University of Illinois c/o 2018 Applicants Forum

[LadyProspero]

Just got in off the waitlist today with a $75,000.00 scholarship!

[KMart]

Has everyone got the reimbursement for the admitted students day?

Yeah, I got mine a few weeks ago.

+1, sent in mail.

[Iwanttolawschool]

I Still haven't got mine... I'm beginning to thing I'm not gonna

[AlwaysLurking]

I Still haven't got mine... I'm beginning to thing I'm not gonna

Yup still haven't received mine either

[Etcetera]

Is there a facebook group for the admitted students?

[KMart]

Is there a facebook group for the admitted students?

I believe so.

[thatguy12]

This is the facebook group, hope it helps.


https://www.facebook.com/groups/953452224665410/

[Judgeasaurus_Rex]

Hey UIUC law folks,

Sorry to troll your thread. I'll be applying to Law School this fall for admission in 2016. Have 3.44 lsac GPA & 157 and 158 LSAT scores (June '14 & June '15). I know my LSAT score is near their 25th percentile, but I will be retaking in October this year with the hopes of raising it a few points. I also have some very strong student leadership positions on my resume, plus a prestigious internship.

Do y'all think I have a shot at getting in at Illinois? I'm right on the median for GPA for the most recent incoming class. Does anyone think that the medians and percentiles for LSAT & GPA will remain similar?

I probably want public interest work after graduation. Interested in being in Chicago because of proximity to the courts for the 7th circuit, plus I have family ties in the area.

[isuperserial]

Hey UIUC law folks,

Sorry to troll your thread. I'll be applying to Law School this fall for admission in 2016. Have 3.44 lsac GPA & 157 and 158 LSAT scores (June '14 & June '15). I know my LSAT score is near their 25th percentile, but I will be retaking in October this year with the hopes of raising it a few points. I also have some very strong student leadership positions on my resume, plus a prestigious internship.

Do y'all think I have a shot at getting in at Illinois? I'm right on the median for GPA for the most recent incoming class. Does anyone think that the medians and percentiles for LSAT & GPA will remain similar?

I probably want public interest work after graduation. Interested in being in Chicago because of proximity to the court
s for the 7th circuit, plus I have family ties in the area.

No problem, but you are probably better off posting to "what are my chances" too.

My advice is retake. Even if a 158 gets you in, you won't be getting much of a scholarship. And going to law school, even a good-ish one like Illinois, without a decent scholarship is a foolish move in this economy. Graduating with 100k+ of debt and no job is like a 25% chance, you have to understand that. Graduating with a job that can service a massive debt like that is also incredibly high chance, you would have about a 75% chance of not being able to easily pay off that debt.

That's if you get in, which I hate to say is probably unlikely. People who get in with low LSAT scores usually have above median GPAs, with a few exceptions. I doubt that Illinois will see a substantial change in numbers; they may go down to 160 again, but that doesn't help you much since you would still be below median.

Finally, think about what your career goals are. Do you plan on paying Chicago rent on a public interest salary? Do you plan on commuting hours a day in Chicago traffic? Are you comfortable making 30-50k a year with all the debt you will have? It's awesome to help people, and that's why a lot of us go to law school, but it's important to make sure you know all you can so you can make informed decisions.

Sorry to be a debbie downer. The reason I say all this is not because you absolutely 100% should not go to law school. The reason I say this is because I want to make sure you are making an informed decision and understand all the risks you may face. If you still want to go to Illinois, you may get in, and you may kick ass, and you may live an extraordinary and fulfilling life working for the ACLU and becoming the next Ginsburg. But just recognize that there's a strong possibility this will not work out for you the way you hope.

[Judgeasaurus_Rex]

Hey UIUC law folks,

Sorry to troll your thread. I'll be applying to Law School this fall for admission in 2016. Have 3.44 lsac GPA & 157 and 158 LSAT scores (June '14 & June '15). I know my LSAT score is near their 25th percentile, but I will be retaking in October this year with the hopes of raising it a few points. I also have some very strong student leadership positions on my resume, plus a prestigious internship.

