Chicago 2L Takings ?s Forum

[Emma.]

Since we've only had a few days of actual classes so far it might be a bit premature to start a "1L taking questions" thread, but I wanted to jump in here and say that I have really loved my experience so far.

With a whole new cycle of applications beginning I am happy to try and answer some questions as someone who has recently gone through the whole decision making process.

[rundoxierun]

Since we've only had a few days of actual classes so far it might be a bit premature to start a "1L taking questions" thread, but I wanted to jump in here and say that I have really loved my experience so far.

With a whole new cycle of applications beginning I am happy to try and answer some questions as someone who has recently gone through the whole decision making process.

Now that classes have started.. how social have the students been with each other so far?

[Emma.]

Since we've only had a few days of actual classes so far it might be a bit premature to start a "1L taking questions" thread, but I wanted to jump in here and say that I have really loved my experience so far.

With a whole new cycle of applications beginning I am happy to try and answer some questions as someone who has recently gone through the whole decision making process.

Now that classes have started.. how social have the students been with each other so far?

Way more than I expected. UChi TLSers had several meetups before classes even started, and people have been organizing things on the Facebook group as well. I hear Bar Review last week was really well attended and fun, but I had to miss it. Work hasn't hit us too hard yet, so people are getting together for Monday Night Football, going out to dinner, going out in the weekends. Coffee Mess was really busy this morning, and our first Wine Mess is Friday night.

Overall, our class seems really social. People are friendly and genuine, and there is far far less social awkwardness than I expected. I might not end up being best of friends with everyone in the class but I can honestly say that I haven't met a single person that I wouldn't want to share a beer with.

[Miranda 18]

How do you like Chicago?

Do you feel slightly overwhelmed by your professors who seem to be world renowned educators in their field? The faculty at Chicago drops my jaw every time!

[Emma.]

How do you like Chicago?

Do you feel slightly overwhelmed by your professors who seem to be world renowned educators in their field? The faculty at Chicago drops my jaw every time!

How do I like the city? I like it a lot. More than I thought I would. I'm living in Hyde Park this year though, and while it is great as far as being convenient to the school, you do feel a little disconnected from the city being down here. I'm trying to look on the bright side of that, and it should be better as far as having fewer distractions. I also won't be so tempted blow my budget going out to eat or to bars so often as I would if I were living up north.

I don't really feel overwhelmed by my professors so far, or at least not intimidated. My professors all seem amazing. Incredibly intelligent, but also funny, approachable, and passionate about what they do. I guess their intellect is overwhelming, but none of them seem to lord that over us noob 1Ls.

[longdaysjourney]

Sorry if this question has already been asked, but the search feature it down...

I have a family and living within walking distance of campus is very important to me. Is this common at U Chicago?

[Emma.]

Sorry if this question has already been asked, but the search feature it down...

I have a family and living within walking distance of campus is very important to me. Is this common at U Chicago?

Common that you can live within walking distance, or common to be here with a family?

I know of a few 1Ls who have kids, and quite a few people that live within walking distance of school so it is certainly possible.

A lot of people live a little further away but still in Hyde Park, what I would call marginal as far as walking distance. I'd be happy to walk to or from school right now when the weather is amazing but I probably won't say the same in January. I rode my bike to school today from the Regents neighborhood (though I live a few blocks south of Regents) and it took around 10 minutes. The walk would be closer to half an hour so it is totally doable but less practical in bad weather, with a heavy bag, or when you are trying to manage a tight schedule. There are a ton of free buses around Hyde Park though, so it is pretty easy, quick, and convenient to get to school from anywhere in the HP neighborhood. I think I'll be riding buses most days in the winter.

[funkyturds]

How do you like Chicago?

Do you feel slightly overwhelmed by your professors who seem to be world renowned educators in their field? The faculty at Chicago drops my jaw every time!

How do I like the city? I like it a lot. More than I thought I would. I'm living in Hyde Park this year though, and while it is great as far as being convenient to the school, you do feel a little disconnected from the city being down here. I'm trying to look on the bright side of that, and it should be better as far as having fewer distractions. I also won't be so tempted blow my budget going out to eat or to bars so often as I would if I were living up north.

