Chicago C/O 2020 Applicants (2016-2017) Forum

[ProductofUnreality]

Checking in. Went complete finally on 12/13 after submitting 11/29

Nice!

In regards to your username, how do you feel about Sunday?

I'd kill for you guys to beat OAK lol.

Haha pls no. Oak clinches a wildcard slot with a win. I was twelve last time we made the playoffs... :/

[Assasindowntheavenue]

Checking in. Went complete finally on 12/13 after submitting 11/29

Nice!

In regards to your username, how do you feel about Sunday?

I'd kill for you guys to beat OAK lol.

Haha pls no. Oak clinches a wildcard slot with a win. I was twelve last time we made the playoffs... :/

It's very unlikely chargers win. But it would make my season easier (Broncos fan here). And good for you if you've been a fan that long. Sick of all the bandwagon fans lol.

[chargers21]

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[Assasindowntheavenue]

Checking in. Went complete finally on 12/13 after submitting 11/29

Nice!

In regards to your username, how do you feel about Sunday?

I'd kill for you guys to beat OAK lol.

Haha pls no. Oak clinches a wildcard slot with a win. I was twelve last time we made the playoffs... :/

It's very unlikely chargers win. But it would make my season easier (Broncos fan here). And good for you if you've been a fan that long. Sick of all the bandwagon fans lol.

No one accuses the Chargers fans for being bandwagon jumpers for some reason?

Edit: my bad read your post too fast lol. Were there Chargers bandwagons before this season?

[chargers21]

.

[ProductofUnreality]

Checking in. Went complete finally on 12/13 after submitting 11/29

Nice!

In regards to your username, how do you feel about Sunday?

I'd kill for you guys to beat OAK lol.

Haha pls no. Oak clinches a wildcard slot with a win. I was twelve last time we made the playoffs... :/

It's very unlikely chargers win. But it would make my season easier (Broncos fan here). And good for you if you've been a fan that long. Sick of all the bandwagon fans lol.

No one accuses the Chargers fans for being bandwagon jumpers for some reason?

AFCW representing in here!

SD used to have bandwagon fans. When you had LT.

This is the first year Oak has had bandwagon fans since Gannon lol

[Assasindowntheavenue]

Checking in. Went complete finally on 12/13 after submitting 11/29

Nice!

In regards to your username, how do you feel about Sunday?

I'd kill for you guys to beat OAK lol.

Haha pls no. Oak clinches a wildcard slot with a win. I was twelve last time we made the playoffs... :/

It's very unlikely chargers win. But it would make my season easier (Broncos fan here). And good for you if you've been a fan that long. Sick of all the bandwagon fans lol.

No one accuses the Chargers fans for being bandwagon jumpers for some reason?

AFCW representing in here!

SD used to have bandwagon fans. When you had LT.

This is the first year Oak has had bandwagon fans since Gannon lol

@Chargers21
Oh duh lol. It's been a weird season. Rivers isn't a bad QB, but it's been rough.

@Product
Finally some west love lol. AFCW has been such an intense battle all season! Makes other divisions look like college football lol.

[ProductofUnreality]

@Chargers21
Oh duh lol. It's been a weird season. Rivers isn't a bad QB, but it's been rough.

@Product
Finally some west love lol. AFCW has been such an intense battle all season! Makes other divisions look like college football lol.

Rivers is a great QB. The injuries are the big problem for SD. It's been a problem for years. Something is wrong with the training staff I think. You can only blame bad luck for so many consecutive seasons.

Could you imagine being an AFCS fan? That would be awful. I still think we might send three teams to the playoffs this year. (Sorry chargers21)

[poptart123]

I'm really digging Chicago and feeling pretty good about my chances. I'm just scared of the debt. I know this isn't something to base my future on, but what are you all personally comfortable with from Chicago? I'm not sure about sticker, but maybe 10k-15k of scholarship a year I could stomach depending on other options, of course.

[lsa16]

I'm really digging Chicago and feeling pretty good about my chances. I'm just scared of the debt. I know this isn't something to base my future on, but what are you all personally comfortable with from Chicago? I'm not sure about sticker, but maybe 10k-15k of scholarship a year I could stomach depending on other options, of course.

I'm struggling with this as well because Columbia and Chicago are realistically my top two choices and I think I'm pretty likely to get into at least one, but I imagine my money is going to be much better from places like UVA and Michigan etc - I think it depends on you personally. If you are looking for pretty typical corporate jobs I honestly wouldn't worry about it too much considering the salaries you are looking at. I'm more into a public interest track so not looking at massive salaries but also feel like the reputation of places in the top 5 could help land some really amazing jobs. I think I might be inclined to do it anyway, especially because my undergrad institution was much less prestigious and I feel like I missed out on these kinds of environments, but it's a tough call no matter what.