Do y'all think I have a shot at getting in at Illinois? I'm right on the median for GPA for the most recent incoming class. Does anyone think that the medians and percentiles for LSAT & GPA will remain similar?

I probably want public interest work after graduation. Interested in being in Chicago because of proximity to the court
s for the 7th circuit, plus I have family ties in the area.

No problem, but you are probably better off posting to "what are my chances" too.

My advice is retake. Even if a 158 gets you in, you won't be getting much of a scholarship. And going to law school, even a good-ish one like Illinois, without a decent scholarship is a foolish move in this economy. Graduating with 100k+ of debt and no job is like a 25% chance, you have to understand that. Graduating with a job that can service a massive debt like that is also incredibly high chance, you would have about a 75% chance of not being able to easily pay off that debt.

That's if you get in, which I hate to say is probably unlikely. People who get in with low LSAT scores usually have above median GPAs, with a few exceptions. I doubt that Illinois will see a substantial change in numbers; they may go down to 160 again, but that doesn't help you much since you would still be below median.

Finally, think about what your career goals are. Do you plan on paying Chicago rent on a public interest salary? Do you plan on commuting hours a day in Chicago traffic? Are you comfortable making 30-50k a year with all the debt you will have? It's awesome to help people, and that's why a lot of us go to law school, but it's important to make sure you know all you can so you can make informed decisions.

Sorry to be a debbie downer. The reason I say all this is not because you absolutely 100% should not go to law school. The reason I say this is because I want to make sure you are making an informed decision and understand all the risks you may face. If you still want to go to Illinois, you may get in, and you may kick ass, and you may live an extraordinary and fulfilling life working for the ACLU and becoming the next Ginsburg. But just recognize that there's a strong possibility this will not work out for you the way you hope.

Great tips. Thanks for your input, isuperserial. Do you think a low 160s score will boost my chance sod admission significantly? Assuming that the medians and percentiles stay the same. Does Illinois take GPA and LSAT equally or prefer one over the other in any significant way? I've been getting conflicting answers from others.

Also, could you plead clarify what I bolded in your quote? Did you mean to say that the job chances to service a high debt level are low?

thanks.

[isuperserial]

Hey UIUC law folks,

Sorry to troll your thread. I'll be applying to Law School this fall for admission in 2016. Have 3.44 lsac GPA & 157 and 158 LSAT scores (June '14 & June '15). I know my LSAT score is near their 25th percentile, but I will be retaking in October this year with the hopes of raising it a few points. I also have some very strong student leadership positions on my resume, plus a prestigious internship.

Do y'all think I have a shot at getting in at Illinois? I'm right on the median for GPA for the most recent incoming class. Does anyone think that the medians and percentiles for LSAT & GPA will remain similar?

I probably want public interest work after graduation. Interested in being in Chicago because of proximity to the court
s for the 7th circuit, plus I have family ties in the area.

No problem, but you are probably better off posting to "what are my chances" too.

My advice is retake. Even if a 158 gets you in, you won't be getting much of a scholarship. And going to law school, even a good-ish one like Illinois, without a decent scholarship is a foolish move in this economy. Graduating with 100k+ of debt and no job is like a 25% chance, you have to understand that. Graduating with a job that can service a massive debt like that is also incredibly high chance, you would have about a 75% chance of not being able to easily pay off that debt.

That's if you get in, which I hate to say is probably unlikely. People who get in with low LSAT scores usually have above median GPAs, with a few exceptions. I doubt that Illinois will see a substantial change in numbers; they may go down to 160 again, but that doesn't help you much since you would still be below median.

Finally, think about what your career goals are. Do you plan on paying Chicago rent on a public interest salary? Do you plan on commuting hours a day in Chicago traffic? Are you comfortable making 30-50k a year with all the debt you will have? It's awesome to help people, and that's why a lot of us go to law school, but it's important to make sure you know all you can so you can make informed decisions.

