UChi Students & Alumni Taking Questions Forum

[skers]

Corporate lab can be one the best parts of UofC, but UCA is right that there can be unnecessary drama that you wouldn't get in another class (though maybe good prep for firm life). Grades are generally high especially w/r/t the work commitment, but there could be other factors at play that lead you to not want to deal with it.

[Un Chien Andalou]

That's just not true. You must be one of the lucky ones. Last quarter my team lead totally threw the rest of our team under the bus when they told the professors they had no confidence in our work product the day before our work was due. I suspect this was a last ditch effort to save their own grade at our expense. I really don't know how that was my fault since I didn't pick my team lead. And my grade was not reflective of my actual work in any way. I could have gotten a better grade in a normally curved doctrinal class without a doubt. I've had similar issues this quarter on a new team but I would rather not specifiy those reasons. But suffice it to say it wasn't the fault of anyone on our team. You can obviously take that with a grain of salt but I really just don't want to say more. Your experience in the corporate lab doesn't mean my thoughts are invalid.

[Hugh Hefner]

Thanks UCA. That gives me a lot to think about.

Skers, could you please say more about your obviously opposite experience?

[skers]

Thanks UCA. That gives me a lot to think about.

Skers, could you please say more about your obviously opposite experience?

UCA got fucked by a shitheel, but if you actually care about grades post 1L, lol. That said, grades are definitely completely random to just determined by whether or not the profs like you. Still generally high though.

[Un Chien Andalou]

I can assure you Im not gunning for really high grades. But when you add up the absurd things I've had to do for a lower grade than I would have gotten in a doctrinal class, and definitely a worse grade than a seminar, it's just not worth it to me at all.

Like I said in my original post, both of our outcomes are possible. It's easier to like corporate lab when things go well for you though.

[WhiteyCakes]

Corporate lab is one of the best parts of UofC.

L O fucking L

[PariSiamo]

How much free time do 1Ls have on average in a week, not counting finals? Sorry if this was asked earlier...

[Mal Reynolds]

How much free time do 1Ls have on average in a week, not counting finals? Sorry if this was asked earlier...

A great deal, even if you study hard. Spring quarter is a horse of a different color but even then you'll have free time. I tried to approach 1L as a 9-5 and that is totally doable for most of the year. Of course I got lazy sometimes or stressed sometimes and things changed. But it's really going to depend on what amount of work you think is sufficient to call it a day, and it's also going to depend on how efficient you are during the times you should be working.

[skers]

Corporate lab is one of the best parts of UofC.

L O fucking L

Nvm.

[random number]

How much free time do 1Ls have on average in a week, not counting finals? Sorry if this was asked earlier...

A great deal, even if you study hard. Spring quarter is a horse of a different color but even then you'll have free time. I tried to approach 1L as a 9-5 and that is totally doable for most of the year. Of course I got lazy sometimes or stressed sometimes and things changed. But it's really going to depend on what amount of work you think is sufficient to call it a day, and it's also going to depend on how efficient you are during the times you should be working.

This has basically been my (1L) experience through fall and winter quarters. I don't quite work on a 9-5 system (I prefer to take a break in the afternoon and resume work in the evening), but as a general estimate of time commitment it is accurate, or even a bit excessive. As Mal said, it really comes down to efficiency and whether or not you can avoid distractions while studying. If you can, you'll have plenty of free time!

[PariSiamo]

Thanks guys, you are a great resource. Glad to hear people aren't huddled in the library 12 hours a day.

[skers]

There are definitely people who grind like that, but it is definitely not necessary and, if anything, counter productive. You can, and should, have plenty of free time during the week and law-free weekends.

[2014]

My 1L schedule was basically 7:30-5 with little variation and that worked fine. The daytime hours were far from 100% productivity as well but I was rather on top of my shit.

[Rahviveh]

Can someone please tell me if taking Corporate Lab instead of a seminar will further my lower stress spring quarter goal? I hate seminars because of the giant papers due at the back end.

Seems to really depend on your client and team leads. You should ask around beforehand for what teams are good to join. You may also want to consider that they are switching to variable credits next year which means your timesheet actually matters. I don't know if this will actually change things in practice or how honest people are with timesheets in other clinics

[Hugh Hefner]

Can someone please tell me if taking Corporate Lab instead of a seminar will further my lower stress spring quarter goal? I hate seminars because of the giant papers due at the back end.

Seems to really depend on your client and team leads. You should ask around beforehand for what teams are good to join. You may also want to consider that they are switching to variable credits next year which means your timesheet actually matters. I don't know if this will actually change things in practice or how honest people are with timesheets in other clinics

Thanks.

Did you enjoy Corporate Lab? I've spoken to a few people in person about it. They were all lukewarm about it, except for one person who was almost as displeased as OCA.

Do people just join any team they want to?

How much work does it involve? I don't need it to be my best friend. I just need it to be less stressful than a seminar.

[Rahviveh]

Can someone please tell me if taking Corporate Lab instead of a seminar will further my lower stress spring quarter goal? I hate seminars because of the giant papers due at the back end.

Seems to really depend on your client and team leads. You should ask around beforehand for what teams are good to join. You may also want to consider that they are switching to variable credits next year which means your timesheet actually matters. I don't know if this will actually change things in practice or how honest people are with timesheets in other clinics

Thanks.