[Assasindowntheavenue]

@Chargers21
Oh duh lol. It's been a weird season. Rivers isn't a bad QB, but it's been rough.

@Product
Finally some west love lol. AFCW has been such an intense battle all season! Makes other divisions look like college football lol.

Rivers is a great QB. The injuries are the big problem for SD. It's been a problem for years. Something is wrong with the training staff I think. You can only blame bad luck for so many consecutive seasons.

Could you imagine being an AFCS fan? That would be awful. I still think we might send three teams to the playoffs this year. (Sorry chargers21)

Lmao. Or NFCS. That's why when we faced Cam last year I was like Panthers who? It's a trip how strength of schedule plays such a big role in who goes to playoffs/SB. but yeah I think we could have 3 as well. I mean Broncos have gotten lucky so many times, and if we just push a little more we may get it. But kind of scared once that luck runs out. We're not the same as last year and I blame the coaching staff similarly to how you were taking about Chargers. Interesting times ahead though!

[Assasindowntheavenue]

I'm really digging Chicago and feeling pretty good about my chances. I'm just scared of the debt. I know this isn't something to base my future on, but what are you all personally comfortable with from Chicago? I'm not sure about sticker, but maybe 10k-15k of scholarship a year I could stomach depending on other options, of course.

I'm struggling with this as well because Columbia and Chicago are realistically my top two choices and I think I'm pretty likely to get into at least one, but I imagine my money is going to be much better from places like UVA and Michigan etc - I think it depends on you personally. If you are looking for pretty typical corporate jobs I honestly wouldn't worry about it too much considering the salaries you are looking at. I'm more into a public interest track so not looking at massive salaries but also feel like the reputation of places in the top 5 could help land some really amazing jobs. I think I might be inclined to do it anyway, especially because my undergrad institution was much less prestigious and I feel like I missed out on these kinds of environments, but it's a tough call no matter what.

I think about this all the time. Eventually it's not about getting in necessarily, so much as how much $ you get at these t-14 schools. And it sounds nice and easy when you think "oh biglaw will cover it", but that's assuming you'll make it into biglaw and that you'll survive it long enough to pay $100k+. It's very stressful and I'm still working on my answer to the question of how much debt is okay.

[ProductofUnreality]

I'm really digging Chicago and feeling pretty good about my chances. I'm just scared of the debt. I know this isn't something to base my future on, but what are you all personally comfortable with from Chicago? I'm not sure about sticker, but maybe 10k-15k of scholarship a year I could stomach depending on other options, of course.

It's totally something to base your future on. The debt will be part of your future.

You've got to consider what you're going to do with your degree. BigLaw salary should help you pay off the debt quickly. Public interest could qualify you for loan forgiveness from the govt and Chicago's LRAP. These could all make the mountain of debt very manageable. However if you're going into private practice at a small firm or trying to hang your own shingle you'll be in for a rough time, and honestly T14 isn't necessary for those paths anyway, and in the case of going your own way it could make things harder since you'll be in debt already and probably won't want to take out loans to get your business up and running.

So it's not really about a hard number that makes it worth it or not worth it, but more how you're going to plan to pay that number off. $100k in debt while starting your own firm could be much harder to handle than $200k while earning a biglaw salary. With a degree from Chicago you'll get into biglaw if you want. Starting take home salary after taxes would be like $80k-$100k depending on your state (maybe even more if the tax code is changed). You could pay off $200k in 4-5 years just on the starting biglaw salary if you live frugally. Then factor in the lockstep raises and bonuses and you'll be in a good position in no time.

In public interest you would likely qualify for an income based repayment plan, which is generally about 10% of your discretionary income. That would be like $6k/year. Chicago's LRAP sets you up for income based repayment and public service loan forgiveness if you work for the government or a non profit. After ten years of IBR your outstanding loans are forgiven completely.

TL;DR don't focus on the number, focus on how you'll pay it off and what that would mean for your lifestyle.

[poptart123]

I'm really digging Chicago and feeling pretty good about my chances. I'm just scared of the debt. I know this isn't something to base my future on, but what are you all personally comfortable with from Chicago? I'm not sure about sticker, but maybe 10k-15k of scholarship a year I could stomach depending on other options, of course.

It's totally something to base your future on. The debt will be part of your future.

You've got to consider what you're going to do with your degree. BigLaw salary should help you pay off the debt quickly. Public interest could qualify you for loan forgiveness from the govt and Chicago's LRAP. These could all make the mountain of debt very manageable. However if you're going into private practice at a small firm or trying to hang your own shingle you'll be in for a rough time, and honestly T14 isn't necessary for those paths anyway, and in the case of going your own way it could make things harder since you'll be in debt already and probably won't want to take out loans to get your business up and running.