Sorry to be a debbie downer. The reason I say all this is not because you absolutely 100% should not go to law school. The reason I say this is because I want to make sure you are making an informed decision and understand all the risks you may face. If you still want to go to Illinois, you may get in, and you may kick ass, and you may live an extraordinary and fulfilling life working for the ACLU and becoming the next Ginsburg. But just recognize that there's a strong possibility this will not work out for you the way you hope.

Great tips. Thanks for your input, isuperserial. Do you think a low 160s score will boost my chance sod admission significantly? Assuming that the medians and percentiles stay the same. Does Illinois take GPA and LSAT equally or prefer one over the other in any significant way? I've been getting conflicting answers from others.

Also, could you plead clarify what I bolded in your quote? Did you mean to say that the job chances to service a high debt level are low?

thanks.

Oh absolutely. Get a 161 or higher and you're almost certainly in, likely with money. I got a 163 and a GPA just a little better than yours and I got a full ride. I know others with worse LSAT scores (all above median) that got similar.

All law schools favor LSAT immensely over GPA. All of them. There are schools that focus more on other things, like Berkeley that likes a stellar GPA or Northwestern that loves some great work experience, but they still require very high LSAT scores. The reason being that law schools are trying to boost their USNews ranking, and the way to do that is high GPA and high LSAT. Problem is, diploma mills crap out a million new people with 3.8 GPAs per year, but high LSATs are significantly more rare. So with same demand but way lower supply, high LSAT scorers become inherently more valuable. Also LSAT is supposedly one of the better predictors of 1L performance.

Sorry, I misspoke with the bolded part. What I meant to say, is that outside of biglaw jobs, the vast majority of jobs pay more in the 40 to 90k range. So if you graduate with hundreds of thousands of debt, paying that off with a biglaw salary is no problem. Paying that off with the job most folks get from a typical T1 school is much more difficult.

[Judgeasaurus_Rex]

Hey UIUC law folks,

Sorry to troll your thread. I'll be applying to Law School this fall for admission in 2016. Have 3.44 lsac GPA & 157 and 158 LSAT scores (June '14 & June '15). I know my LSAT score is near their 25th percentile, but I will be retaking in October this year with the hopes of raising it a few points. I also have some very strong student leadership positions on my resume, plus a prestigious internship.

Do y'all think I have a shot at getting in at Illinois? I'm right on the median for GPA for the most recent incoming class. Does anyone think that the medians and percentiles for LSAT & GPA will remain similar?

I probably want public interest work after graduation. Interested in being in Chicago because of proximity to the court
s for the 7th circuit, plus I have family ties in the area.

No problem, but you are probably better off posting to "what are my chances" too.

My advice is retake. Even if a 158 gets you in, you won't be getting much of a scholarship. And going to law school, even a good-ish one like Illinois, without a decent scholarship is a foolish move in this economy. Graduating with 100k+ of debt and no job is like a 25% chance, you have to understand that. Graduating with a job that can service a massive debt like that is also incredibly high chance, you would have about a 75% chance of not being able to easily pay off that debt.

That's if you get in, which I hate to say is probably unlikely. People who get in with low LSAT scores usually have above median GPAs, with a few exceptions. I doubt that Illinois will see a substantial change in numbers; they may go down to 160 again, but that doesn't help you much since you would still be below median.

Finally, think about what your career goals are. Do you plan on paying Chicago rent on a public interest salary? Do you plan on commuting hours a day in Chicago traffic? Are you comfortable making 30-50k a year with all the debt you will have? It's awesome to help people, and that's why a lot of us go to law school, but it's important to make sure you know all you can so you can make informed decisions.

Sorry to be a debbie downer. The reason I say all this is not because you absolutely 100% should not go to law school. The reason I say this is because I want to make sure you are making an informed decision and understand all the risks you may face. If you still want to go to Illinois, you may get in, and you may kick ass, and you may live an extraordinary and fulfilling life working for the ACLU and becoming the next Ginsburg. But just recognize that there's a strong possibility this will not work out for you the way you hope.

Great tips. Thanks for your input, isuperserial. Do you think a low 160s score will boost my chance sod admission significantly? Assuming that the medians and percentiles stay the same. Does Illinois take GPA and LSAT equally or prefer one over the other in any significant way? I've been getting conflicting answers from others.

