| |
The University of Illinois College of LawWritten by Hadi Sedigh Due in part to its proximity and access to the Chicago legal community, the University of Illinois College of Law is among the Midwest’s most prestigious law schools and is also regarded as one the nation’s top public law schools. Located in Champaign, a college-town approximately two hours south of Chicago, the school offers potential students an environment well-suited to academic pursuits in which to study law, as well as excellent job prospects in Chicago and throughout the Midwest. Admissions and Tuition: With over 3,000 applicants vying for less than 200 seats in a typical year, the University of Illinois College of Law has a highly competitive admissions process. Like most law schools, the admissions committee of Illinois places great weight on an applicant’s LSAT score and GPA as it looks to fill seats in its entering classes. Generally, in order to be competitive in this process, an applicant’s LSAT score should be near or above the impressive 166 median score of the school’s most recent entering class, and his or her GPA should be near or above the 3.60 median GPA of this class. Of course, like at other law schools, students able to demonstrate ways in which they may be able to contribute to the diversity of the student body of Illinois increase their chances of admission. Thus, applicants, especially those with lower LSAT scores and GPAs, should do their best to highlight any diversifying attributes in their applications through the personal statement. Because Illinois is a public school, residents of the state pay significantly less in yearly tuition while enrolled at the law school. For the entering class of 2007, in-state tuition was $23,000, compared to the $33,000 figure for non-residents, who comprised 42% of the class. Both figures are considerably lower than the $40,000 tuition rates of other similarly regarded law schools, however. To help students with these expenses, Illinois automatically considers each admitted applicant for scholarships ranging from $2,000 to full tuition. Typically, nearly 60% of Illinois’ student-body receive grants or scholarships, at a median amount of $6,000. It can be said that Illinois is fairly liberal in awarding full-tuition scholarships, as nearly 10% of the school’s student body generally receive such awards, a rate much higher than most other elite law schools. Academic Reputation and Curriculum: Given the school’s status as one of the top law schools in the nation, it should come as no surprise that Illinois enjoys an excellent academic reputation. Although the school’s faculty is well-published and recognized in the legal field, current students have found most professors to be accessible and welcoming outside of class. Further, Illinois houses ten specialized programs, ranging from more common topics such as international law and criminal law to somewhat unique topics such as Asian law. The school’s student-edited law journal, the University of Illinois Law Review, also adds to the school’s academic prestige, as it is generally regarded as one of the finest law journals in the country. First-year students at Illinois enjoy a bit of freedom in putting together their 1L schedules, as they are allowed one elective course in the second semester of their first year at Illinois. In the second and third years, students are mostly free to choose from among 150 course titles to round out their legal education. Because Illinois employs a bid system of course selection that gives priority to 3Ls, it is highly unlikely that a student is unable to enroll in a certain course before graduation. Also of note, Illinois takes pride in its relatively small class sizes, as first-year sections typically contain no more than 70 students, and most upper level courses are capped at 25 students. Quality of Life: Although Champaign is a relatively small town, the huge number of students enrolled at the various schools of the University of Illinois converge to energize the town during the academic year. To cater to this sizeable student body, Champaign houses plenty of hip bars, restaurants, and clubs at which students can pass their free time. Also, the competitive football and basketball teams of the university offer students the opportunity to participate in the many festivities that generally surround Big Ten athletics. Over 50 student organizations provide students the opportunity to get involved on campus and to become familiar with fellow students who hold similar interests, backgrounds, or ideologies. Like most Midwestern towns, Champaign’s cost of living is extremely low, and housing of all types is readily available near the law school. Traffic and crime are generally not an issue in Champaign, helping to reduce the stress-levels of the many students of the town. Employment Prospects and Bar Passage: Undoubtedly, one of the most attractive aspects of the University of Illinois College of Law is its access to the top law firms in nearby Chicago. Each year, these firms travel the short distance to Champaign to interview Illinois’ students, and not surprisingly, more Illinois alumni work in Chicago than in any other city. Outside of Chicago and its surrounding area, Illinois also enjoys an excellent reputation throughout the Midwest. Although students hoping to secure employment outside of the Midwest generally face a more difficult job search, the school’s large alumni network has spread all over the nation and promises to be an invaluable resource to all Illinois students and graduates. Generally, most Illinois graduates stay in-state to take the bar exam, and first-time takers pass the exam at a higher rate than the overall state average. In 2006, 85% of first-time takers in the state passed the exam, while 90% of Illinois graduates did so. For students entering the private sector, about 60% of a typical graduating class, starting salaries are $125,000 at the median. Synopsis: One of the main feeder schools of the Chicago legal community, the University of Illinois College of Law has earned a reputation as one of the best law schools in the Midwest. Especially for Illinois residents, who can attend at a bargain rate, the school promises to be a wise and fruitful investment. Contact Information: 504 East Pennsylvania Avenue Quick Reference: U.S. News 2008 Ranking: 25th |
Stanford Law School Yale Law School Harvard Law School Virginia Law School Pepperdine Law School Northwestern Law School Cornell Law School Michigan Law School Golden Gate Law School Duke Law School Columbia Law School Temple Law School Loyola Law School UCLA Law School Villanova Law School New York University Law School UC Hastings Law School Santa Clara Law School UPenn Law School Berkeley Boalt Hall University of Chicago Law School UC Davis Law School Fordham Law School George Washington Law School Georgetown University Law Center New York Law School UNC Chapel Hill Law School Boston College Law School Boston University School of Law Emory University Law School The University of Iowa College of Law University of Minnesota Law School The University of Texas School of Law The University of Southern California School of Law (Gould) Vanderbilt University Law School Washington University in St. Louis School of Law Wisconsin Law School The University of Alabama School of Law George Mason University School of Law The University of Colorado School of Law Indiana University School of Law - Bloomington University of Notre Dame Law School The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law The University of Illinois College of Law The University of Washington School of Law William & Mary School of Law Washington and Lee University School of Law The Arizona State University College of Law The Baylor University School of Law The Case Western Reserve University School of Law The University of Georgia School of Law The Brigham Young University Law School The Southern Methodist University School of Law Tulane University Law School The University of Connecticut School of Law The University of Florida College of Law Wake Forest University School of Law Vermont Law School The University of Utah College of Law Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law of Yeshiva University The University of Tennessee College of Law The University of Cincinnati College of Law The University of Pittsburgh School of Law University of Maryland School of Law The University of Kentucky College of Law The University of Houston College of Law The Florida State University College of Law Chicago-Kent College of Law (Illinois Institute of Technology) Brooklyn Law School University of Arizona College of Law American University College of Law Canada: University of Toronto Faculty of Law University of San Diego School of Law Northeastern University School of Law University of Hawaii Richardson School of Law University Of Miami School Of Law The University of Richmond School of Law Oregon School Of Law Lewis & Clark School of Law Rutgers Law - Camden South Carolina Law University of Seattle School of Law PSU School of Law DePaul University College of Law Rutgers-Newark School of Law |