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Hey, folks. I was recently admitted off the waitlist at UIUC with a hefty scholarship that I don't deserve but am grateful to have. It's made UIUC the easy decision by a mile, so I'll be attending this fall. I am pretty aware of their pipeline to Chicago, but do UIUC students fair well in St. Louis? I realize that the more ideal option for St. Louis specifically would be WUSTL, but is it realistic to think (assuming above median grades) I have decent opportunities of landing interviews with St. Louis firms?

olemiss18 wrote:Hey, folks. I was recently admitted off the waitlist at UIUC with a hefty scholarship that I don't deserve but am grateful to have. It's made UIUC the easy decision by a mile, so I'll be attending this fall. I am pretty aware of their pipeline to Chicago, but do UIUC students fair well in St. Louis? I realize that the more ideal option for St. Louis specifically would be WUSTL, but is it realistic to think (assuming above median grades) I have decent opportunities of landing interviews with St. Louis firms?

Yes, UIUC does a good job of placing in St. Louis. There are a lot of StL firms that go to OCI, including some 1L hiring. St. Louis big law is still competitive, you'll probably need to be top 1/4 to get it. But landing a job in general in StL shouldn't be that hard as long as you network

Are you from St. Louis? At least at WUSTL, it's tough to crack the market if you don't have strong ties to the area, although I can't speak to UIUC.

trebekismyhero wrote:

olemiss18 wrote:Hey, folks. I was recently admitted off the waitlist at UIUC with a hefty scholarship that I don't deserve but am grateful to have. It's made UIUC the easy decision by a mile, so I'll be attending this fall. I am pretty aware of their pipeline to Chicago, but do UIUC students fair well in St. Louis? I realize that the more ideal option for St. Louis specifically would be WUSTL, but is it realistic to think (assuming above median grades) I have decent opportunities of landing interviews with St. Louis firms?

Yes, UIUC does a good job of placing in St. Louis. There are a lot of StL firms that go to OCI, including some 1L hiring. St. Louis big law is still competitive, you'll probably need to be top 1/4 to get it. But landing a job in general in StL shouldn't be that hard as long as you network

I disagree with the bold. In general, it is very tough to get an STL big law job since there are so few of them. Going to U of I will not preclude one from being considered, but deep ties and rockstar grades are important.

carsondalywashere wrote:

trebekismyhero wrote:

olemiss18 wrote:Hey, folks. I was recently admitted off the waitlist at UIUC with a hefty scholarship that I don't deserve but am grateful to have. It's made UIUC the easy decision by a mile, so I'll be attending this fall. I am pretty aware of their pipeline to Chicago, but do UIUC students fair well in St. Louis? I realize that the more ideal option for St. Louis specifically would be WUSTL, but is it realistic to think (assuming above median grades) I have decent opportunities of landing interviews with St. Louis firms?

Yes, UIUC does a good job of placing in St. Louis. There are a lot of StL firms that go to OCI, including some 1L hiring. St. Louis big law is still competitive, you'll probably need to be top 1/4 to get it. But landing a job in general in StL shouldn't be that hard as long as you network

I disagree with the bold. In general, it is very tough to get an STL big law job since there are so few of them. Going to U of I will not preclude one from being considered, but deep ties and rockstar grades are important.

I said big law is hard that they would need top 1/4 grades. I don't think rock star (i.e. top 10%) is necessarily needed based on the ppl I know who got big law in St. Louis. I was talking about just landing a general legal job would not be that hard in St. Louis. Although I was assuming OP had some ties

OP, my answer is still retake since you have a ~4.0 GPA and a mediocre LSAT score.

Wubbles wrote:OP, my answer is still retake since you have a ~4.0 GPA and a mediocre LSAT score.

Thanks, you seem like a great person.

olemiss18 wrote:

Wubbles wrote:OP, my answer is still retake since you have a ~4.0 GPA and a mediocre LSAT score.

Thanks, you seem like a great person.

I'm just giving you the best advice there is. UIUC is a fine school, but with your GPA and goals you should be going to a better school for the same price. I was in a similar situation to you at one point and I retook. Feel free to PM me. I'm not trying to be a dick, I'm being honest.

olemiss18 wrote:

Wubbles wrote:OP, my answer is still retake since you have a ~4.0 GPA and a mediocre LSAT score.

Thanks, you seem like a great person.

They're giving you good advice....