Also, could you plead clarify what I bolded in your quote? Did you mean to say that the job chances to service a high debt level are low?

thanks.

Oh absolutely. Get a 161 or higher and you're almost certainly in, likely with money. I got a 163 and a GPA just a little better than yours and I got a full ride. I know others with worse LSAT scores (all above median) that got similar.

All law schools favor LSAT immensely over GPA. All of them. There are schools that focus more on other things, like Berkeley that likes a stellar GPA or Northwestern that loves some great work experience, but they still require very high LSAT scores. The reason being that law schools are trying to boost their USNews ranking, and the way to do that is high GPA and high LSAT. Problem is, diploma mills crap out a million new people with 3.8 GPAs per year, but high LSATs are significantly more rare. So with same demand but way lower supply, high LSAT scorers become inherently more valuable. Also LSAT is supposedly one of the better predictors of 1L performance.

Sorry, I misspoke with the bolded part. What I meant to say, is that outside of biglaw jobs, the vast majority of jobs pay more in the 40 to 90k range. So if you graduate with hundreds of thousands of debt, paying that off with a biglaw salary is no problem. Paying that off with the job most folks get from a typical T1 school is much more difficult.

Ok. Thanks! Also, great photo.

[illiniguy1551]

Hey UIUC law folks,

Sorry to troll your thread. I'll be applying to Law School this fall for admission in 2016. Have 3.44 lsac GPA & 157 and 158 LSAT scores (June '14 & June '15). I know my LSAT score is near their 25th percentile, but I will be retaking in October this year with the hopes of raising it a few points. I also have some very strong student leadership positions on my resume, plus a prestigious internship.

Do y'all think I have a shot at getting in at Illinois? I'm right on the median for GPA for the most recent incoming class. Does anyone think that the medians and percentiles for LSAT & GPA will remain similar?

I probably want public interest work after graduation. Interested in being in Chicago because of proximity to the courts for the 7th circuit, plus I have family ties in the area.

I second everything the person said above me regarding this post. I was in the exact same position as you before applying and ultimately attending UIUC. Applied with a highest score of 158, got waitlisted, retook in February and scored 163+, and immediately got in off the waitlist with a near full schoolly in March. With this being your last retake, don't take it in October if you aren't ready. You can still achieve the near same results applying in March (at least for these mid/lower T1 schools that are LSAT hungry). PM if you have any specific questions.

[Judgeasaurus_Rex]

Hey UIUC law folks,

Sorry to troll your thread. I'll be applying to Law School this fall for admission in 2016. Have 3.44 lsac GPA & 157 and 158 LSAT scores (June '14 & June '15). I know my LSAT score is near their 25th percentile, but I will be retaking in October this year with the hopes of raising it a few points. I also have some very strong student leadership positions on my resume, plus a prestigious internship.

Do y'all think I have a shot at getting in at Illinois? I'm right on the median for GPA for the most recent incoming class. Does anyone think that the medians and percentiles for LSAT & GPA will remain similar?

I probably want public interest work after graduation. Interested in being in Chicago because of proximity to the courts for the 7th circuit, plus I have family ties in the area.

I second everything the person said above me regarding this post. I was in the exact same position as you before applying and ultimately attending UIUC. Applied with a highest score of 158, got waitlisted, retook in February and scored 163+, and immediately got in off the waitlist with a near full schoolly in March. With this being your last retake, don't take it in October if you aren't ready. You can still achieve the near same results applying in March (at least for these mid/lower T1 schools that are LSAT hungry). PM if you have any specific questions.

Hey,

Thanks for your post. Could you share some more details such as what your GPA was or how you improved from 158 to 163?

I have some strong softs that I would classify as above average at the very least that I believe would allow me to punch above my proverbial "LSAT and GPA weight classes" if that makes sense lol.

Thanks

[isuperserial]

Hey UIUC law folks,

Sorry to troll your thread. I'll be applying to Law School this fall for admission in 2016. Have 3.44 lsac GPA & 157 and 158 LSAT scores (June '14 & June '15). I know my LSAT score is near their 25th percentile, but I will be retaking in October this year with the hopes of raising it a few points. I also have some very strong student leadership positions on my resume, plus a prestigious internship.

