Illinois Law 1L Taking Questions Forum

[Avocat Blanc]

Sorry to continue the derailing of the thread on residency questions, but according to the faq on this link http://www.usp.uillinois.edu/residency.cfm
14. My spouse is employed in Illinois, files taxes, and has taken other actions which verify intent to reside in Illinois. Am I a resident?

A person can gain residency through his or her spouse if that spouse is a bona fide resident of Illinois. The spouse may be asked to show proof of bona fide residency in Illinois for one calendar year.

So would this mean that If my wife and I both move to Illinois in May, she obtains full time employment prior to august (not in school), that she would have established bona fide residency and thus I could gain it for 2L through her? I wasn't sure I was getting that right so please correct me if I am misunderstanding this as it would greatly improve my chances of attending if this was a possibility.

[chalis8]

Sorry to continue the derailing of the thread on residency questions, but according to the faq on this link http://www.usp.uillinois.edu/residency.cfm
14. My spouse is employed in Illinois, files taxes, and has taken other actions which verify intent to reside in Illinois. Am I a resident?

A person can gain residency through his or her spouse if that spouse is a bona fide resident of Illinois. The spouse may be asked to show proof of bona fide residency in Illinois for one calendar year.

So would this mean that If my wife and I both move to Illinois in May, she obtains full time employment prior to august (not in school), that she would have established bona fide residency and thus I could gain it for 2L through her? I wasn't sure I was getting that right so please correct me if I am misunderstanding this as it would greatly improve my chances of attending if this was a possibility.

Hmmm... that's a tricky one. I do know two girls who moved here with their boyfriends (who are both law students) and have been working here since August and both girls were able to apply to U of I to start masters programs this coming fall as residents. So I think your wife would definitely have residency after a year. It seems like you should be able to get it the way you describe, but I'm definitely no expert and don't want to lead you down the wrong road on this one. Your best bet is probably to ask the school directly (or throw this one Paul Pless's way).

[Avocat Blanc]

Sorry to continue the derailing of the thread on residency questions, but according to the faq on this link http://www.usp.uillinois.edu/residency.cfm
14. My spouse is employed in Illinois, files taxes, and has taken other actions which verify intent to reside in Illinois. Am I a resident?

A person can gain residency through his or her spouse if that spouse is a bona fide resident of Illinois. The spouse may be asked to show proof of bona fide residency in Illinois for one calendar year.

So would this mean that If my wife and I both move to Illinois in May, she obtains full time employment prior to august (not in school), that she would have established bona fide residency and thus I could gain it for 2L through her? I wasn't sure I was getting that right so please correct me if I am misunderstanding this as it would greatly improve my chances of attending if this was a possibility.

Hmmm... that's a tricky one. I do know two girls who moved here with their boyfriends (who are both law students) and have been working here since August and both girls were able to apply to U of I to start masters programs this coming fall as residents. So I think your wife would definitely have residency after a year. It seems like you should be able to get it the way you describe, but I'm definitely no expert and don't want to lead you down the wrong road on this one. Your best bet is probably to ask the school directly (or throw this one Paul Pless's way).

Yeah that's probably a better place for this question, I'll see what he has to say but if anyone else knows, thanks.

[ealwcml]

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[archiekid06]

Any 1L's or people who did their undergrad at Illinois have an opinion on Urbana housing which is: east of Lincoln, south of Green, north of Florida, west of Vine.

I like the looks of the neighborhood but would like to get the opinion of people who have lived around there.

The neighborhood is pretty safe, quiet for the most part, and close to campus (walk, bike, drive, or catch a bus). Last year, I did have a friend live exactly in that neighborhood and she really enjoyed the area for its quietness, residential feel, and lower rent (compared to living on-campus). The only two downsides are (1) if you plan to walk, it's going to be around ~15-25 minutes depending on where you live in that area and (2) the CUMTD bus service runs on the edge of that neighborhood (lincoln ave and florida ave) with varying bus service times.

[milag64]

I second the previous poster - a lot of grad students go that way, and students who lived at Allen (artsy dorm). Actual house that you might get is a little more iffy...theres a lot of rundown crap there (someone tried to sell us a place that he said might be condemned)..but if you're going to be looking at the place before you move in, you'll be fine.

I personally lived on the corner of springfield and Lincoln and found it to be pretty good - quiet, but accessible via Springfield and Lincoln buses.

