Illinois Law 1L Taking Questions Forum

[nyskidude]

One more question... Does Ashton Woods have restrictions on the size of the pets? I will be bringing my full-grown Boxer dog to school with me, so I need an apartment with no size limit on dogs.

[mako_shark]

Hey guys, another question. I'm from the Northern part of the state and there isn't much to do for the outdoors type (unless you venture up to Wisconsin). How close are the nearest hiking trails to Champaign? If there are any that is.

Eruannon it really depends on your definition of hiking. its pretty flat around Champaign-Urbana, and i'm from Vancouver, Canada where there's tonnes of trails with great variations of elevation, so i can't really consider anything a hike around here. But there supposed to be quite a few nice forest preserves around that have "hiking trails" such as lake of the woods 10 miles out and allerton which is 30 miles out. i haven't checked either cause i don't have a car but they are supposed to be nice places to visit. I hope that helps a little!

[mako_shark]

One more question... Does Ashton Woods have restrictions on the size of the pets? I will be bringing my full-grown Boxer dog to school with me, so I need an apartment with no size limit on dogs.

nyskidude, i just skimmed the pet policy here http://www.housing.illinois.edu/Current ... olicy.aspx from my understanding theres no explicit size restriction, however if they were to take an adverse view on your dog, the one area that they're going to try spin against you probably the provision 6 - where they might say your dog constitutes a risk.
easiest way to find out though would be to simply call graduate housing
http://www.housing.illinois.edu/Current ... tacts.aspx

[mako_shark]

lol i guess i should try to revive this topic. any prospective Illinois 1L's or soon to be 1L's have any questions?

Sidenote - those who have confirmed to be in chambana next fall, I would recommend looking for a place to live ASAP. The last two days I’ve been looking with my roommate for a new place, and we’ve been taken by surprise how many spots have already filled up (especially for BR places)
This wiki has a pretty extensive list of landlords http://www.uofiwiki.org/wiki/Apartment_landlords

One place I've visited that is worth looking into is “lando place” from JSM properties. --LinkRemoved-- They are currently remodeling the complex and are supposed to be ready for showing by early-mid April. Location wise, it’s in the middle of campus, within walking distance of the law school and basically across the street from a number of good campustown bars. Noise from the bars will probably affect the suites directly across, but the ones being remodeled on the side and backside of the complex, id think are quiet enough, especially on the 5th floor (which have available suites)

[blurbz]

I already posted this in the Illinois 2010 thread, but I think it's probably helpful so I'll repost it here. To echo the last poster, I was in Champaign last week looking at housing and many of the nicer places that you hear about on this board and in the housing survey, are either completely out of space for fall or are coming very close to it. I really do suggest taking a look as soon as you can, or, if you're seriously considering Illinois but haven't yet made up your mind, ask a landlord to hold an apartment for you for a few weeks....Some of them have said that they'd be willing to to do that. Anyways, here's what I posted earlier on the other thread:

For people wondering about where to live, I just signed a lease at 608 S. State. It's about 14 blocks from the law school, 6 blocks from the Green St. bars, and 6 blocks from downtown Champaign. It's not the best looking building from the outside, but they're great looking apartments: They're furnished, hardwood floors in the bedrooms, and newly updated kitchens. They are two bedrooms, but you can choose to lease them as a one bedroom plus a study, which is what I'm doing. My monthly rent is $765, with no utilities included. Sure, it's a little pricey compared to what you CAN do closer to campus, but I didn't want to deal with the problems some of the cheaper places were sure to bring. Additionally, some current 1Ls at Illinois have mentioned the 303 W. Green St. building as a good place to live: These are directly across the street, are larger, and are owned by the same company (Bankier Apartments bankierapts.com)

[mako_shark]