Do y'all think I have a shot at getting in at Illinois? I'm right on the median for GPA for the most recent incoming class. Does anyone think that the medians and percentiles for LSAT & GPA will remain similar?

I probably want public interest work after graduation. Interested in being in Chicago because of proximity to the courts for the 7th circuit, plus I have family ties in the area.

I second everything the person said above me regarding this post. I was in the exact same position as you before applying and ultimately attending UIUC. Applied with a highest score of 158, got waitlisted, retook in February and scored 163+, and immediately got in off the waitlist with a near full schoolly in March. With this being your last retake, don't take it in October if you aren't ready. You can still achieve the near same results applying in March (at least for these mid/lower T1 schools that are LSAT hungry). PM if you have any specific questions.

Hey,

Thanks for your post. Could you share some more details such as what your GPA was or how you improved from 158 to 163?

I have some strong softs that I would classify as above average at the very least that I believe would allow me to punch above my proverbial "LSAT and GPA weight classes" if that makes sense lol.

Thanks

I hope I'm not assuming too much, but I would be wary about putting too much faith in your softs. I didn't even get to know people outside of my section that well, but I know high ranking military officers, people who advised congresspeople, people who worked for prestigious law firms, people who were surgeons... and that's just the people I knew well enough to get to know their life.

Not everyone had stuff like that on their resumes, I sure didn't, but those are the kinds of softs most would consider above average. I am struggling to think of an internship that is so impressive that it would make the school not care about your GPA or LSAT.

It's a common thing on these forums for folks to say that good softs are "curing cancer" or "being a published author" or "being a fulbright scholar". When they say that, they're about 20% kidding. It'll give you an edge over people with the same stats as you, not much else.

[AlwaysLurking]

[quote="illiniguy1551"

I second everything the person said above me regarding this post. I was in the exact same position as you before applying and ultimately attending UIUC. Applied with a highest score of 158, got waitlisted, retook in February and scored 163+, and immediately got in off the waitlist with a near full schoolly in March. With this being your last retake, don't take it in October if you aren't ready. You can still achieve the near same results applying in March (at least for these mid/lower T1 schools that are LSAT hungry). PM if you have any specific questions.

I hope I'm not assuming too much, but I would be wary about putting too much faith in your softs. I didn't even get to know people outside of my section that well, but I know high ranking military officers, people who advised congresspeople, people who worked for prestigious law firms, people who were surgeons... and that's just the people I knew well enough to get to know their life.

Not everyone had stuff like that on their resumes, I sure didn't, but those are the kinds of softs most would consider above average. I am struggling to think of an internship that is so impressive that it would make the school not care about your GPA or LSAT.

It's a common thing on these forums for folks to say that good softs are "curing cancer" or "being a published author" or "being a fulbright scholar". When they say that, they're about 20% kidding. It'll give you an edge over people with the same stats as you, not much else.

I'll echo most of what was said here. Assuming that future cycles will be like this year depends on a few things. New dean, what their medians look like moving forward, etc. But basically having a 160-165 is pretty good shape for uofi. Softs are good for having a personalized note on your acceptance letter and some interesting conversations at orientation or asd. People notice your softs, but numbers get you in plain and simple. This is especially true at a school like Illinois that is playing catch up in the rankings (fell from top 20 to 30s and 40s).

Also if you want to do public interest stuff, go t14 and gain unicorn powers or get a full ride at uiuc. Being a state's attorney for somewhere like Will County and paying off $100-200k debt is not easy. Similarly paying Chicago rents on a non-profit or clerk salary is not easy either.

[iguazu]

Does anyone have access to old exams from prof. SUMMER KIM Contracts? She's at my school now and we're wondering what to expect for a final

[Chardee_MacDennis]

Does anyone have access to old exams from prof. SUMMER KIM Contracts? She's at my school now and we're wondering what to expect for a final

She did not teach Ks here.