I don't really feel overwhelmed by my professors so far, or at least not intimidated. My professors all seem amazing. Incredibly intelligent, but also funny, approachable, and passionate about what they do. I guess their intellect is overwhelming, but none of them seem to lord that over us noob 1Ls.

Nussbaum is pretty intimidating

[JollyGreenGiant]

Sorry if this question has already been asked, but the search feature it down...

I have a family and living within walking distance of campus is very important to me. Is this common at U Chicago?

Pretty much all of Hyde Park (that you'll use) is within a 15 minute bus ride (I'm assuming you want to know in case of a family emergency?).

Emma is pretty much on point completely. It's possible to walk to school, but the higher quality living places (for a family) will be further away from school.

[ck3]

Sorry if this question has been asked and answered previously in this thread. How do the 2Ls feel about the quarter system?

[dihydrogenmonoxide]

1) How big of a deal would it be in general to not have a car:

-In terms of getting to and from classes from wherever unmarried, standard law students tend to live?
-In terms of getting from where people live to good restaurants, etc.?
-In terms of getting around the city in general, like if one were to have a summer job at a firm in Chicago?

2) How sketchy is the neighborhood around the school really? I mean for some people "sketchy" just means "lots of black people live there!". For others it means "you'll almost definitely get assaulted and/or robbed if you are out alone". So what type of sketchy is it?

[Emma.]

1) How big of a deal would it be in general to not have a car:

-In terms of getting to and from classes from wherever unmarried, standard law students tend to live?
-In terms of getting from where people live to good restaurants, etc.?
-In terms of getting around the city in general, like if one were to have a summer job at a firm in Chicago?

2) How sketchy is the neighborhood around the school really? I mean for some people "sketchy" just means "lots of black people live there!". For others it means "you'll almost definitely get assaulted and/or robbed if you are out alone". So what type of sketchy is it?

I would guess no more than half our class have cars.

A good part of the class live in Regents or the surrounding neighborhood and the buses that run around Hyde Park are free and frequent. Getting to and from class won't be a big deal at all. There is pretty minimal parking around the school unless you want to be at school at 7:30am, so for sure the bus is more convenient than driving anyway.

Getting to and from good restaurants - I'm thinking you'd plan to head up to the northern side of town, though there are some awesome restaurants in the South and West Loop neighborhoods. To get up north to Wicker Park, Lakeview etc. you'll have to ride a bus and then transfer to a train if you aren't driving. The CTA is pretty inexpensive, and a lot of people end up getting up there to go out by using public transport but then splitting cab fare to get home. It really isn't a huge deal but the convenience issue does probably discourage me from going out as much as I otherwise would. For 1L though, I'm thinking that isn't a bad thing.

Getting to and from downtown is really easy. You can ride the bus or the Metra, it is quick and convenient. From my Metra stop to Randolph Station at the north end of the loop is a 15 minute train ride and costs $2. If you were going every day as an SA you could pick up a monthly pass too.

How sketchy is the neighborhood? I have yet to actually feel unsafe, though we did get a "security alert" email yesterday about some kid getting mugged on the quad at night. I think you just need to use a little common sense, as you would in any city. Probably not the best neighborhood to walk around as a woman after dark, but that could be said of a lot of college towns too. I guess one of my classmates had her car broken into as well. So yeah, the neighborhood isn't completely crime free but don't worry about packing a vest. There are also a ton of call boxes for the campus police that extend way beyond the campus proper.

[t-pain]

.

[pehaigllleises]

1L here hoping to get some confirmation on how LRW grading works. For the winter and spring quarters how many credits is the class worth and how does the grading work?

According to the course offerings page, it looks like they are only worth one credit (compared to the 3 credits a normal class is worth)? Also, I think one of the academic advisors claimed that there are three grades given out for the course: 177, 178, 179?

You get one grade at the end of spring quarter and it's four credits. Presumably 1.5 to 2 for the graded memo and 2 to 2.5 for the brief--depends on your individual instructor as to how he or she weights things.

Last year I only knew of 176, 178, 180, 182, and presumably very rarely 174 or 184. Either they changed the scale from last year or the academic counselor is wrong. 179 should never be the highest grade in LRW--you want your writing grade to look good.

[Emma.]