If anyone has any questions about the 303 W green st. locations, I currently live there so I’d be happy to throw in my comments.
This morning I actually signed a new lease with Lincolnshire properties. Lincolnshire is a family run business, and the owner, Charles, owns a few places in champaign-urbana but there’s only one complex that would be ideal for law students. The complex (theres actually 2) are at Elm and Busey, in Urbana and are 1 block north of green and two blocks south of Springfield. On springfield and busey there’s a bus that runs frequently and goes to 4th and Gregory within 5 minutes, which puts you within 1 block from the law school. The actual walk from the law school to elm and busey is around 30 minutes. What’s nice about this location is it’s a little removed from the campus (and the frats), yet it still close to campus and also a 20 minute walk/ 2 minute bus from downtown Urbana. The neighborhood is residential and looks nice (it’s doesn’t look like some mix of residential and industrial – which you’ll find in parts of champaign-urbana) it’s got overhanging trees and the classic globe-style street lights.
Here’s the link to the guy’s website, a disclaimer though, they don't have a very good website; it gets the information across but the pictures aren't very useful (you’ll see) http://www.lincolnshireprop.com/campus/campus.html
When my roommate and I called to arrange a visit, we both were pretty skeptical about it, but after seeing the interiors, we were pretty much sold. He’s done a good job at designing the place, (he’s the architect), the rate is decent, location is great; but it’s hard to tell that from the pictures. Rather than trying to describe why we like the interiors/design of the place I’d recommend calling up the owner and arranging to have a visit, it’s worth to check out, especially because the owner has a clean record at the tenant union (there’s never been any complaints listed against Lincolnshire) – always a good sign.
We visited CPM, who also has a lot of properties available, and new. The locations were good as well, so it would be worth to check out CPM for places. We didn’t really consider CPM because they primarily lease to undergrads, and we weren’t looking for that type of atmosphere.

[blurbz]

The place I just leased is right across State St. from 303 W. Green. Is it realistic for me to think that I'll be able to walk to school on nice days? The area looked like a mix between families and college kids. Is that about right? Any tips about the area?

Thanks so much!

[mako_shark]

The place I just leased is right across State St. from 303 W. Green. Is it realistic for me to think that I'll be able to walk to school on nice days? The area looked like a mix between families and college kids. Is that about right? Any tips about the area?

Thanks so much!

Blurbz, it is realistic to plan to be able to walk to school on nice days. Myself, I usually walk home from school on nice days. (8 am and 9 am classes tend to make me a bit lazier in the morning and as a result I take the bus every morning). The walk itself is only around 22 minutes or so, and is kinda nice because then you get to walk through campus and see what is going on in the non-law school world. The location is also prime for the bus I mentioned before. The 4 Blue runs on the corner of the block and that bus goes directly to and from the law school. It runs every 30 min during the day, and if you time things right it definitely makes it possible if you wanted to come home on lunch breaks to fix up something or pick up something you’ve forgotten at home.

The area is nice, and you’ve got the right idea about it being college kids and families. Aesthetically, it is a nice area; although the further west you go (like block by block) the areas tend to look nicer.

Tips about the area: the champaign public library is across green st. and is a pretty state of the art library. It’s a good place to study if you are the library type, and if you are waiting to set up your internet at your place, you could always go there to use their internet for a few days. Also, they have a huge dvd collection to borrow (for free) haha. A 12 minute walk south of your location is state and Kirby, and around there you can find a few restaurants as well as the IGA supermarket. The IGA supermarket is open 24 hours, and while it isn’t a huge supermarket, it’s pretty fantastic for a neighborhood one. (I’ll miss it moving to my new place next year). Downtown champaign is not far at all, a good 10 minute walk will get you to all the bars, restaurants and diners Champaign has to offer. And finally, there’s a 24 hour CVS pharmacy 2 blocks away, and that tends to be quite convenient.

[hkm6315]

Uh, ok. Sorry, I have been completely MIA on this thread for a little while. I thought I would throw in my two cents on some of the questions that have been asked.