[LovingLifeSince1987]

Hey! Thanks for taking the time to be so informative with your answers! I saw that you had said something about a website where you can try to find roommate matches...is that through this website or another one? Would you mind giving me a link?

Also, is finding roommates in this way something you recommend? What do most people do? I am from Virginia, never been to Illinois in my life and don't know anyone else there (as is the case with a lot of people Im sure). But anyways, basically just wondering your thoughts on how to work out a housing arrangement if I want to live with at least one other person.?

Thank you so much!

[ealwcml]

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[archiekid06]

Hey! Thanks for taking the time to be so informative with your answers! I saw that you had said something about a website where you can try to find roommate matches...is that through this website or another one? Would you mind giving me a link?

Also, is finding roommates in this way something you recommend? What do most people do? I am from Virginia, never been to Illinois in my life and don't know anyone else there (as is the case with a lot of people Im sure). But anyways, basically just wondering your thoughts on how to work out a housing arrangement if I want to live with at least one other person.?

Thank you so much!

As far as roommate matching goes... if you do choose to attend Illinois, the COL typically sends out a roommate matching questionnaire (they did this last year). This is one way to find a roommate. Another way is to post on the COL Admitted Students Forum (if the COL still has this).

[chalis8]

Hey! Thanks for taking the time to be so informative with your answers! I saw that you had said something about a website where you can try to find roommate matches...is that through this website or another one? Would you mind giving me a link?

Also, is finding roommates in this way something you recommend? What do most people do? I am from Virginia, never been to Illinois in my life and don't know anyone else there (as is the case with a lot of people Im sure). But anyways, basically just wondering your thoughts on how to work out a housing arrangement if I want to live with at least one other person.?

Thank you so much!

Don't worry, I think 99% of the people looking for a roommate for 1L year don't know anyone else at the school. Most people I know found roommates through the Admitted Students Forum. (you should have gotten login info from the admissions dept.) Last year after the response deadline (sorry, can't remember exactly when it was, but early in the summer) they'll send out a survey that you can fill out about likes/dislikes/necessities etc. if you are looking for a roommate (or more than one) and then you can look through responses and contact people that way. I think that's how pretty much everyone I know found their roommates this past year.

[hkm6315]

I also remember a lot of people doing roommate matching on the admitted students site. I was coming from Texas, so I knew nobody here. I wanted to live alone though so I never went down the roommate hunting road. A LOT of people got in touch before the school year through facebook. Somebody started an Illinois College of Law Class of 2011 group. There are 126 members, so most of our class joined. There are a lot of people who connected through gmail and gchat. I believe most of this was coordinated through emails and the admitted students site.

Honestly, there are a lot of really old rundown places right around campus. Some places are ok, but you have to be careful where you rent. I would just do your homework before you rent anywhere. My cousin lived in an old house near campus with a few other people and it was close to being condemned. Sometimes undergrads will rent these older houses out and run them into the ground with parties and stuff.

If you decide to live on campus, you have to also take into account that you are deciding to live around 30,000 undergrads... who are not always the most quiet neighbors. If you are a heavy sleeper or just don't care about that, then it might not make a difference to you. Personally, I am very noise sensitive so I chose to live in an apartment complex 15 minutes from campus that consists of grad students, professionals, and families. I never hear a peep from anyone. A lot of people also choose to live in Savoy for the same reasons. Honestly, anywhere you choose to live in the Champaign/Urbana/Savoy area is going to be no more than a 10-15 minute drive from campus, and there isn't exactly "traffic" here so you don't have to take that into account. Anything further out than 10-15 minutes is just corn lol. Maybe I am just biased because I drove 45 minutes through traffic every morning when I went to school at UT-Austin, so 15 minutes in the morning is nothing to me.

There are places on campus that are nice and not as noisy. Hessel on the Park is one I know of. A lot of law students live there and take the bus, walk, or bike. It is REALLY close to the law school.

I am not trying to make undergrads out to be the plague or anything, but if you are living in an apartment complex full of 18 or 19 year olds who are partying all of the time, it may not be conducive to sleeping or studying if you are sensitive to the noise. I would just make sure and ask a lot of questions and do your homework before renting on campus if noise is something you are worried about.

