Top Law Schools

Anyone else apply to UIUC?

Only probably 500 users of this board. I am one of them, reason for question?

Count me in... sent 10/23

Padimud wrote:Only probably 500 users of this board. I am one of them, reason for question?

just to keep track of status changes

Yep, applied 10/21. No word back as of yet.

I got the status checker e-mail and was amused by the oversized "no decisions will be made before November 15th." Maybe they don't want a bunch of diehards checking their status 9 times a day.

SamSeaborn2016 wrote:I got the status checker e-mail and was amused by the oversized "no decisions will be made before November 15th." Maybe they don't want a bunch of diehards checking their status 9 times a day.

I sent in my app on Oct23 and still no email about being complete, status checker, etc. How long did it take you to receive?

I PMed Dean Pless and he said they wouldn't even review applications until November 9th. We've still got some waiting, but good luck to everyone!

Don't do it. It's a trap. UIUC = TTT ITE. The last they officially advertized a median salary was 2007 (I think) and it was $125K. Then last year it dropped to $80K. I'd bet it'll be more around $60K, and a huge amount of unemployment for c/o 2011.

You've been forewarned.

Rob Johnson wrote:Don't do it. It's a trap. UIUC = TTT ITE. The last they officially advertized a median salary was 2007 (I think) and it was $125K. Then last year it dropped to $80K. I'd bet it'll be more around $60K, and a huge amount of unemployment for c/o 2011.

You've been forewarned.

Wait a minute, you mean law school might be a bad investment?! It's tough to find jobs when unemployment hits 10 percent?!?!

Why didn't anyone on TLS warn me that law school isn't a guaranteed ticket to immediate riches?! I can't believe this has never been posted on TLS before.

While you're here, did you want to warn us that the Mideast might be a touch dangerous or that water is wet?

NayBoer wrote:

Rob Johnson wrote:Don't do it. It's a trap. UIUC = TTT ITE. The last they officially advertized a median salary was 2007 (I think) and it was $125K. Then last year it dropped to $80K. I'd bet it'll be more around $60K, and a huge amount of unemployment for c/o 2011.

You've been forewarned.

Wait a minute, you mean law school might be a bad investment?! It's tough to find jobs when unemployment hits 10 percent?!?!

Why didn't anyone on TLS warn me that law school isn't a guaranteed ticket to immediate riches?! I can't believe this has never been posted on TLS before.

While you're here, did you want to warn us that the Mideast might be a touch dangerous or that water is wet?

+10000

I feel SOOOO forewarned.

hopefulundergrad wrote:

SamSeaborn2016 wrote:I got the status checker e-mail and was amused by the oversized "no decisions will be made before November 15th." Maybe they don't want a bunch of diehards checking their status 9 times a day.

I sent in my app on Oct23 and still no email about being complete, status checker, etc. How long did it take you to receive?

I submitted my app on 9-1 and got the complete e-mail on 9-8. I just realized I didn't get the status checker until 9-23.

NayBoer wrote:

Rob Johnson wrote:Don't do it. It's a trap. UIUC = TTT ITE. The last they officially advertized a median salary was 2007 (I think) and it was $125K. Then last year it dropped to $80K. I'd bet it'll be more around $60K, and a huge amount of unemployment for c/o 2011.

You've been forewarned.

Wait a minute, you mean law school might be a bad investment?! It's tough to find jobs when unemployment hits 10 percent?!?!

Why didn't anyone on TLS warn me that law school isn't a guaranteed ticket to immediate riches?! I can't believe this has never been posted on TLS before.

While you're here, did you want to warn us that the Mideast might be a touch dangerous or that water is wet?

So why are you trying to attend if you know UIUC is a bad investment?.. University of Shitcago is, well, shitty, but even that dump managed to employ around half the student population. Definetly not something UIUC can say.

Law school at UIUC isn't just not "a guaranteed ticket to immediate riches", but it is just plain retarded because you will incur a lot of debt and post graduation will make less post-tax, post-student loan repayment then you would have if you were to just get a job making a shitty $35K a year. Hell a 3 year investment at McDonalds could very well put you in a better position financially then UIUC will.

Rob Johnson wrote:

NayBoer wrote:

Rob Johnson wrote:Don't do it. It's a trap. UIUC = TTT ITE. The last they officially advertized a median salary was 2007 (I think) and it was $125K. Then last year it dropped to $80K. I'd bet it'll be more around $60K, and a huge amount of unemployment for c/o 2011.

You've been forewarned.