1. Watersedge apartments are great. I don't believe they have a fully furnished option, and if you are looking to take the bus it is not really convenient for that. I drive to school every day (about 15 minutes). Living 5 miles off campus does not make it hard to socialize. I would like to highlight the fact that anything more than 15/20 minutes away wherever you are in the Champaingn/Urbana/Savoy area is going to put you in the middle of a corn or soybean field. So honestly, nothing is really "far" here lol. I am less than 10 minutes from downtown Champaign where all the grad students hang out and the Green street bar scene is 15 min. I love socializing and being a mile or two further doesn't stop me : )

2. There are plenty of nerds here. Yeah, people are laid back and like to socialize, but there are ALL SORTS of people here. It is not just one type of person. It is just like any other school setting (ie: high school, college, etc.) where you have every type of person and every type of personality. I know a handful of people here that are into that fantasy "nerdy" stuff. Honestly, I have always considered myself a nerd at heart and love a lot of sci-fi shows lol.

3. 1Ls don't really have "OCI" until August. There is a job databank system where they can apply to a handful of firm jobs and mostly judge/district attorney/government jobs for internships. Firms mainly hire 2Ls (everywhere) and firm jobs for 1Ls are slim (especially now with the economy). BUT, most people do an internship with a judge, district attorney's office, public interest, etc. (as long as it is unpaid) in order to get class credit. If you get honors or high honors in your legal writing, legal research, or advocacy class you qualify to do the externship program and get up to 6 HOURS (equal to two 2L/3L classes) of class credit for the summer after your 1L year. It is a great way to knock out some classes and lighten your load during the school year, plus a great resume builder to have worked for a judge.

4. Your first and second semester of 1L year you can only take 15 hours. They register you for classes and you don't get to pick your schedule. 2L and 3L year you can register for up to 18 per semester. It is important to note that things like journal, moot court, and being a TA are all a credit hour or two per semester so those add in to your total. You can also take summer classes if you want to. I know that some people take summer classes after 1L year to knock out some classes and to possibly bump their gpa a little for when OCI rolls around in August. 16 hours is the max you can take, but you can petition to get 18 and they are not going to turn you down. To get over 18 you have to be adding internship credit hours from the summer externship program to your fall semester course load. I actually know someone who by taking summer classes and overloading each semester graduated a semester early. So she took the February bar and went backpacking across the Appalacian Mountains before her job at a litigation firm starts in May.

[hkm6315]

ALSO, I know the seat deposit deadline is approaching at the end of April... So if anyone has any questions, feel free to ask us.

[itsmytime10]

tag

[mako_shark]

so who is coming next week and going to guido's for drinks after?

[MBZags]

I will be there for sure, pretty pumped about the whole ASD.

[hkm6315]

I will be there for the luncheon and student panel. I will see you guys there!

[mako_shark]

i won't be taking part of the days events but i'll swing by guido's after to see how everyone's doing, and have the hilarious moments of finding out who is who on this forum, as hkm and I did last year at guidos with a few other top-law schools people.

[tcam]

Hey all: I seem to be in the unfortunate position of having to find and lease a place without ever setting foot in town. While I've lived in some terrible places and wouldn't say that I'm picky, I'd still like to minimize the number of rats in my bed haha.

I'm wondering if anyone can help me narrow down the housing options at all. I'm basically looking for a general idea of where to look for a furnished 1BR on/near a bus line. Is there anywhere in particular that is impossible with buses?
While I think of it, laundry in the apartment would also be nice and any parking would be a bonus but not a requirement.

Lastly, I keep hearing that living off-campus generally works better for grad students and studying. Any thoughts on that?

I realize of course that it could be an enormous post so even a list of terrible buildings will help shorten my research time
Thanks a lot and have a great Easter!

[ChattelCat]

If you're looking for furnished place try Town and Country http://www.tandcapartments.com, the Pointe http://www.pointe-ui.com, or the Village at Colbert Park (which has a free shuttle which takes you directly to the law school) http://www.villagecp.com

You can also try Hessel on the Park - I'm pretty sure they have furnished places (it's an older complex though) http://www.mckinley.com/apartments/illinois/champaign/ (though very close to the law school). I don't know a whole lot about on campus places, but Burnham310 is a highrise that opened last year and seems nice http://www.burnham310.com

Otherwise you should have no trouble finding lots of other stuff online. I found a place online two years ago and it wasn't difficult (and now I'm sure there are twice as many places with websites). Start with management companies - there are a lot of them and most of them seem to have pretty good websites. Also don't rule out places that only have multiple BR apts - several places I looked had 2BR's that were the same price as a 1BRs elsewhere.