Wubbles wrote:

olemiss18 wrote:

Wubbles wrote:OP, my answer is still retake since you have a ~4.0 GPA and a mediocre LSAT score.

Thanks, you seem like a great person.

I'm just giving you the best advice there is. UIUC is a fine school, but with your GPA and goals you should be going to a better school for the same price. I was in a similar situation to you at one point and I retook. Feel free to PM me. I'm not trying to be a dick, I'm being honest.

I know you didn't mean anything by it, but let me paint in the picture a bit: I have a neurological disorder that affects my fine motor skills. It's never been too great of a hindrance in classroom settings, but standardized exams are a different thing. I've always scored significantly lower on such exams compared to grades in the classroom, despite putting in the kind of time and effort that one would expect to produce similarly successful results. I felt like I did the best I could on the LSAT under the circumstances that I've grown up with and how I felt on test day.

I'm not at all saying you should know that about me before giving advice, because I agree that your advice is sound. But I do think it's best to not throwout judgmental adjectives like mediocre when you don't know if there's a story there. I really do appreciate your advice, and I'm sorry I was snarky.

olemiss18 wrote:

Wubbles wrote:

olemiss18 wrote:

Wubbles wrote:OP, my answer is still retake since you have a ~4.0 GPA and a mediocre LSAT score.

Thanks, you seem like a great person.

I'm just giving you the best advice there is. UIUC is a fine school, but with your GPA and goals you should be going to a better school for the same price. I was in a similar situation to you at one point and I retook. Feel free to PM me. I'm not trying to be a dick, I'm being honest.

I know you didn't mean anything by it, but let me paint in the picture a bit: I have a neurological disorder that affects my fine motor skills. It's never been too great of a hindrance in classroom settings, but standardized exams are a different thing. I've always scored significantly lower on such exams compared to grades in the classroom, despite putting in the kind of time and effort that one would expect to produce similarly successful results. I felt like I did the best I could on the LSAT under the circumstances that I've grown up with and how I felt on test day.

I'm not at all saying you should know that about me before giving advice, because I agree that your advice is sound. But I do think it's best to not throwout judgmental adjectives like mediocre when you don't know if there's a story there. I really do appreciate your advice, and I'm sorry I was snarky.

Will UIUC be giving you special accommodations? Unlike undergrad, 1L grades are almost entirely determined by timed exams similar to standardized exams

trebekismyhero wrote:

olemiss18 wrote:

Wubbles wrote:

olemiss18 wrote:

Wubbles wrote:OP, my answer is still retake since you have a ~4.0 GPA and a mediocre LSAT score.

Thanks, you seem like a great person.

I'm just giving you the best advice there is. UIUC is a fine school, but with your GPA and goals you should be going to a better school for the same price. I was in a similar situation to you at one point and I retook. Feel free to PM me. I'm not trying to be a dick, I'm being honest.

I know you didn't mean anything by it, but let me paint in the picture a bit: I have a neurological disorder that affects my fine motor skills. It's never been too great of a hindrance in classroom settings, but standardized exams are a different thing. I've always scored significantly lower on such exams compared to grades in the classroom, despite putting in the kind of time and effort that one would expect to produce similarly successful results. I felt like I did the best I could on the LSAT under the circumstances that I've grown up with and how I felt on test day.

I'm not at all saying you should know that about me before giving advice, because I agree that your advice is sound. But I do think it's best to not throwout judgmental adjectives like mediocre when you don't know if there's a story there. I really do appreciate your advice, and I'm sorry I was snarky.

Will UIUC be giving you special accommodations? Unlike undergrad, 1L grades are almost entirely determined by timed exams similar to standardized exams

Admittedly, I haven't begun communication with them on that front. I'd been debating it. If most exams are typed, I don't think it'll be a problem. Hand-to-pencil coordination is a lot more of an issue, and I'll likely talk with professors individually if that's the requirement or perhaps the law school itself.

Would LSAC not grant an accommodation?

Most law school exams are typed but there are some multiple choice ones. I never had one as a 1L that I can remember so might just mean you have to keep an eye on that when picking upper level classes, or might mean getting an accommodation.

olemiss18 wrote:

trebekismyhero wrote:

olemiss18 wrote:

Wubbles wrote:

olemiss18 wrote:

Wubbles wrote:OP, my answer is still retake since you have a ~4.0 GPA and a mediocre LSAT score.

Thanks, you seem like a great person.