Did you enjoy Corporate Lab? I've spoken to a few people in person about it. They were all lukewarm about it, except for one person who was almost as displeased as OCA.

Do people just join any team they want to?

How much work does it involve? I don't need it to be my best friend. I just need it to be less stressful than a seminar.

I enjoyed the reasonable time commitment and low stress involved. As far as work goes, I think that depends on what client/team you get placed on. I'm not sure how team selection works if you join next quarter.

EDIT: FWIW I would definitely take my chances with corp lab instead of doing a shitty paper seminar.

[elterrible78]

Can someone please tell me if taking Corporate Lab instead of a seminar will further my lower stress spring quarter goal? I hate seminars because of the giant papers due at the back end.

Seems to really depend on your client and team leads. You should ask around beforehand for what teams are good to join. You may also want to consider that they are switching to variable credits next year which means your timesheet actually matters. I don't know if this will actually change things in practice or how honest people are with timesheets in other clinics

Thanks.

Did you enjoy Corporate Lab? I've spoken to a few people in person about it. They were all lukewarm about it, except for one person who was almost as displeased as OCA.

Do people just join any team they want to?

How much work does it involve? I don't need it to be my best friend. I just need it to be less stressful than a seminar.

I enjoyed the reasonable time commitment and low stress involved. As far as work goes, I think that depends on what client/team you get placed on. I'm not sure how team selection works if you join next quarter.

I think you'll probably have some choice in where you go. Half of Fed Soc switched to the Wed afternoon section last quarter, all ended up on the same team. Pretty sure the faculty is open to suggestions.

[Hugh Hefner]

Awesome, thanks everyone.

[DoveBodyWash]

Can someone please tell me if taking Corporate Lab instead of a seminar will further my lower stress spring quarter goal? I hate seminars because of the giant papers due at the back end.

generally a positive experience for me. But i echo the other posters who say that it really depends on your clients and your team lead. If your team lead does a good job then the faculty's perception of the team will be positive, and the points will trickle down to everyone on the team. If they fuck up..well then they just assume the whole team was kinda shitty. You have to realize that there are only two faculty that are truly involved and there are so many clients/teams/students. They don't have the time or capacity to get to understand each student's contributions and competence. It's all about how they perceive your team, which depends on the quality of the work product, whether your team meets its deadlines, is responsive to clients and faculty, and just generally comes off as confident/competent. And they only really interact regularly with your team lead unless you take the initiative to get noticed in some way.

[UofCforme]

Is the wait time for 1L Winter grades about the same as the wait time for Fall grades?

[Mal Reynolds]

Is the wait time for 1L Winter grades about the same as the wait time for Fall grades?

Grades are due April 13 so hopefully they will come out a few days after that.

[WheninLaw]

Can someone please tell me if taking Corporate Lab instead of a seminar will further my lower stress spring quarter goal? I hate seminars because of the giant papers due at the back end.

Seems to really depend on your client and team leads. You should ask around beforehand for what teams are good to join. You may also want to consider that they are switching to variable credits next year which means your timesheet actually matters. I don't know if this will actually change things in practice or how honest people are with timesheets in other clinics

Thanks.

Did you enjoy Corporate Lab? I've spoken to a few people in person about it. They were all lukewarm about it, except for one person who was almost as displeased as OCA.

Do people just join any team they want to?

How much work does it involve? I don't need it to be my best friend. I just need it to be less stressful than a seminar.

I loved Corporate Lab. TBH, the class punishes quiet people that can't (or won't) "play the game." I found the experience very similar to being a SA.

[FloridaCoastalorbust]

Prospective student. It's subjective, sure, but as a current/former student, how much more money to you is UC worth than NU? I'm debating between the two.

[Mal Reynolds]

Prospective student. It's subjective, sure, but as a current/former student, how much more money to you is UC worth than NU? I'm debating between the two.

What do you wanna be when you grow up and what is your scholarship amount to both schools.

[FloridaCoastalorbust]

Prospective student. It's subjective, sure, but as a current/former student, how much more money to you is UC worth than NU? I'm debating between the two.

What do you wanna be when you grow up and what is your scholarship amount to both schools.

I posted this in a different thread:

165k at NU, or about 50k at UChi (also will receive 15k over three years from a grant and contribute 7.5k SA salary during 2L summer)? Short term career goals are biglaw for 2 years. Long-term is lawyer in politics and maybe academia if I win law school. I have sufficient connections in the arcane political areas where I hope to eventually practice that make the prestige difference between UChi and NU probably a moot point (small political firms that specialize in 1st/5th/14th amendment stuff, which care far less about prestige than demonstrated interest and connections, which I have throughout undergrad and 3 years post-grad) . I'm 95% committed to NU, but think I would regret not going to UChi when I'm 50, when the $115k difference would be probably negligible. I conservatively average my salary over my 45 year career at $100k/yr, which is $4.5 mil pre-tax. So that makes the $115k tuition difference seem especially negligible. Also, my S/O will have a PhD and make six figs until she retires. Also, I should have sufficient connections to get an interesting job (paying 80k/yr + annual bonuses) if I am below median after law school graduation. I sound like I'm ahead of myself in terms of estimating my career chances but don't have the time or energy to justify my confidence in this post.

But now just a few days later, crunching the monthly totals, I realize I'd walk away debt free (and some extra pocket money) from NU, or pay about $1,500/month for 10 years at UC. That is fuckin dumb. I'd be tied to the golden handcuff, right?