1L here hoping to get some confirmation on how LRW grading works. For the winter and spring quarters how many credits is the class worth and how does the grading work?

According to the course offerings page, it looks like they are only worth one credit (compared to the 3 credits a normal class is worth)? Also, I think one of the academic advisors claimed that there are three grades given out for the course: 177, 178, 179?

We were told 3 grades but a wider spread, something like 177, 179, 182

[liljerry]

How do exams work at uc?

Do we get time off before exams to study?
Do all 100 kids in a given class take exam in same room or will we be spread out over multiple?
Is fall quarter different than winter/spring besides taking fewer exams?

[Emma.]

How do exams work at uc?

Do we get time off before exams to study?
Do all 100 kids in a given class take exam in same room or will we be spread out over multiple?
Is fall quarter different than winter/spring besides taking fewer exams?

I'm only a 1L and haven't taken an exam yet so I can't speak to the room thing, except that one of my 2 exams this quarter is an 8 hour take home.

We finish classes for the quarter on 12/3 and my exams are 12/9 and 12/13 so we do get some kind of reading period. I guess the earliest exams are on 12/2

Fall quarter we have 2 1 quarter classes and 2 2 quarter classes, so winter quarter is still just 2 exams but they are worth twice as much. The fall quarter we have 4 finals. This year 1Ls started with Elements of the Law and CivPro I for 1 quarter and Crim and Ks for 2 quarters. Next quarter I'll have Crim, Ks, Property, and Torts, then spring quarter Property, Torts, CivPro II and an elective.

edit: Wait, are you already a student??

[liljerry]

Ya I'm a 1L. Was hoping to here from upperclass but thanks anyways

[Emma.]

Ya I'm a 1L. Was hoping to here from upperclass but thanks anyways

Cool, sorry, my mistake. You know the exam schedule is available on the school website, right?

[pehaigllleises]

How do exams work at uc?

Cry, study a lot, cry, take exam, cry, get grades back, cry, repeat every 10 weeks.

Do we get time off before exams to study?

Check the academic calendar, seriously. Fall Quarter is ridiculous in the amount of time you have to prepare for exams. You not only have a week off during the quarter (between fall break and Thanksgiving) but more than a full week to study before exams. You will NEVER have that much time again (until next year, that is).

Do all 100 kids in a given class take exam in same room or will we be spread out over multiple?

Multiple rooms. You will have plenty of desk space. If you are annoying-noise-sensitive, stay away from people near your last name who are known key jammers or despondent sighers. Some people bring big ass headphones, I guess to cancel out noise.

Is fall quarter different than winter/spring besides taking fewer exams?

MUCH different. Fall quarter is two one-quarter exams (two quarters worth of exams). No LRW graded assignments. Winter quarter is two two-quarter exams (four quarters worth of exams), a graded LRW assignment, and no Thanksgiving and probably a shorter reading period to prepare (refer to the academic calendar), but at least you have a long Winter break to review your Ks and Crim. It's perfectly OK if you do nothing over Winter break, though, but I don't recommend it. Spring quarter is two two-quarter exams and two one-quarter exams (six quarters worth of exams), a graded LRW brief, and probably the least time of all to prepare for your exams. You get a week or two before the brief hits and then a few weeks after it's done to prepare for all those exams. Spring quarter is hellish.

[ellewoods110]

Looking at the calendar, we don't actually get "more than a week" for the reading period. The last day of class is Friday the 3rd, and they count Saturday and Sunday as reading period days" and then Monday and Tuesday as well. Our first exam, Civ Pro, is on Thursday.

[pehaigllleises]

Sorry, princess, "about a week." My last class is Thursday and first exam is Friday, so I have more than one. It's close enough.

[dihydrogenmonoxide]

To the extent that the "nerdy" reputation of Chicago law is true, what exactly is meant by "nerdy"?

[pehaigllleises]

People like learning for more than the sake of exams. If you want to talk about something academic (and not necessarily law related) outside of class, there's not as much pushback or groaning. I now have a tendency to describe mundane things in terms of efficiency.

[bringbackfirefly]

Getting to and from good restaurants

Have you been to Alinea and, if so, is it as good as they say?

A little more generally, how often do you get to explore the city during the term? (Sorry if someone has asked this question already.)