Chicago Kent (free) v. University of Illinois ($)

[annabell]

There really isn't much of a difference between these two schools, in my opinion.  The quality of the student body really is not that much better at U of I, so I personally think you should take into account where you're getting the better deal financially, as well as other considerations such as which school's overall curriculum and program you prefer.  Kent also has the advantage of being located in Chicago, which is nice as far as getting a head start on contacts, clinical experience, and employment opportunities in the city (as well as political/governmental positions down the road).  You can definitely get where you want to be from both, though.

[Speedzie]

Hi --

I will be receiving in state tuition at Illinois.  I am undecided about what type of law I want to go into though.  I have heard that job prospects in Chicago are fairly similar for U of I grads and Chicago-Kent grads (provided that you do fairly well at Kent).  Any additional insight is greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

Jobs are NOT the same for Illinois as at Kent.  More Chicago lawyers are alums of UofI than any other school, not to mention you're comparing apples to oranges.  Let me say this about UofI , it's an absolute pleasure to work with my classmates here.  I love it.  And come to our open house / mixer at Guido's on the 6th!  I think your choice will be clear.

Bottom line:  visit the schools, spend some time there, and see where you're more comfortable.  Do NOT over intellectualize it.  As to the money?  You'll make it back in short order, especially if you've gotten in this early.

[Speedzie]

Also, it's really important that you not give too much weight to the opinions of the pre-law crowd.  Talk with actual students, professors, career services folks (Tony aka Dean Waller is a really easy going guy), and get an idea that way.  There's the way it looks from the outside, and the way it is once you're there. 

Feel free to message me if you have any questions...

Congrats!

[Speedzie]

One last tid bit.

When comparing job prospects, it's worth actually looking at the hard numbers.

     National list  --  http://pdfserver.amlaw.com/nlj/20080414employment_trends.pdf

     Illinois Region  --  http://pdfserver.amlaw.com/nlj/regional_IL.pdf

Note also, that "business" can mean either Hedge Fund Manager (yale), or pizza delivery boy...

     The general website is here  --  http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNLJ.jsp?id=900005508582

[u2007]

This data appears to be outdated though (where the class of 2005 found work, and Chicago-Kent isn't even listed on some of these links, etc.).  From my understanding, Kent has improved and continues to improve its placement in the last few years and is regarded as close to UIUC.  Kent grads dominate many of Chicago's top firms, so the networking opportunities are definitely there.

[TTom]

There really isn't much of a difference between these two schools, in my opinion.  The quality of the student body really is not that much better at U of I, so I personally think you should take into account where you're getting the better deal financially, as well as other considerations such as which school's overall curriculum and program you prefer.  Kent also has the advantage of being located in Chicago, which is nice as far as getting a head start on contacts, clinical experience, and employment opportunities in the city (as well as political/governmental positions down the road).  You can definitely get where you want to be from both, though.

I completely disagree. The quality of the student body at Illinois is much higher. So are job prospects. Data bears this out.

[kman999]

Yeh but who would want to live in Chambana as anything other than an undergrad

[TTom]

Yeh but who would want to live in Chambana as anything other than an undergrad

Good point. You're not the first person I've heard say bad things about that area. I've heard it's the worst of the Big Ten cities.

[SamE397]

Yeh but who would want to live in Chambana as anything other than an undergrad

I've heard more than a few people dis on small midwest college towns(I.E Bloomington, South Bend, and Champaign) and I understand that not everyone would want to live there. As someone though who's been a surbanite their whole life though, I'd much rather be in a small town than say New York, Chicago, or L.A; I imagine being a 1-l is tough enough without having to adjust to an urban environment.

[u2007]

True, some college towns aren't that bad.  Chicago is still probably a lot easier to adjust to than New York and Los Angeles.