UIUC v. W&M Forum

[ocajavati]

Out of state for both.

$14,721 per year for tuition and fees for UIUC.
$21,800 per year for tuition and fees for W&M

UIUC has locked in the tuition cost for the next three years, whereas W&M will probably increase slightly.

I don't really mind working in either Richmond or Chicago. I'm from the West coast, and hope to one day get back to California. I'm fairly realistic about this, so I don't expect that to happen for a while. I have no special preference between Illinois or Virginia.

Any ideas?

Should the whole Pless scandal factor into my decision at UIUC? It seems to me that they're being overwhelmingly generous with scholly and accepting students with much lower number than the previous years, and I can't help but being concerned with further ranking drop. I realize ranking does not correlate with employment prospect regionally, it's still somewhat alarming.

Any input would be highly appreciated.

EDITED: 3.5 / 169. First test. Due to the death of a close family member, I ended up applying VERY late in the cycle. For pretty much the exact same reason, there is now an urgency for me to wrap up my law school pursuit ASAP.

[The Rover]

GPA / LSAT

[ocajavati]

GPA / LSAT

3.5 / 169. First test.

[The Rover]

Don't you have any California options with those numbers?

[ocajavati]

Don't you have any California options with those numbers?

Um, updated the first post. Most California law school's deadline passed before I flew back to the state to wrap up my LoR/LSAT. I'm on the waitlist for UCLA and Hastings, but I'm not really expectng anything. My applications were actually officially completed past their deadlines, and I most likely can't afford to head to Hastings without $.

BC/BU are still under review. Given my late application, I don't blame them.

Before the whole inevitable you-could-have-applied-anyways, it was pretty much impossible, for more circumstances than I can't really go into.

[Ludo!]

Illinois 2l here (also from CA). In terms of employment prospects I can't imagine the scandal will have any impact at all, at least not anytime soon. The scandal broke while I was still interviewing last year and while I was asked about it, it didn't hurt my search any. In fact my class as a whole did a lot better at OCI than the last few years. Illinois still has a ton of alums in Chicago and they still want to hire Illinois grads. If you are ok with working in Chicago then Illinois is a great option at that price in my opinion. It's good that you're realistic about not going back to California right away. Illinois is a very regional school, and while it's possible to go to other markets it definitely cannot be counted on.

Job prospects are better at Illinois and Illinois is offering you more money. I vote Illinois.

(edit: also agree with below. Taking a year off and not applying late is almost always TCR)

[The Rover]

I'm sorry for your loss. However, you really need to take a year off and apply in September for next cycle. You won't regret it. With your current numbers you would definitely have some decent options at schools in Cali.

[ocajavati]

Illinois 2l here (also from CA). In terms of employment prospects I can't imagine the scandal will have any impact at all, at least not anytime soon. The scandal broke while I was still interviewing last year and while I was asked about it, it didn't hurt my search any. In fact my class as a whole did a lot better at OCI than the last few years. Illinois still has a ton of alums in Chicago and they still want to hire Illinois grads. If you are ok with working in Chicago then Illinois is a great option at that price in my opinion. It's good that you're realistic about not going back to California right away. Illinois is a very regional school, and while it's possible to go to other markets it definitely cannot be counted on.

Job prospects are better at Illinois and Illinois is offering you more money. I vote Illinois.

Thanks for the advice. It's very reassuring to hear from a current student.

[ocajavati]

I'm sorry for your loss. However, you really need to take a year off and apply in September for next cycle. You won't regret it. With your current numbers you would definitely have some decent options at schools in Cali.

I am considering that. It should be noted that I am just getting out of UCLA UG and will most likely be unemployed. It will probably be several months after graduation until I land a decent job. Having been out of state for the past few months, I had to forfeit some internship offers that might have led to employment.

I'm fairly certain that most employers would frown upon the idea of hiring someone that's taking off in less than a few month.

With that possibility in mind, if I am to put in a deposit for one of the two, which of the two should I choose?

I can't quite afford to make a deposit for both at this point.

[The Rover]

I'm sorry for your loss. However, you really need to take a year off and apply in September for next cycle. You won't regret it. With your current numbers you would definitely have some decent options at schools in Cali.

I am considering that. It should be noted that I am just getting out of UCLA UG and will most likely be unemployed. It will probably be several months after graduation until I land a decent job. Having been out of state for the past few months, I had to forfeit some internship offers that might have led to employment.

With that possibility in mind, if I am to put in a deposit for one of the two, which of the two should I choose?

I can't quite afford to make a deposit for both at this point.

Do you have family you could stay with while you work a part-time job? Really as long as it won't put you on the street you should take a year off. I would not waste your money depositing at either.

[ocajavati]

Do you have family you could stay with while you work a part-time job? Really as long as it won't put you on the street you should take a year off. I would not waste your money depositing at either.

I do, but the financial situation is bad for the family, due to the recent incident.

My plan, as of now, is to job search actively while placing a deposit in one of the two. If nothing turns up by the end of it, I will weigh my options then.

I gotta head out. (oncampus work at 4) Thanks again for your replies. Very much appreciated.

[CanadianWolf]

Neither is a good option for one targeting California. Ride out the waitlists at UCLA & Hastings with plans to reapply next cycle if nothing more in line with your goals & needs develops.

[minnbills]

I say reapply- you will have better options. If nothing else, bigger scholarships.

Maybe retake the LSAT just for good measure, too?