Wait a minute, you mean law school might be a bad investment?! It's tough to find jobs when unemployment hits 10 percent?!?!

Why didn't anyone on TLS warn me that law school isn't a guaranteed ticket to immediate riches?! I can't believe this has never been posted on TLS before.

While you're here, did you want to warn us that the Mideast might be a touch dangerous or that water is wet?

So why are you trying to attend if you know UIUC is a bad investment?.. University of Shitcago is, well, shitty, but even that dump managed to employ around half the student population. Definetly not something UIUC can say.

Law school at UIUC isn't just not "a guaranteed ticket to immediate riches", but it is just plain retarded because you will incur a lot of debt and post graduation will make less post-tax, post-student loan repayment then you would have if you were to just get a job making a shitty $35K a year. Hell a 3 year investment at McDonalds could very well put you in a better position financially then UIUC will.

I don't understand trolls. How can anyone really be such a dbag that they create an account on a message board for the sole purpose of annoying people and talking trash? Go make friends, join E-Harmony, volunteer at the local United Way.... do something productive.

hopefulundergrad wrote:

Rob Johnson wrote:

NayBoer wrote:

Rob Johnson wrote:Don't do it. It's a trap. UIUC = TTT ITE. The last they officially advertized a median salary was 2007 (I think) and it was $125K. Then last year it dropped to $80K. I'd bet it'll be more around $60K, and a huge amount of unemployment for c/o 2011.

You've been forewarned.

Wait a minute, you mean law school might be a bad investment?! It's tough to find jobs when unemployment hits 10 percent?!?!

Why didn't anyone on TLS warn me that law school isn't a guaranteed ticket to immediate riches?! I can't believe this has never been posted on TLS before.

While you're here, did you want to warn us that the Mideast might be a touch dangerous or that water is wet?

So why are you trying to attend if you know UIUC is a bad investment?.. University of Shitcago is, well, shitty, but even that dump managed to employ around half the student population. Definetly not something UIUC can say.

Law school at UIUC isn't just not "a guaranteed ticket to immediate riches", but it is just plain retarded because you will incur a lot of debt and post graduation will make less post-tax, post-student loan repayment then you would have if you were to just get a job making a shitty $35K a year. Hell a 3 year investment at McDonalds could very well put you in a better position financially then UIUC will.

I don't understand trolls. How can anyone really be such a dbag that they create an account on a message board for the sole purpose of annoying people and talking trash? Go make friends, join E-Harmony, volunteer at the local United Way.... do something productive.

JDUnderground's site is down. THEY'RE COMING, RUN!

Rob Johnson wrote:

NayBoer wrote:

Rob Johnson wrote:Don't do it. It's a trap. UIUC = TTT ITE. The last they officially advertized a median salary was 2007 (I think) and it was $125K. Then last year it dropped to $80K. I'd bet it'll be more around $60K, and a huge amount of unemployment for c/o 2011.

You've been forewarned.

Wait a minute, you mean law school might be a bad investment?! It's tough to find jobs when unemployment hits 10 percent?!?!

Why didn't anyone on TLS warn me that law school isn't a guaranteed ticket to immediate riches?! I can't believe this has never been posted on TLS before.

While you're here, did you want to warn us that the Mideast might be a touch dangerous or that water is wet?

So why are you trying to attend if you know UIUC is a bad investment?.. University of Shitcago is, well, shitty, but even that dump managed to employ around half the student population. Definetly not something UIUC can say.

Law school at UIUC isn't just not "a guaranteed ticket to immediate riches", but it is just plain retarded because you will incur a lot of debt and post graduation will make less post-tax, post-student loan repayment then you would have if you were to just get a job making a shitty $35K a year. Hell a 3 year investment at McDonalds could very well put you in a better position financially then UIUC will.

I don't believe UIUC is necessarily a bad investment, even if it might take noticeably longer to repay itself than other schools. I do believe it's a T25 with strong but not show-stopping respect in a very large legal market. I think right now most of the economy is doing pretty poorly.

The problem is not that someone walks into an investment that's slow to pay off. The problem is when people go into a situation with unrealistic or distorted expectations. I'm comfortable with my prospects after several years working in law firms. I probably have a good shot at working for my current firm (not market but pays six figures). Even without coming back to my firm, I have much better financial prospects as a lawyer than I do as a paralegal. People make worse investments all the time and with far less realism about their chances - like starting a restaurant, buying a house with zero down, or going to grad school in the humanities.

