UChi Students & Alumni Taking Questions Forum

[ercmilla]

So sorry if this has been asked.

What is the general grade cutoff where people need to start worrying about being able to get a job paying 140-160k (aka Big-ish Law)? It seems Chicago's students get a bit of a bump in terms of job placement. Does this translate into companies digging deeper into Chicago? If I get into Chicago, it will be through an ED and I will be paying sticker. I'll be applying next year, but it's my favorite school I've researched.

thanks for your thoughts.

[fluffythepenguin]

Nvm.

[courtneylove]

3Ls: I'm a sloth and slept through the fingerprinting on Wednesday. Any of you get your fingerprints elsewhere around HP? Recommendations?

[Emma.]

3Ls: I'm a sloth and slept through the fingerprinting on Wednesday. Any of you get your fingerprints elsewhere around HP? Recommendations?

They can do it at the campus police station. I think you maybe need to call first to make an appointment.

[banjo]

Hey guys,

Thanks for taking questions. It looks like I will be picking between Chicago and NYU.

1) Can anyone who has seen OCI data from CCN confirm that these schools have the nearly identical GPA cutoffs for NYC firms? Does CLS (which is not on the table for me yet) show different cutoffs?

2) Right now, I plan to bid only on NYC firms. But if I end up loving the city of Chicago, is there any chance I could work in the city after graduation? Would someone with no ties to the city be stupid to look for legal work there? I'm from the NYC area and like the northeast, but I am a few years out, getting sick of moving every year, and a lower COL would be nice too.

Thanks again. By the way, I looked at all of your faces last night.

[Dany]

By the way, I looked at all of your faces last night.

(I'd answer your questions, but I didn't do OCI so I have no idea.)

[ercmilla]

By the way, I looked at all of your faces last night.

(I'd answer your questions, but I didn't do OCI so I have no idea.)

How does one not do OCI in law school?

[Dany]

By the way, I looked at all of your faces last night.

(I'd answer your questions, but I didn't do OCI so I have no idea.)

How does one not do OCI in law school?

If you don't want to do biglaw you don't do OCI.

[Emma.]

So sorry if this has been asked.

What is the general grade cutoff where people need to start worrying about being able to get a job paying 140-160k (aka Big-ish Law)? It seems Chicago's students get a bit of a bump in terms of job placement. Does this translate into companies digging deeper into Chicago? If I get into Chicago, it will be through an ED and I will be paying sticker. I'll be applying next year, but it's my favorite school I've researched.

thanks for your thoughts.

No one is going to be able to tell you what the "grade cutoff" is for biglaw positions, at least not with any accuracy.

For people who end up below median (given that median grades make up a pretty good chunk of the class, I'd guess that "below median" is something like bottom 30%, not bottom half) employment prospects are going to be dependent on a host of different factors, including how well you interview, your level of hustle, etc.

It is definitely the case that people land jobs at solid firms with below median grades, but since we don't have any idea about class ranks it is tough to know where you really stand in the class. Probably the best data we have is that in preparation for OCI bidding you get a list of the range of GPAs that have received callbacks at each firm in the past, and plenty of firms are giving callbacks to folks with GPAs well below median.

UChicago is also very transparent with employment numbers on its website. I'm not sure what the current employment numbers are like but I feel like a solid 70% of my class has firm jobs that pay at or near market, and many of the remainder had no interest in working for a firm.

[Emma.]

Hey guys,

Thanks for taking questions. It looks like I will be picking between Chicago and NYU.

1) Can anyone who has seen OCI data from CCN confirm that these schools have the nearly identical GPA cutoffs for NYC firms? Does CLS (which is not on the table for me yet) show different cutoffs?

2) Right now, I plan to bid only on NYC firms. But if I end up loving the city of Chicago, is there any chance I could work in the city after graduation? Would someone with no ties to the city be stupid to look for legal work there? I'm from the NYC area and like the northeast, but I am a few years out, getting sick of moving every year, and a lower COL would be nice too.

Thanks again.

1) I doubt anyone will be able to really give you a clear picture about differences in employment stats between us and CLS, but I'm pretty sure you won't be at any disadvantage compared with any CLS or NYU grads. There are also firms like Keker & Van Nest (in San Francisco) that interview at Harvard, Yale, Stanford & UChi but don't bother with CLS or NYU.

2) You get plenty of bids at OCI. Many people looking for Chicago will use NYC as a backup, and there is no issue with bidding 2 different markets (though you probably don't want to bid all over the place). A lot of firms will see your 3 years of school as a sufficient tie to the city.

By the way, I looked at all of your faces last night.

Creepy.

[courtneylove]

UChicago is also very transparent with employment numbers on its website. I'm not sure what the current employment numbers are like but I feel like a solid 70% of my class has firm jobs that pay at or near market, and many of the remainder had no interest in working for a firm.

that's a pretty dramatic estimate dude...

[banjo]

Hey guys,

Thanks for taking questions. It looks like I will be picking between Chicago and NYU.

