illinois for you (it seems for the most part all of you fell deeper in love after this weekend) do you recommend visiting?
EDIT: I drove in (about a 5 hour drive) but there were students who said they flew into indy and drove in (it's about a hundred miles from there, once you reach the Illinois border from Indiana it is only 38 miles to Champaign.)
- KingRajesh
- Posts: 117
- Joined: Sun Jan 16, 2011 3:39 pm
Re: Illinois 2011 applicants!
I flew into Chicago and then drove down with a rental car. It was about 2 hours. If you fly into Indy and drive, it's 2 hours that way too.Hannibal wrote:How did you guys get there? I'm wondering how easy it is to get in and out of U/C.
You can also take the Amtrak, most of the students recommended flying and then taking the train.
You ALSO can fly directly INTO Champaign.
It was pretty cold some days, but nothing too insane like 20's or anything. There was a bit of snow, but the roads were clear and safe to drive on.crossingforHYS wrote:was it cold? Did they talk about clerkships/ teaching fellowships?
what was your favorite experience of that weekend? and what sold Illinois for you (it seems for the most part all of you fell deeper in love after this weekend) do you recommend visiting?
My favorite experience of the weekend was either the mock class (everybody walked out of the class starstruck) or the night out with the law school (mostly the 1Ls, I only met like 2 people who weren't having fun, and everybody was really inviting).
I can't iterate how transparent the Deans and faculty seemed to be and how hard they said they work to get graduates jobs. Dean Smith talked about the innovative summer programs that he's doing and also how he flies out to secondary markets with resumes in hand to try to get a foothold in those markets for his students. That, coupled with a forthcoming email about how much 80% of the graduates of Illinois grads are making and where all but 2 are working makes Illinois a very easy sell.
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- Joined: Sat Feb 26, 2011 6:53 pm
Re: Illinois 2011 applicants!
I attended undergrad at Illinois, so if anyone has any questions about Champaign-Urbana, the campus, or anything else just let me know. You can fly directly into Willard Airport (Basically Champaign, technically Savoy) however it is really expensive to do so. I suggest to either fly into Chicago Midway or O'hare and either drive down, take the train (Amtrak), or take the buses (Megabus, Lex Express, Suburban Express). Following the speed limit, it is a 2.5 hr drive, but as a fair warning, no one follows the speed limit on I-57. You can also fly into Indianapolis which is a 2 hr drive or St Louis which is a 3 hr drive. Champaign weather can be eclectic. In my three years there we've had tornado warnings, a blizzard, and above 100 degree days. You can expect 60 degrees or so from mid April to September, then it gets cold. The C-U is a college town(s) to say the least, however there is also a downtown Champaign which is very nice and classy for those who want less "college-esque" bars and restaurants. Also, the Arc is everything it is cracked up to be. I worked there and worked out there, wonderful facilities. Again, if anyone has any questions just post or PM me.
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- Joined: Sat Nov 06, 2010 10:36 pm
Re: Illinois 2011 applicants!
lol... I think I was one of your tour guides. But I'm glad you had a good time otherwise.KingRajesh wrote: Every student that I talked to was actually really nice. People gave me their emails, answered questions, gave advice, and then introduced you to more people. I DID get a tour by some gunners though earlier that day. That was fun.
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- KingRajesh
- Posts: 117
- Joined: Sun Jan 16, 2011 3:39 pm
Re: Illinois 2011 applicants!
Nah, I had a good time with everything!illinin wrote:lol... I think I was one of your tour guides. But I'm glad you had a good time otherwise.KingRajesh wrote: Every student that I talked to was actually really nice. People gave me their emails, answered questions, gave advice, and then introduced you to more people. I DID get a tour by some gunners though earlier that day. That was fun.
- Hannibal
- Posts: 2211
- Joined: Mon Jul 12, 2010 12:00 pm
Re: Illinois 2011 applicants!
Two really interesting things from the reception tonight:
1. It looks like the decrease in class sizes is one way UIUC is trying to get its best class ever. Dean Smith said they're probably going to beat Berkeley's numbers and match/surpass Cornell's.
2. Not sure if I'm the last to find out about this but Dean Smith also said something about the tuition amount being guaranteed at matriculation for all three years. Which is...ya know. Crazy. Not sure about the details on it.
1. It looks like the decrease in class sizes is one way UIUC is trying to get its best class ever. Dean Smith said they're probably going to beat Berkeley's numbers and match/surpass Cornell's.
2. Not sure if I'm the last to find out about this but Dean Smith also said something about the tuition amount being guaranteed at matriculation for all three years. Which is...ya know. Crazy. Not sure about the details on it.