I am aware that even some schools ranked as high as #19 or #14 (or #6) might not be magical tickets to fabulous wealth. I am prepared for the possibility (likelihood?) that I will not get a biglaw job and will have to work the bottom for years while I climb out of debt to try to be successful. I don't see LS as a free ride to the top, just as a necessary experience and credential before I can further develop my career. I have researched my school picks casually for several years, and intensely since February. I am applying to a range of schools from local T100s, regional T40s and T25s, and a handful of T14s. I'll weigh the scholarship offers and the geographic reach before I make my choice, unless I get into Northwestern ED. Maybe I'll decide to work another year, maybe I'll try to defer a year to run out the economy, I don't know.

Maybe you're really risk averse, or maybe you just had unrealistic expectations once and it shocked you when your plans didn't work as you'd expected. Either way, please don't push your baggage onto me. I am comfortable with the risks I may be taking on.

I further do not need you to warn me that cheeseburgers are fatty, that coffee is hot, or that wet floors might cause me to slip.

Your point is made, now please stop spewing forth all over our nice, happy thread. Make your future prognostications of doom in the Choosing A Law School forum when somebody asks for opinions, or in the Admissions forum PANIC thread.

IBTL?

Asilkman wrote:IBTL?

Sorry to fairly explode. I promise I'll play nice, mods.

NayBoer wrote:

Rob Johnson wrote:

NayBoer wrote:

Rob Johnson wrote:Don't do it. It's a trap. UIUC = TTT ITE. The last they officially advertized a median salary was 2007 (I think) and it was $125K. Then last year it dropped to $80K. I'd bet it'll be more around $60K, and a huge amount of unemployment for c/o 2011.

You've been forewarned.

Wait a minute, you mean law school might be a bad investment?! It's tough to find jobs when unemployment hits 10 percent?!?!

Why didn't anyone on TLS warn me that law school isn't a guaranteed ticket to immediate riches?! I can't believe this has never been posted on TLS before.

While you're here, did you want to warn us that the Mideast might be a touch dangerous or that water is wet?

So why are you trying to attend if you know UIUC is a bad investment?.. University of Shitcago is, well, shitty, but even that dump managed to employ around half the student population. Definetly not something UIUC can say.

Law school at UIUC isn't just not "a guaranteed ticket to immediate riches", but it is just plain retarded because you will incur a lot of debt and post graduation will make less post-tax, post-student loan repayment then you would have if you were to just get a job making a shitty $35K a year. Hell a 3 year investment at McDonalds could very well put you in a better position financially then UIUC will.

I don't believe UIUC is necessarily a bad investment, even if it might take noticeably longer to repay itself than other schools. I do believe it's a T25 with strong but not show-stopping respect in a very large legal market. I think right now most of the economy is doing pretty poorly.

The problem is not that someone walks into an investment that's slow to pay off. The problem is when people go into a situation with unrealistic or distorted expectations. I'm comfortable with my prospects after several years working in law firms. I probably have a good shot at working for my current firm (not market but pays six figures). Even without coming back to my firm, I have much better financial prospects as a lawyer than I do as a paralegal. People make worse investments all the time and with far less realism about their chances - like starting a restaurant, buying a house with zero down, or going to grad school in the humanities.

I am aware that even some schools ranked as high as #19 or #14 (or #6) might not be magical tickets to fabulous wealth. I am prepared for the possibility (likelihood?) that I will not get a biglaw job and will have to work the bottom for years while I climb out of debt to try to be successful. I don't see LS as a free ride to the top, just as a necessary experience and credential before I can further develop my career. I have researched my school picks casually for several years, and intensely since February. I am applying to a range of schools from local T100s, regional T40s and T25s, and a handful of T14s. I'll weigh the scholarship offers and the geographic reach before I make my choice, unless I get into Northwestern ED. Maybe I'll decide to work another year, maybe I'll try to defer a year to run out the economy, I don't know.

Maybe you're really risk averse, or maybe you just had unrealistic expectations once and it shocked you when your plans didn't work as you'd expected. Either way, please don't push your baggage onto me. I am comfortable with the risks I may be taking on.

I further do not need you to warn me that cheeseburgers are fatty, that coffee is hot, or that wet floors might cause me to slip.

Your point is made, now please stop spewing forth all over our nice, happy thread. Make your future prognostications of doom in the Choosing A Law School forum when somebody asks for opinions, or in the Admissions forum PANIC thread.

NayBoer wrote:People make worse investments all the time and with far less realism about their chances - like starting a restaurant, buying a house with zero down, or going to grad school in the humanities.