1) Can anyone who has seen OCI data from CCN confirm that these schools have the nearly identical GPA cutoffs for NYC firms? Does CLS (which is not on the table for me yet) show different cutoffs?

2) Right now, I plan to bid only on NYC firms. But if I end up loving the city of Chicago, is there any chance I could work in the city after graduation? Would someone with no ties to the city be stupid to look for legal work there? I'm from the NYC area and like the northeast, but I am a few years out, getting sick of moving every year, and a lower COL would be nice too.

Thanks again.

1) I doubt anyone will be able to really give you a clear picture about differences in employment stats between us and CLS, but I'm pretty sure you won't be at any disadvantage compared with any CLS or NYU grads. There are also firms like Keker & Van Nest (in San Francisco) that interview at Harvard, Yale, Stanford & UChi but don't bother with CLS or NYU.

2) You get plenty of bids at OCI. Many people looking for Chicago will use NYC as a backup, and there is no issue with bidding 2 different markets (though you probably don't want to bid all over the place). A lot of firms will see your 3 years of school as a sufficient tie to the city.

By the way, I looked at all of your faces last night.

Creepy.

Thanks for the response!

They send us the Glass Menagerie with the offer letter, which shows all of your undergraduate schools too. I think it's supposed to emphasize that Chicago is about attractive people (nyu sends a "pizza box" and a pamphlet called "the view from Greenwich Village").

[Emma.]

UChicago is also very transparent with employment numbers on its website. I'm not sure what the current employment numbers are like but I feel like a solid 70% of my class has firm jobs that pay at or near market, and many of the remainder had no interest in working for a firm.

that's a pretty dramatic estimate dude...

Do you have a better one? Originally I had "60-70%." It is pretty hard to gauge.

[Xifeng]

They send us the Glass Menagerie with the offer letter, which shows all of your undergraduate schools too. I think it's supposed to emphasize that Chicago is about attractive people (nyu sends a "pizza box" and a pamphlet called "the view from Greenwich Village").

Just wait til ASW.

[Bildungsroman]

They send us the Glass Menagerie with the offer letter, which shows all of your undergraduate schools too. I think it's supposed to emphasize that Chicago is about attractive people (nyu sends a "pizza box" and a pamphlet called "the view from Greenwich Village").

Just wait til ASW.

I'm surprised they still send out the glass menag now that my photo is in it.

[casgoodnight]

Hi, I have a few questions. I'm already locked in though, so if these are stupid please just pretend it didn't happen so I don't embarrass my incoming class.

1) I'm 90% sold on Regents, but my biggest concern is parking. $175 a month makes me so sad. I have some family a few hours away that I anticipate visiting every month or two, so it seems like keeping a (paid-off) car would ultimately be financially responsible. There's no way that I will use it enough from week to week to merit such expensive parking though. Has anyone tried car storage in the suburbs or something? Is that a terrible idea? Should I just sell my car? I don't want to sell my car. Someone tell me what to do.

1B) I just want to confirm that the most desirable apartment at Regents for a cool September/summer would be north-facing. Correct? Am I correct in assuming the north tower would be best, if only for the view?

2) Someone mentioned basketball* about fifty pages ago, I think, but I would like a little more specific information. How are the courts on campus? Are they always packed? Are UChicago students ballers? If you are, can I play on your intramural team next year? ...are there intramural teams?

3) Just out of curiosity, do your experiences suggest that there is any correlation between the Ruby scholars and LR, top of the class, etc.?

4) How is the Hyde Park Chipotle coming along? Will it be open by the fall?

5) Econ background. Is that actually going to help at all? How much is econ going to be part of my life for the next three years?

Also, I concur that you are all attractive.


*I would ask more questions about jerbs but every question has been asked so many times that I feel like the only thing left is for another 0L to ask one of the students to run a regression on the likelihood of getting BigLaw in NY with variables including height, weight and favorite Kanye album.

[Emma.]

Hi, I have a few questions. I'm already locked in though, so if these are stupid please just pretend it didn't happen so I don't embarrass my incoming class.

1) I'm 90% sold on Regents, but my biggest concern is parking. $175 a month makes me so sad. I have some family a few hours away that I anticipate visiting every month or two, so it seems like keeping a (paid-off) car would ultimately be financially responsible. There's no way that I will use it enough from week to week to merit such expensive parking though. Has anyone tried car storage in the suburbs or something? Is that a terrible idea? Should I just sell my car? I don't want to sell my car. Someone tell me what to do.

There is plenty of street parking around Regents, which might be an option. The competition for those spots is kind of fierce so they probably aren't something you'd want to rely on on a daily basis, but plenty of people do get by without paying for parking. If you are only using your car like once a week I think you'd be OK. You can definitely survive without a car, but even though I rode the bus to school most days during 1L, I found it really nice to have one. Around exam time I'd be at school late (or go back to the library in the evening/weekend) and those times it is really nice to drive. Also, just stuff like grocery shopping.

If you street park though you want to be absolutely sure that there is never anything that even looks like it might be valuable left in your car.