[mako_shark]

Hey guys, I’ll be attending the admitted students open house on April the 3rd. I’ll actually be flying in from Vancouver, Canada and arriving at Champaign sometime Thursday evening. If anyone could recommend places to eat or to visit around Champaign on a Thursday night it would be greatly appreciated. That being said, if anyone else is arriving early and wants to meet up to grab food or drinks Thursday night, it seems like a pretty good idea to me. Cheers
Sean

[HipHopAPotamus]

Hey guys, I’ll be attending the admitted students open house on April the 3rd. I’ll actually be flying in from Vancouver, Canada and arriving at Champaign sometime Thursday evening. If anyone could recommend places to eat or to visit around Champaign on a Thursday night it would be greatly appreciated. That being said, if anyone else is arriving early and wants to meet up to grab food or drinks Thursday night, it seems like a pretty good idea to me. Cheers
Sean

I've heard the Blind Pig is a good place for a beer (coolkatz can you verify this?), although food I'm not sure on.

I'd be down to try to organize a get together for people attending the April 3rd admitted students day; I'll be out there from Portland.

[coolkatz321]

Hey guys, I’ll be attending the admitted students open house on April the 3rd. I’ll actually be flying in from Vancouver, Canada and arriving at Champaign sometime Thursday evening. If anyone could recommend places to eat or to visit around Champaign on a Thursday night it would be greatly appreciated. That being said, if anyone else is arriving early and wants to meet up to grab food or drinks Thursday night, it seems like a pretty good idea to me. Cheers
Sean

I've heard the Blind Pig is a good place for a beer (coolkatz can you verify this?), although food I'm not sure on.

I'd be down to try to organize a get together for people attending the April 3rd admitted students day; I'll be out there from Portland.

Blind Pig = fucking awesome. Great beer on tap, bottled selection, AND on cask. Also, lots of townies there...definitely worth going to if you're visiting UIUC. You may even run into a fellow TLSer (like I did!).

[mako_shark]

Hey guys, I’ll be attending the admitted students open house on April the 3rd. I’ll actually be flying in from Vancouver, Canada and arriving at Champaign sometime Thursday evening. If anyone could recommend places to eat or to visit around Champaign on a Thursday night it would be greatly appreciated. That being said, if anyone else is arriving early and wants to meet up to grab food or drinks Thursday night, it seems like a pretty good idea to me. Cheers
Sean

I've heard the Blind Pig is a good place for a beer (coolkatz can you verify this?), although food I'm not sure on.

I'd be down to try to organize a get together for people attending the April 3rd admitted students day; I'll be out there from Portland.

Blind Pig = fucking awesome. Great beer on tap, bottled selection, AND on cask. Also, lots of townies there...definitely worth going to if you're visiting UIUC. You may even run into a fellow TLSer (like I did!).

that sounds huge, yeah we should definitely organize a get together, would be a good way to kick off the open house. ill post something on the facebook page sometime tomorrow

[hkm6315]

Seven Saints has really good food and beer. It is a few blocks from Blind Pig.

[ealwcml]

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[chalis8]

How's the gym that's one block away (ARC)?

It's phenomenal. There are probably 200 treadmills and elliptical machines (and every other sort of cardio machine you can imagine) all of which have built in televisions and cable. There is an indoor running track (I think it's a 5th of a mile) a three story rock climbing wall, an indoor pool and outdoor pool and more weight equipment that anyone could ever need. There are a slew of gyms for everything from badminton to basketball to martial arts and a bunch of racquetball and squash courts. They also have classes like a regular gym (I'm a big fan of spinning classes).

It's so big that I've rarely ever had trouble finding a machine to use - even when it's really busy.

And the BEST part is it's brand spanking new (opened last August) and they do a really great job of keeping it clean AND it's a block away.

[hkm6315]

^ Ditto. It is awesome. 340,000 square feet and one of the largest on-campus recreation centers in the country. Plus, it is so close it makes working out between classes or right after class really easy.

[sydney]

Thanks for taking the time to answer all of our questions, it is quite helpful. My question is about the recent tuition increases. From what I understand current students are not burdened with the full increase from the past few years (you know, that $5,000 increase that just magically appeared in the cost of attendance email), and their tuition can only increase a certain percentage each year. Is this correct? I'm kind of skeptical about the whole thing because this dramatic increase for next year wasn't discussed at all during the application process or even after being admitted. I want to make sure they can't do that to me again.

And, just out of curiosity, what is the semester schedule like? Do you receive the same breaks as undergrads? What do most law students do during the winter holiday and spring breaks? Do many stay in town, return home, schedule interviews, take trips? Thanks and maybe I'll run in to some of you Thursday night.

