Illinois 2010! Forum

[Pless]

Dear Dean Pless,

In a previous post, you wrote(something to the effect of) "I am building a community and have to make sure I let people in who won't disturb that" in response to a question about disorderly conduct misdemeanors. I am wondering if your vision for UIUC's community includes people whose histories indicate that they may have challeneged the status quo - for example, on issues concerning the financial crisis, civil rights, or racial issues.

In my humble opinion, such individuals make strong contributions to any community, though such individuals might be thought of as disruptions or provocateurs. Such individuals might also be considered to be "disturbing" the community, even if their viewpoint is communicated in a way that's consistent with law, order and general social norms.

So my question is, would such activities and/or participation in such activities hamper an application to UIUC, or was your comment about building community really directed towards illegality,mayham, and violence rather than intellectual disruption? Sorry to put words in your mouth in my opening statement, I know that was not your exact quote.

I was referring to people that punch other people when they are upset. I like people that have different ideas and ideals.

[dvd]

`

[blurbz]

blurbz you're set on uiuc? no holding out for usc and cornell? great decision, congrats! maaaaybe i'll see you there next year.

Hey! Yeah, I am! I'm pretty set on living/working in one of the greater Chicago/DC/St. Louis markets, UIUC gave me great $$$, and I can't really justify paying a ton more for a degree from either Cornell or USC when job prospects are so similar (at least in my selected markets) between those schools and UIUC. I'm excited!

Where are you leaning?

Well, just to be clear, Cornell definitely holds more sway in DC than Illinois Law does.

This is definitely true. But I honestly don't think, especially considering the kind of law that I think I'll be most interested in, that paying literally over 100k more for a degree from Cornell is worth it for me. Great school, yes, but after my goals and research, I think UIUC is the more intelligent choice for me.

Additionally, I've gotten a much better "feel" at Illinois than I have from either Cornell or USC. Everyone who I talked to, whether they are paid by the school or not, seemed genuinely happy and excited to be there, which was a feeling that I just didn't get at any other school to which I applied.

[FunkyJD]

Got my thumbdrive, too. Damn. Industrial strength.

[rmatha]

Dean Pless,

I know you have mentioned a few times there may be some movement on the waitlist after April 1, but, most likely, not until after first seat deposits are due April 30. Any indication which looks more promising at this point? Thank you in advance.

[nyskidude]

I visited Illinois over my spring break last week. The school was nice, and my tour guide was very honest and helpful. I really liked the campus, but I didn't get good vibes from the town itself... I walked from campus to the greyhound station and I didn't feel safe at all. I would have still attended, but I was knocked outta the park by Iowa, so I will be attending there next Fall. Thank you, though, Dean Pless, for being so up front about the admissions process. It was very relaxing and enticing.

[Pless]

Dean Pless,
I know you have mentioned a few times there may be some movement on the waitlist after April 1, but, most likely, not until after first seat deposits are due April 30. Any indication which looks more promising at this point? Thank you in advance.

We will certainly make wait list offers this year. I don't think they will come before May 1 though. If I had to guess, I would say WL activity would be moderate to heavy.

[zILch]

Dean Pless,
I know you have mentioned a few times there may be some movement on the waitlist after April 1, but, most likely, not until after first seat deposits are due April 30. Any indication which looks more promising at this point? Thank you in advance.

We will certainly make wait list offers this year. I don't think they will come before May 1 though. If I had to guess, I would say WL activity would be moderate to heavy.

Why will it be so heavy? Have a lot of people been withdrawing? What do you think it'll do to Illinois's stats?

[cr073137]

So I took the days off to make to the ASD, my boss wasnt happy but what can he do? fire me? lol, im leaving in two months anyway. Anyhow, I'm flying directly to Champaign airport, besides the shuttle that seems to take forever, does anyone know what's the best way to get to the law school? and does anyone have any suggestions of hotels to stay at that are close to the law school.

[Pless]

Dean Pless,
I know you have mentioned a few times there may be some movement on the waitlist after April 1, but, most likely, not until after first seat deposits are due April 30. Any indication which looks more promising at this point? Thank you in advance.

We will certainly make wait list offers this year. I don't think they will come before May 1 though. If I had to guess, I would say WL activity would be moderate to heavy.

Why will it be so heavy? Have a lot of people been withdrawing? What do you think it'll do to Illinois's stats?

We haven't had many withdrawals yet. Given how big some other schools wait lists are and how long they are taking to make decisions, I think there will be a lot of activity this year. Just a guess on my part, but WL activity has increased every year I have had this job. I think that the Class of 2013 will be the best the College has ever had.

[JCougar]

Dean Pless:

Given that applications are up more than applicants across the board, it seems that people are, in general, applying to more schools. And as long as they are not getting rejected from all the extra schools to which they apply (i.e. applying only to more reaches), applicants will seemingly be admitted to more places. Do you think this is going to significantly effect yield rate this year? Or is this already the cause for larger waitlists?

I ask this because a lot of schools seem to be saying this will be the best class in a long time (at least the ones I am applying to). You have said it, and UF and Wisconsin also seem to be thinking that they're going to raise their medians this year. Cornell has had an explosion in apps as well. Also, does the universal fee waiver impact your yield rates at all? I'd imagine that estimating yield rates has to be a pain. Miami kind of screwed up last year, and from what I have heard, Minnesota did as well, albiet in the other direction. With this cycle being a little different, how are you preparing?

Edited to add: Iowa as well seems to have an admitted class so far with way higher numbers than they expected.