2) Someone mentioned basketball* about fifty pages ago, I think, but I would like a little more specific information. How are the courts on campus? Are they always packed? Are UChicago students ballers? If you are, can I play on your intramural team next year? ...are there intramural teams?

There's at least one person who posts in here that plays a lot of ball and can answer this better than I can. There are plenty of people that play, and you won't have any issues finding an intramural team.

3) Just out of curiosity, do your experiences suggest that there is any correlation between the Ruby scholars and LR, top of the class, etc.?

No one really knows. My year didn't have the Rubenstein, so the current 2L class would be the only solid datapoint here (the 1L class have only received 2 grades so far). However, there is a strong norm here against talking about grades, and people on full rides aren't going to exactly be excited to share that info with their classmates. I know for sure that a couple of the 2L Rubensteins are absolutely killing it, but it isn't like the Rubensteins and the 2L Law Review staffers are coextensive groups.

4) How is the Hyde Park Chipotle coming along? Will it be open by the fall?

I can't speak to Chipotle, but I know there is a lot of new development coming on line in HP this year, including a restaurant by the same people who own (the amazing) Longman & Eagle.

5) Econ background. Is that actually going to help at all? How much is econ going to be part of my life for the next three years?

It won't make much of a difference in 1L. There are a few econ concepts that you'll already have an exposure to, but during 1L you don't go too deep into econ stuff. During 2L and 3L you can choose classes that really go down the rabbit hole with law and econ if that is your jam.

Also, I concur that you are all attractive.

What is this I don't even...

[Xifeng]

The Chipotle is supposed to open by then, so fingers crossed it does. Also, we now have a movie theater in Hyde Park (I forget if that's been mentioned), its website is here.

[WhiteyCakes]

Does anybody have info on the new childcare center on campus that is supposed to open up soon? Or am I truly the only parent considering Chicago

[JollyGreenGiant]

The answer to your most important question is: The College Dropout.

Emma is on point for all your other qs. Depending on where the family is, you might want to look at commuter trains/megabus/greyhound. I had my car parked in one of the free parking spaces near Regents and someone stole a part off of it (also, it is kind of a pain to check to make sure you do not need to move your car due to street cleaning, construction, or whatever random thing Chicago wants to give you a $60 ticket for).

The courts for basketball are solid. There are 3 commonly used (two at Ratner, one at Crown). Typically one of them is open at any time. I know a lot of law students play. There are (I think) 3 law school intramural teams--one in each class. If you express an interest, you will be able to find a team.

[redbullvodka]

The answer to your most important question is: The College Dropout.

Emma is on point for all your other qs. Depending on where the family is, you might want to look at commuter trains/megabus/greyhound. I had my car parked in one of the free parking spaces near Regents and someone stole a part off of it (also, it is kind of a pain to check to make sure you do not need to move your car due to street cleaning, construction, or whatever random thing Chicago wants to give you a $60 ticket for).

The courts for basketball are solid. There are 3 commonly used (two at Ratner, one at Crown). Typically one of them is open at any time. I know a lot of law students play. There are (I think) 3 law school intramural teams--one in each class. If you express an interest, you will be able to find a team.

More basketball than you'll know what to do with. The current 1L class has 3 intramural teams.

[casgoodnight]

Wow, thanks everyone. I lived on the north side for about a year and parked on the street without any problems, though I had friends who left their GPS out or did something else dumb and got robbed. I never heard of car parts being stolen though, that's crazy. What happened there, JGG? Do you drive a really nice car or something? Or is that a common thing on the south side?

[JollyGreenGiant]

Wow, thanks everyone. I lived on the north side for about a year and parked on the street without any problems, though I had friends who left their GPS out or did something else dumb and got robbed. I never heard of car parts being stolen though, that's crazy. What happened there, JGG? Do you drive a really nice car or something? Or is that a common thing on the south side?

Not sure. My car was certainly not nice, but the part they stole was damn expensive. I paid to park in Regents all year, and when I came back for OCI I brought my car so I was just going to use the street parking. Not only did I lose a car part, I received a $60 ticket because apparently they put up a sign for construction. They were towing cars and I luckily avoided that disaster.... if I had waited another 15 minutes, I would probably be another $300 in the hole.

However, my car was parked a couple blocks from Regents (though viewable from Lake Shore). I am probably the most jaded person you'll meet regarding street parking. I think other people have been more successful than me.

[professorpanda]

To any of the UChi students currently living in Regents or anyone who knows of someone who is: Do you guys know if there will be a replacement bus line for the 171/172? If not, is it convenient to get to campus without a car from Regents?

Thanks!

[Dany]

To any of the UChi students currently living in Regents or anyone who knows of someone who is: Do you guys know if there will be a replacement bus line for the 171/172? If not, is it convenient to get to campus without a car from Regents?

Thanks!

It's not convenient without a car if you're not taking the bus, but the university is going to replace the 171/172. There are twice as many grad students as undergrads at UChicago, many of whom live off campus, and the university isn't just going to leave them stranded. Last I heard they were still looking for different vendors.