None of those 3 things lead to soul crushing debt though. If you start a restaurant, any rational person would do so under a corporation. When it fails, the corporation goes under, not you personally. #2) You can sell your house when you realize you can't repay your loans. Even if at a loss, it's a way out of your debt. Student debt is forever (i.e. non-forgivable). #3) This is a tough one because it is a pretty damn stupid decision. However, I would imagine a humanities degree at most schools wouldn't cost you an arm and a leg in terms of debt because no one in their right mind would pay $45K a semester to get a graduate degree in something that leaves them no job prospects (unless you are planning on teaching at a college).

Addressing your main point-
Just keep in mind if you end up paying full tuition all 3 years (or 2 years in the case you lose it after the first year because you didn't have stellar grades), you will be looking at 20-30 years before you repaying your student loans. That likely means not getting things in life like a house because you are repaying your student loans. Also if you don't make it into a bigger firm out of law school you very likely never will. In all reality bigger law firms suck, and hardly a place you want to work at very long. But at the same time they are like a frat hazing, and not having that large law firm on your resume shuts so many door in terms of future employment because many agencies and mid to smaller firms w/ decent pay only hire ex-biglaw attorneys. If your cool with the idea of spending 20-30 years repaying your loans working in personal injury (or possibly not even in a law related field -- it's rough out there and there are more then just a few UIUC grads that don't practice law), then more power to you. If not then it's probably something to think about heavily before you dive in head first into an empty pool.

hopefulundergrad wrote:

Rob Johnson wrote:

NayBoer wrote:

Rob Johnson wrote:Don't do it. It's a trap. UIUC = TTT ITE. The last they officially advertized a median salary was 2007 (I think) and it was $125K. Then last year it dropped to $80K. I'd bet it'll be more around $60K, and a huge amount of unemployment for c/o 2011.

You've been forewarned.

Wait a minute, you mean law school might be a bad investment?! It's tough to find jobs when unemployment hits 10 percent?!?!

Why didn't anyone on TLS warn me that law school isn't a guaranteed ticket to immediate riches?! I can't believe this has never been posted on TLS before.

While you're here, did you want to warn us that the Mideast might be a touch dangerous or that water is wet?

So why are you trying to attend if you know UIUC is a bad investment?.. University of Shitcago is, well, shitty, but even that dump managed to employ around half the student population. Definetly not something UIUC can say.

Law school at UIUC isn't just not "a guaranteed ticket to immediate riches", but it is just plain retarded because you will incur a lot of debt and post graduation will make less post-tax, post-student loan repayment then you would have if you were to just get a job making a shitty $35K a year. Hell a 3 year investment at McDonalds could very well put you in a better position financially then UIUC will.

I don't understand trolls. How can anyone really be such a dbag that they create an account on a message board for the sole purpose of annoying people and talking trash? Go make friends, join E-Harmony, volunteer at the local United Way.... do something productive.

Always Credited wrote: JDUnderground's site is down. THEY'RE COMING, RUN!

It's funny that you guys will dismiss everything as a "flame" or a "troll" when someone says something that isn't "jolly" and "happy" in terms of going to law school at a TTT (or even in general). I'm not going to make things sound like they are great and glorious out there... Well, it's your own debt and demise, so good luck to all of you.

So that means you are done talking and will move on right? Point understood, if we were idiots we would be so naive to not realize the consequences for any future decision we make. Go make your 35K a year and feel satisfied feeling you "beat" the system. Then come back in 10 years for a reunion and find out where all these debt loaded naive people are making. Then compare - till then just move on down the road no one needs to hear repeated fears that they have already determined are worth the payment.

I got my status checker email Friday 10/30. Went complete today 11/2. Pending review. It's very explicit about no decisions being rendered before mid month.

NayBoer wrote:I got my status checker email Friday 10/30. Went complete today 11/2. Pending review. It's very explicit about no decisions being rendered before mid month.

when did you apply? i have yet to receive my status checker and I applied last week (monday)

Did everybody write the optional 200-word mini-PS? Is it worth it? I don't know if I could say anything meaningful in 200 words that wasn't covered in the PS and might not want to cop out by listing info off the law school website.

ccs1702 wrote:Did everybody write the optional 200-word mini-PS? Is it worth it? I don't know if I could say anything meaningful in 200 words that wasn't covered in the PS and might not want to cop out by listing info off the law school website.

I didn't write it.

Dean Pless says they don't YP so I took him at his word. In my app I explicitly state I'm aiming for the Chicago market and at the end of my PS I mention what makes Illinois stick out for me. I thought that was enough.