[Pless]

The trend in applicants applying to more law schools has been going on for quite a while, this year is an incremental change, but actually less than I expected in this economy. We had always provided a high volume of fee waivers, so I don't think our change in application fee will impact our yield in a negative way. Most schools see their profiles increase a bit every year. In my six years at Illinois our profile has improved every year. I think it will again this year. I, along with every other admissions dean, will be stressed about our profiles until the first day of orientation. That is just the nature of this job.

[joonhp]

In review...time to pray

[lawschoolornothing]

Dean Pless,

When you are saying "best class ever", are you referring only to the numbers (UGPA and LSAT score) or the entirety of the class(racial background, geograhpic area, work experience...)? Thanks.

[Pless]

Dean Pless,

When you are saying "best class ever", are you referring only to the numbers (UGPA and LSAT score) or the entirety of the class(racial background, geograhpic area, work experience...)? Thanks.

The entirety of the class.

[JCougar]

The trend in applicants applying to more law schools has been going on for quite a while, this year is an incremental change, but actually less than I expected in this economy. We had always provided a high volume of fee waivers, so I don't think our change in application fee will impact our yield in a negative way. Most schools see their profiles increase a bit every year. In my six years at Illinois our profile has improved every year. I think it will again this year. I, along with every other admissions dean, will be stressed about our profiles until the first day of orientation. That is just the nature of this job.

Thanks! I was wondering if that was just this year because people were freaking out about the economy, or if it was a trend.

It seems as if one school bettering its profile would come at the expense of another school dropping, but I don't see this happening. Is this because there are more applicants (doesn't seem like there's that much more)? Or is this largely due to grade inflation in undergrad and/or the new LSAT retake rule (highest score is reported) that encourages more people to retake and increases the supply/percentage of people with higher LSAT scores by effectively filtering out the lower scores that don't need to be reported? In other words, although a 168 is 96th percentile, is it less unique because more people take the test multiple times, yet only their higher percentile gets reported?

Thanks again for participating on this board. It's an awesome opportunity to be able to speak with a dean to help us through this nerve-wracking process!

[CG614]

Dear Dean Pless,

In a previous post, you wrote(something to the effect of) "I am building a community and have to make sure I let people in who won't disturb that" in response to a question about disorderly conduct misdemeanors. I am wondering if your vision for UIUC's community includes people whose histories indicate that they may have challeneged the status quo - for example, on issues concerning the financial crisis, civil rights, or racial issues.

In my humble opinion, such individuals make strong contributions to any community, though such individuals might be thought of as disruptions or provocateurs. Such individuals might also be considered to be "disturbing" the community, even if their viewpoint is communicated in a way that's consistent with law, order and general social norms.

So my question is, would such activities and/or participation in such activities hamper an application to UIUC, or was your comment about building community really directed towards illegality,mayham, and violence rather than intellectual disruption? Sorry to put words in your mouth in my opening statement, I know that was not your exact quote.

I was referring to people that punch other people when they are upset. I like people that have different ideas and ideals.

This is great. I really enjoy your activity on this board.

[cr073137]

So I took the days off to make to the ASD, my boss wasnt happy but what can he do? fire me? lol, im leaving in two months anyway. Anyhow, I'm flying directly to Champaign airport, besides the shuttle that seems to take forever, does anyone know what's the best way to get to the law school? and does anyone have any suggestions of hotels to stay at that are close to the law school.

Anyone?

[Pless]

So I took the days off to make to the ASD, my boss wasnt happy but what can he do? fire me? lol, im leaving in two months anyway. Anyhow, I'm flying directly to Champaign airport, besides the shuttle that seems to take forever, does anyone know what's the best way to get to the law school? and does anyone have any suggestions of hotels to stay at that are close to the law school.

Anyone?

Cabs are really cheap. I would suggest the I Hotel, but there are quite a few that are relatively close to the College. The I Hotel has Zip cars to rent by the hour if you want to do a little more exploring.

[Pless]

Just ran across this, thought it might be interesting for people looking for more pictures of the area.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYzKamaMgEY

[Pless]

Thanks! I was wondering if that was just this year because people were freaking out about the economy, or if it was a trend.
It seems as if one school bettering its profile would come at the expense of another school dropping, but I don't see this happening. Is this because there are more applicants (doesn't seem like there's that much more)? Or is this largely due to grade inflation in undergrad and/or the new LSAT retake rule (highest score is reported) that encourages more people to retake and increases the supply/percentage of people with higher LSAT scores by effectively filtering out the lower scores that don't need to be reported? In other words, although a 168 is 96th percentile, is it less unique because more people take the test multiple times, yet only their higher percentile gets reported?

I think the ability for schools to take the high score and the number of people retaking the test have made a difference. Grade inflation is having a gradual impact on it, but it probably wouldn't be noticeable from year to year. If you looked at it in ten year intervals I think you would see something to that.

[vkw104]

Does anyone know whether waitlist admits would still have an opportunity to qualify for some sort of scholarship or grant?

Thanks!

[jmhendri]

Does anyone know whether waitlist admits would still have an opportunity to qualify for some sort of scholarship or grant?

Thanks!

I believe Dean Pless said that waitlist admits are not ruled out for scholarship offers... but I still wouldn't hold my breath.

[legalzoom]

Dean Pless, any idea on when financial aid award emails will go out? Thanks.

[itsmytime10]

Dean Pless,

Does Illinois offer travel stipend for ASD?