I'm just giving you the best advice there is. UIUC is a fine school, but with your GPA and goals you should be going to a better school for the same price. I was in a similar situation to you at one point and I retook. Feel free to PM me. I'm not trying to be a dick, I'm being honest.

I know you didn't mean anything by it, but let me paint in the picture a bit: I have a neurological disorder that affects my fine motor skills. It's never been too great of a hindrance in classroom settings, but standardized exams are a different thing. I've always scored significantly lower on such exams compared to grades in the classroom, despite putting in the kind of time and effort that one would expect to produce similarly successful results. I felt like I did the best I could on the LSAT under the circumstances that I've grown up with and how I felt on test day.

I'm not at all saying you should know that about me before giving advice, because I agree that your advice is sound. But I do think it's best to not throwout judgmental adjectives like mediocre when you don't know if there's a story there. I really do appreciate your advice, and I'm sorry I was snarky.

Will UIUC be giving you special accommodations? Unlike undergrad, 1L grades are almost entirely determined by timed exams similar to standardized exams

Admittedly, I haven't begun communication with them on that front. I'd been debating it. If most exams are typed, I don't think it'll be a problem. Hand-to-pencil coordination is a lot more of an issue, and I'll likely talk with professors individually if that's the requirement or perhaps the law school itself.

Yeah, the vast majority of the exams will be typed, especially 1L, but I do remember that there were at least a couple 1L professors who had part of their exam as multiple choice. I would just flag it for the admin at UIUC now so they're aware.

Also, to hoos question, did you ask LSAC for an accommodation? I am an alum and have a good career, but if you can retake with accommodations and possibly get the same scholarship amount from a t-13 it is definitely something to consider.

trebekismyhero wrote:

olemiss18 wrote:

trebekismyhero wrote:

olemiss18 wrote:

Wubbles wrote:

olemiss18 wrote:

Wubbles wrote:OP, my answer is still retake since you have a ~4.0 GPA and a mediocre LSAT score.

Thanks, you seem like a great person.

I'm just giving you the best advice there is. UIUC is a fine school, but with your GPA and goals you should be going to a better school for the same price. I was in a similar situation to you at one point and I retook. Feel free to PM me. I'm not trying to be a dick, I'm being honest.

I know you didn't mean anything by it, but let me paint in the picture a bit: I have a neurological disorder that affects my fine motor skills. It's never been too great of a hindrance in classroom settings, but standardized exams are a different thing. I've always scored significantly lower on such exams compared to grades in the classroom, despite putting in the kind of time and effort that one would expect to produce similarly successful results. I felt like I did the best I could on the LSAT under the circumstances that I've grown up with and how I felt on test day.

I'm not at all saying you should know that about me before giving advice, because I agree that your advice is sound. But I do think it's best to not throwout judgmental adjectives like mediocre when you don't know if there's a story there. I really do appreciate your advice, and I'm sorry I was snarky.

Will UIUC be giving you special accommodations? Unlike undergrad, 1L grades are almost entirely determined by timed exams similar to standardized exams

Admittedly, I haven't begun communication with them on that front. I'd been debating it. If most exams are typed, I don't think it'll be a problem. Hand-to-pencil coordination is a lot more of an issue, and I'll likely talk with professors individually if that's the requirement or perhaps the law school itself.

Yeah, the vast majority of the exams will be typed, especially 1L, but I do remember that there were at least a couple 1L professors who had part of their exam as multiple choice. I would just flag it for the admin at UIUC now so they're aware.

Also, to hoos question, did you ask LSAC for an accommodation? I am an alum and have a good career, but if you can retake with accommodations and possibly get the same scholarship amount from a t-13 it is definitely something to consider.

I thought hard on seeking accommodations for the LSAT, but I decided against it. Although I feel the biological cards were stacked against me in one respect, I wanted to play the game on the same level as everyone else. A solid part of me still thinks that for law school, hence my debate about it. But again, since it's mostly typed I think it'll be fine. I will mention my potential need to the school, but there's still no replacing the sense of accomplishment one gets from succeeding by his own standards on the same playing field as everyone else. That's all I was getting at when I was addressing the mediocre comment.

Not sure exactly how LSAC accommodations work, but I think the answer could be as simple as having you write down the responses on a piece of paper and having someone transcribe them for you. I see that as evening the playing field, not giving you an advantage. Your physical ability to bubble in a scantron should have zero bearing on how you score on a test.