If you can't actually look at the place before you rent it, I would be leery of older apt complexes. A lot of the older places I looked at weren't old in that 'charming' type of way, they were old in that 'used for years and kind of gross' kind of way...

[TrackTony88]

If anyone is looking for one bedrooms (i am currently on campus), try Busey Court apartments with JSM Apartments..pretty cheap rent and great location. (Right on Green Street where the campus bars are at) and a block from the bus that takes you to the law building. You can also walk to the law building within 15 min easily but the bus picks you up every 10 minutes a block away from the apartments.

--LinkRemoved--

[bananasinpajamas]

UIUC ADMITTED STUDENTS...join the facebook group!

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=114571628559342

[NYUfirstyear]

Hey sorry I didn't really know where to post this, so I figured I'd run into some current Illinois students here. I'm a 1L at NYU and I have Jacqueline Ross for Criminal Law. She's visiting from Illinois and I was hoping to get a little help. I would greatly appreciate you sending any and all outlines you guys have on your study guide database to me. Also, if any 2L or 3L students actually took her for Crim, I would love any material you could send over. You will be doing me a huge favor and this can go on your resume as community service and I personally guarantee this will be the act that gets you your dream job!!!! Please email any material it to lunasbro@aol.com

Thanks a ton. You'll be my favorite person forever.

[Speedzie]

Hey all: I seem to be in the unfortunate position of having to find and lease a place without ever setting foot in town. While I've lived in some terrible places and wouldn't say that I'm picky, I'd still like to minimize the number of rats in my bed haha.

I'm wondering if anyone can help me narrow down the housing options at all. I'm basically looking for a general idea of where to look for a furnished 1BR on/near a bus line. Is there anywhere in particular that is impossible with buses?
While I think of it, laundry in the apartment would also be nice and any parking would be a bonus but not a requirement.

Lastly, I keep hearing that living off-campus generally works better for grad students and studying. Any thoughts on that?

I realize of course that it could be an enormous post so even a list of terrible buildings will help shorten my research time
Thanks a lot and have a great Easter!

North Prospect (north of i-74) can be tricky with buses, but busses are available - it just means switching busses once or twice. Baytowne and Waters Edge are your options up that way. They're a little more expensive by champaign standards, but they're good places to be since they're quieter and away from campus / downtown. That's where I live, and i've never had a problem with noisy neighbors or infestation. Driving to school, it generally takes me about 20 minutes to get from my door to the classroom. I don't mind it, but obviously some students prefer a much shorter commute. Lot's of grad students also live in "the Village" out in Savoy (south of campus), with a similar commute - but I can't speak to busses out that way, or how quiet those apartments are.

[LSHPFL10]

This is a bit different from the housing questions being asked, but here goes anyway...

Do any of the 1L's in this thread have any particular 0L reading to recommend in light of how your classes are going?

Thanks in advance.

[cbananna]

Flying out from DC on Thursday for the ASW Looking forward to seeing this place.

[Speedzie]

This is a bit different from the housing questions being asked, but here goes anyway...

Do any of the 1L's in this thread have any particular 0L reading to recommend in light of how your classes are going?

Thanks in advance.

I know it's not what you want to hear (since I know how anxious I got before 1L started), but there's really nothing you can read before classes start that'll help you. In other words, relax, because the sensation will be somewhat rare next year. But, if you just effing need to read about law school/lawyering: One L, anything by John Grisham, or watch The Paper Chase. Enjoy!

Note: I'm not a 1L.

[mako_shark]

possibly brush up on your knowledge of the US constitution & the branches of government.
- but i'm a Canadian, so all the aspects of constitutional law was all new to me.

other than that - just read w/e you love to read. i can't recall the last time i picked up a novel to read other than on flights from chicago to vancouver. cause trust me, after you read a solid couple hours of civil procedure, you dont really feel like picking up a novel after. haha
cheers & try to enjoy your last summer!