- NancyBotwin
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Re: Illinois 2011 applicants!
Not sure if anyone has mentioned this, but the school is also currently completely revamping Career Services.
- mez06
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Re: Illinois 2011 applicants!
how so?NancyBotwin wrote:Not sure if anyone has mentioned this, but the school is also currently completely revamping Career Services.
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Re: Illinois 2011 applicants!
mez06 wrote:how so?NancyBotwin wrote:Not sure if anyone has mentioned this, but the school is also currently completely revamping Career Services.
+1
- NancyBotwin
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Re: Illinois 2011 applicants!
They hired some new people, including a new Executive Assistant Dean, who is going to be based out of Chicago - he's supposed to help market the school better to Chicago and other areas - and some other people, too. The current people will still be around to help out, too. I'm not sure other specifics, but Dean Smith sent out an email about it and said, "Please note, as well, that I am always happy to meet with you to discuss your professional goals. Our aim is ambitious: to have the most expert, most creative, and most effective professional development program of any law school in the nation. We look forward to working with you to realize that ambition."mez06 wrote:how so?NancyBotwin wrote:Not sure if anyone has mentioned this, but the school is also currently completely revamping Career Services.
So we'll see how it all goes.
- anthropologieaddict
- Posts: 151
- Joined: Fri May 28, 2010 8:17 pm
Re: Illinois 2011 applicants!
1. The student that gave me my tour at ASD seemed to think that the decrease in class size also had something to do with the school's capacity. I guess the last two years have resulted in very large classes (relatively speaking) so they need to make sure everyone fits so to speak.Hannibal wrote:Two really interesting things from the reception tonight:
1. It looks like the decrease in class sizes is one way UIUC is trying to get its best class ever. Dean Smith said they're probably going to beat Berkeley's numbers and match/surpass Cornell's.
2. Not sure if I'm the last to find out about this but Dean Smith also said something about the tuition amount being guaranteed at matriculation for all three years. Which is...ya know. Crazy. Not sure about the details on it.
2. I thought this was crazy/amazing also when Pless told us at ASD! He just told us that they are projecting a $2,000 increase next year and that they will be sending us an estimated Cost of Attendance next month. If the board approves their current increase around May then that COA will stay the same, if not they will send us a new one. And we will be the first class where all increases are matched dollar for dollar with our scholarships. Pless also said that he thought they were the only law school doing this.
- KingRajesh
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Re: Illinois 2011 applicants!
Smaller classes + more faculty = HIGHER USNWR!
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Re: Illinois 2011 applicants!
I'm officially visiting campus next Friday Sad that I can't make an ASW, but I can't wait!!! (where are all my fellow applicants/admitted students?)
- Hannibal
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Re: Illinois 2011 applicants!
A couple thoughts on the email:
1. The employment % is pretty encouraging, since the "ITE" classes still had 98% employment.
2. The salary numbers, on the other hand, are a little discomforting. Median of 77k with 80% reporting, I'm guessing the median was more like 65k. I wonder how much this was impacted by the economy, how much is self-selection, etc.
1. The employment % is pretty encouraging, since the "ITE" classes still had 98% employment.
2. The salary numbers, on the other hand, are a little discomforting. Median of 77k with 80% reporting, I'm guessing the median was more like 65k. I wonder how much this was impacted by the economy, how much is self-selection, etc.
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Re: Illinois 2011 applicants!
I definitely agree with ya! I wish more than 80% were reporting salary info but I guess there's not too much the school can do about that...Hannibal wrote:A couple thoughts on the email:
1. The employment % is pretty encouraging, since the "ITE" classes still had 98% employment.
2. The salary numbers, on the other hand, are a little discomforting. Median of 77k with 80% reporting, I'm guessing the median was more like 65k. I wonder how much this was impacted by the economy, how much is self-selection, etc.
I thought it was also rather encouraging that while 2/3 start in-state, 1/3 make it OOS. I wouldn't be banking on that by any means (I love Chi!!), but I'd imagine that if someone does well enough at UIUC they can get to where they'd like to be.
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Re: Illinois 2011 applicants!
yikes....77k? bye bye biglawHannibal wrote:A couple thoughts on the email:
1. The employment % is pretty encouraging, since the "ITE" classes still had 98% employment.
2. The salary numbers, on the other hand, are a little discomforting. Median of 77k with 80% reporting, I'm guessing the median was more like 65k. I wonder how much this was impacted by the economy, how much is self-selection, etc.
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