[archiekid06]

Thanks for taking the time to answer all of our questions, it is quite helpful. My question is about the recent tuition increases. From what I understand current students are not burdened with the full increase from the past few years (you know, that $5,000 increase that just magically appeared in the cost of attendance email), and their tuition can only increase a certain percentage each year. Is this correct? I'm kind of skeptical about the whole thing because this dramatic increase for next year wasn't discussed at all during the application process or even after being admitted. I want to make sure they can't do that to me again.

And, just out of curiosity, what is the semester schedule like? Do you receive the same breaks as undergrads? What do most law students do during the winter holiday and spring breaks? Do many stay in town, return home, schedule interviews, take trips? Thanks and maybe I'll run in to some of you Thursday night.

As far as the semester schedule, the law school follows the university's schedule (which the undergraduate curricula follow). However, there are two exceptions (that I have discovered thus far): (1) the finals schedule starts earlier (though, it ends at the same time as the university's schedule) and (2) there is a mandatory College of Law orientation before school officially begins (for 1Ls/transfers).

With respect to breaks, it varies. For winter break, law students typically go home (only a few classmates that I know stayed in town for a bit). The winter break is a month long, giving you the opportunity to travel, hang out with family/friends, send out resumes for summer employment (though some students opt to wait til grades come out in January), etc. Also, there are usually several firm networking events (sponsored by the COL or various law firms) in Chicago around the beginning/middle of January before school starts, which a number of 1Ls attend. For spring break, a lot of students stay in town (outline, study, relax, etc.), but a good number do go home to relax and knock out some work.

[fightin illini 25]

I made a Illinois Law class of 2012 Facebook group. Here is the link http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/grou ... 1641237075

[hkm6315]

Thanksgiving break is pretty miserable honestly. You have only one week of classes left after you get back from Thanksgiving before classes start so everyone is starting/finishing outlining and cramming all of the material into their brains. Everyone will tell you not to wait till Thanksgiving break to start outlining... But then those same people will tell you that they did it and they were fine (except for the mild nervous breakdown).. Starting outlining earlier in the semester would definitely make your Thanksgiving break more enjoyable and a little less stressful.

A lot of people study and outline over spring break too, but you still have a third of the semester left so it is not as stressful as Thanksgiving.

For winter break I did absolutely nothing and it was fantastic. You don't get your grades until the end of winter break and many employers won't even look at you without them. A lot of people will stay in Champaign and take a class over the summer or work for a judge here or in Cook County. The school has a job bank database and a whole Cook County judicial internship program. If you want to work in a different state it is a little bit more tricky because most of the internships are either in Champaign or Chicagoland. There are a handful in other parts of the country and midwest, but I found my job this summer in Texas on my own. Oh, and if you plan on getting a paid firm job after 1L summer, you should probably get over that idea because with the status of the economy most firms have cut their summer 1L jobs. There are a few, but they are rare and really hard to get. You also can't do an internship for class credit if you are getting paid.

This summer I am doing an externship for class credit with a judge in Texas. A lot of people do this over the summer and it is great to get between 2-4 credit hours and some awesome experience. Down side is that you don't get paid, but the upside is you don't have to pay for a summer class because you can just add it to your 2L fall course work. The trick is that you have to get Honors (Top 40%) in either Legal Research or Legal Writing to do this, so don't think that just because those two classes are pass/fail you should just squeak by. You can also be a legal writing TA your 2L year if you get Honors.

When I am not working for a judge, I fully intend to be relaxing by the pool with a margarita for my last summer in Texas and my last summer of freedom.

[mako_shark]

i guess to make things easier for anyone meeting for drinks on thursday,
if your interested in meeting up just head over to the blind pig sometime around 830,
I'll probably wear a san jose sharks shirt, or UBC (university of british columbia) polo
cheers!
Sean

[hkm6315]

Everyone going to the Open House should come to Guidos on Friday! There will be free beer and snack food: wings, veggies, etc. from 7-9... The last Open House technically ended around 9, but I would say that there were a significant number of people closing the place down : )

Blind Pig, Bentleys (karaoke bar), Boltini (martini bar), Seven Saints (amazing food/bar), and Soma (club/bar) are all within a few blocks of Guidos... Not to mention the 24 hour diner, Merry-Ann's, is right across the street. Please feel free to come talk to me and ask me anything if you see me there. I will not be wearing a san jose sharks shirt or polo, but I am 6'0 tall so just look for the tallest girl in the room + my avatar.