So it's not really about a hard number that makes it worth it or not worth it, but more how you're going to plan to pay that number off. $100k in debt while starting your own firm could be much harder to handle than $200k while earning a biglaw salary. With a degree from Chicago you'll get into biglaw if you want. Starting take home salary after taxes would be like $80k-$100k depending on your state (maybe even more if the tax code is changed). You could pay off $200k in 4-5 years just on the starting biglaw salary if you live frugally. Then factor in the lockstep raises and bonuses and you'll be in a good position in no time.

In public interest you would likely qualify for an income based repayment plan, which is generally about 10% of your discretionary income. That would be like $6k/year. Chicago's LRAP sets you up for income based repayment and public service loan forgiveness if you work for the government or a non profit. After ten years of IBR your outstanding loans are forgiven completely.

TL;DR don't focus on the number, focus on how you'll pay it off and what that would mean for your lifestyle.

Definitely. I meant not to base my future on what you all are comfortable with. I'm definitely considering the debt vs. opportunities that Chicago can give me. I ultimately would like to end up in government, but I'm not sure starting out there is the right path for me.

[ProductofUnreality]

Definitely. I meant not to base my future on what you all are comfortable with. I'm definitely considering the debt vs. opportunities that Chicago can give me. I ultimately would like to end up in government, but I'm not sure starting out there is the right path for me.

What are you aiming for in govt?

I'm planning on going the opposite route, DA for trial experience then private sector litigation.

[poptart123]

Definitely. I meant not to base my future on what you all are comfortable with. I'm definitely considering the debt vs. opportunities that Chicago can give me. I ultimately would like to end up in government, but I'm not sure starting out there is the right path for me.

What are you aiming for in govt?

I'm planning on going the opposite route, DA for trial experience then private sector litigation.

I'm thinking high level like USAO/OSG in my state/something litigation. I was thinking (clerkship if I can snag one) -> Big law lit -> make the transition to govt. I've thought about the opposite route, but from the attorneys I've talked to it can be hard to break into upper levels of government that way. Although, I've heard it can be hard either way.

[ProductofUnreality]

Definitely. I meant not to base my future on what you all are comfortable with. I'm definitely considering the debt vs. opportunities that Chicago can give me. I ultimately would like to end up in government, but I'm not sure starting out there is the right path for me.

What are you aiming for in govt?

I'm planning on going the opposite route, DA for trial experience then private sector litigation.

I'm thinking high level like USAO/OSG in my state/something litigation. I was thinking (clerkship if I can snag one) -> Big law lit -> make the transition to govt. I've thought about the opposite route, but from the attorneys I've talked to it can be hard to break into upper levels of government that way. Although, I've heard it can be hard either way.

Nice! I interviewed with a Northwestern alumnus who was doing that.

Would be cool to be a federal prosecutor. I might try to work up as high as I can through DA office. Might be harder, but I'm too excited to get in front of a jury to start at a big law litigation firm lol

[LenaFarrer]

I know this is a really silly question, but is having an interview a must for Chicago admission?

[Aquinas]

I know this is a really silly question, but is having an interview a must for Chicago admission?

It is. And to that end, here's to hoping that a wave of interview invites comes out tomorrow!!!

[btruj777]

Anyone else think that ED decisions will come out next week?

[fortunecookie1]

Anyone else think that ED decisions will come out next week?

I'm crossing my fingers. It looks like last year's ED decisions came out on the 18th, which is crazy. There were interview slots open for today, so I think the earliest they'd be able to turn around decisions would be next Wednesday or Thursday.

[KMart]

Anyone else think that ED decisions will come out next week?

I believe they almost always come before Christmas.

[btruj777]

Anyone else think that ED decisions will come out next week?

I believe they almost always come before Christmas.

Awesome, I was looking at some of those figures and came to the same conclusion. Not to sound overly confident, and more as a fun gesture just to get my mind off this cycle,..I ordered one of those "Ugly UChicago" sweaters that were like $14 off the book store website just so that I can wear it this holiday season if I get accepted. This school has been my dream for a long time so I figured I would have fun with the cycle and have something else coming my way from Chicago to look towards in anticipation. It sounds weird but its fun, lets see which one comes first.

[btruj777]

UR4 (at least, could be 5)

[lsa16]

Apologies if this is a dumb question, but will a school like Chicago in any way care if you have significant scholarship offers from places like Michigan and UVA? My gut instinct says no, there will be too many people applying to the top 5 with scholarship offers from elsewhere for it to matter, and obviously this question isn't even relevant until admissions decisions come out, but thought I would ask just in case.