SIU-Carbondale Forum

[eboston]

Has anyone received a decision from SIU yet? My file has been complete since early November and I was told by their office that they started reviewing applications the first week of December. I've already been accepted to Michigan State with scholarship but SIU is really close to home for me. Anyone know when they typically start making decisions?

[mattviphky]

If you want to work in downstate Illinois, SIU is a great option. I posted this in another thread, but felt that it was relevant.

I guess I can see that the problem in the legal profession isn't oversupply, it's maldistribution. Just look at law school locations. In my state of Illinois there are 9 law schools...six in Chicago. Six. In one city. They are all private, and they all have insane tuition. But I feel like the state has addressed the potential problem of lawyer distribution. There are 3 state schools, NIU, SIU, and UIUC. I know more about SIU, so I'll give some info on them. If you want to be a lawyer in downstate Illinois, from a small city like Springfield, to very rural county seats, SIU is a fine place to go. It is a decent building on a large campus in a college town with ABA accreditation and cheap tuition. The cost is dirt cheap, and they hand out scholarships to nearly everyone. Just get a 161 on the lsat and you have free tuition, leaving you with about 45k in debt. The professors are amiable, and very aware that students are attending in order to practice in the areas they are from, which is typically the downstate area (btw, the lt. gov of Illinois is a prof). It is a good school, but not if you want big law or something...but again, that is not the mission of the school. In fact, the school's mission statement is "Established in the public interest, serving the public good" Both NIU and SIU were created to provide lawyers to underserved areas.

SIU is a really good option. Many people on this site (and myself, I must admit) are more focused on major metro, high pay sort of gigs, but SIU wasn't made to serve this purpose, there are many other school that are better for such a thing, and they know it. But with tuition at 15k, and with scholarship opportunities galore, it is a good option for downstate IL. I didn't realize until i just looked it up, but the difference between in-state and out-of-state tuition is ridiculous. Like 15k in-state, 32k out. At UIUC it's like 35k in/40k out (although they are trying to entice a different kind of applicant). Incoming classes are 120 students, and networking opportunities can be great, especially in Springfield, where their is a legislative externship that students can do during their 2L year. I don't know what they do, but they live in Springfield for a semester and work on legislative stuff. This probably is for spring only, since there is not many session days in the fall.

Soooo....if this sounds appealing to you (probably not to 99.9% of people on TLS), then enroll. If not, stay away.

[mattviphky]

btw, i'll apply after the holidays. I would love to go to UIUC, but may not get in. I know that seems like a huge rankings drop, going from T25 (before recent events), to the cellar of the TTTT. But this school isn't the sort of TTTT that this site usually focuses on. I strongly feel like the rankings don't apply in this case, for reasons stated above.

[ineptimusprime]

I was admitted on the 21st of December via phone call and was offered a $4,000 yearly scholarship. I'm not from Illinois, so the odds of me attending are slim. My numbers are 3.61/154.

Good luck to other applicants!

[mattviphky]

full ride.

[Trina Johnson]

I got in!!!

[mattviphky]

congrats! numbers? are you really considering going?

[silentbob]

It is 8k per semester right? Not per year? I cant imagine they charge 270 bucks a credit hour, that is less than my undergrad! Anyone I really want to go to SIU, but im sitting out a year and gonna find a job and pay off some undergrad loans, so really, anyone whos been accepted this year do tell your numbers Id love to find out what people are really offered given their numbers, my GPA is 3.5, and I am currently studying for the Oct. LSAT.

[mattviphky]

It is 8k per semester right? Not per year? I cant imagine they charge 270 bucks a credit hour, that is less than my undergrad! Anyone I really want to go to SIU, but im sitting out a year and gonna find a job and pay off some undergrad loans, so really, anyone whos been accepted this year do tell your numbers Id love to find out what people are really offered given their numbers, my GPA is 3.5, and I am currently studying for the Oct. LSAT.

anything over a 161 will get you a full ride, but you should aim higher than that. Study for a 170+ and see what happens.

[silentbob]

It said you were gonna apply in your older post, did you ever apply? did they offer you any $$$?

[mattviphky]

i did, and i got a full ride. However, I received the same offer at Illinois, so I'm going to be in Champaign this fall.