Hey L&E-pil, congtrats on your acceptance!! You deserve it after all the waiting!

Hey, Guys!! Got admitted too!! Im also from Brazil (Rio de Janeiro). Congratulations to everyone else already admitted and keep up the hope, those who are still waiting. Apparently, this was the first "round" of admissions...

For those of you who were asking about weather and safety:

1) Winter is really cold. Las week we have freezing temperatures (-30ºC/-25ºF). It is colder than any other city with major universities. The wind is awful and if you go out during a wind chill advisory it is almost certain you will have skin cuts As soon as you arrive in Chicago you need go to a store and buy winter clothes (and I am not joking). In any event, as you will be studying as hell you will not have much time to go outside and be cold
2) As for the NY bar preparation the BAR/BRI courses start in June and you should have your last exam on March 31. So you will be fine. Be sure to bring transcripts in English from your universities as they are required by the NY Board of Examiners as also letters from those universities. If you enter the NY Bar web page you will be able to see everything they will require and believe me, it is not a walk in the park.
3) Safety is definitely an issue. If you are planning to live in Hyde Park the only really good option is Regent´s Park. Buses stop in the door (# 172 for the university and # 6 downtown, youve got the Metra one block away). The advice we are always given is not to go out walking during the night even within the campus. Last November a student from the university was shot just a few meters outside the campus Hyde Park is a bubble within the south Chicago area. So, as long as you live in Regents Park, do not walk randomly during dark hours, and do not do stupid tings you should be fine. If you do not live in Regents Park the issue is that when you go downtown no bus will leave you near you department and thus you will have to walk (please dont as it is dangerous) or take a cab from downtown (cause you will not find them easily in Hyde Park which will cost you around $20).

Hope this helps.

As of now I'm pending towards Columbia, although I have the highest respect for Chicago. My brother was a LL.M graduate student in Chicago in 2006/2007 and has all the details.

In this specific case (Chicago vs. Columbia) I guess it all comes down to what you want to study and your personal preferences really.

And Rej, as usual, was very precise about everything he posted.

1) Winter is really cold. Las week we have freezing temperatures (-30ºC/-25ºF).
3) Safety is definitely an issue. If you are planning to live in Hyde Park the only really good option is Regent´s Park. Buses stop in the door (# 172 for the university and # 6 downtown, youve got the Metra one block away). The advice we are always given is not to go out walking during the night even within the campus. Last November a student from the university was shot just a few meters outside the campus Hyde Park is a bubble within the south Chicago area. So, as long as you live in Regents Park, do not walk randomly during dark hours, and do not do stupid tings you should be fine. If you do not live in Regents Park the issue is that when you go downtown no bus will leave you near you department and thus you will have to walk (please dont as it is dangerous) or take a cab from downtown (cause you will not find them easily in Hyde Park which will cost you around $20).

Hope this helps.

Then you would make use of the safe ride service provided by the university that would pick you up and deliver you within any place in Hyde Park. If you live downtown you will have a problem though. You also have special shuttles running up to 2 am as the #172 bus stops running at 7 pm... The university is GREAT!!! The Law School is superb but Hyde Park is neither of both...

Then you would make use of the safe ride service provided by the university that would pick you up and deliver you within any place in Hyde Park. If you live downtown you will have a problem though. You also have special shuttles running up to 2 am as the #172 bus stops running at 7 pm... The university is GREAT!!! The Law School is superb but Hyde Park is neither of both...

Rej, that is exactly what I've heard from of friend of mine who went to UChicago two years ago! As usual your advice is very useful!

By the way, although UChicago is a great law school and I was really happy to be admitted, like gppinheiro, Columbia remains my first choice.

Congratulations...
Hope to receive an answer soon (my complete application email dated 14 january)...Or maybe it's my toefl score 103, 1 point less than the required score...

Thanks much L&E-pil!

I applied for Chicago, but haven't received anything yet. Does it mean rejection?

Judging from last year's posts in this site, I'd say it doesn't mean rejection. Chicago announces both admissions and rejections through e-mail. Other universities send admissions by e-mail and rejections by regular mail, so in these cases if you don't receive anything you know that you're rejected. But Chicago doesn't do that. As long as you have not received anything yet, I'd say that you're still in the game. Chicago just released the first bunch of admissions. There is going to be a second one within a reasonable timeframe (presumably by late March). After all, you might get sth today, as they have proven to sent admissions manually (and not automatically or simultaneously). I received the e-mail 4 hours after the first person here claimed to have received it. So, they might still go on with the e-mail process. Good luck!

I'm in!!! just go the mail!

I got admitted some hours ago.

My application was received on 31 December 2007 and I got the "application complete" e-mail on 18 January 2008.

Congratulations to all admitted students and best of luck to those still waiting.

nothing yet... got the app. complete email in 12/27.
congratulations to all admitted!
sophie, did you receive the email today? so, maybe the first bunch of admissions is still being told?
when did you get you app. complete email? tks and rgds

rej, could you please tell if there are many brazilian LLMs in chicago now in 2007-2008? I see many brazilians admitted here (for what I am glad!) and I suppose there is no more room for brazilians... does this make sense? tks again

Hi all, I'm in too... The email was sent to my mailbox 7 hours ago. And they are very kind to set the initial response deadline on April 15. I'm sure we should all have our decisions by then.

blooming

I do not know all the LLM students personally but I believe there are 4 brazilians this year...

I received the admission email twelve hours ago. My application was received in the last week of December 2007. I received the "Application Complete" email on 18 January 2008.

Congratulations to all admitted. Perhaps I will see you in the fall. Good luck to those waiting on Chicago and other schools.

I received the admission email last Thursday.
I'm from Rio, Brazil

nothing yet... got the app. complete email in 12/27.
congratulations to all admitted!
sophie, did you receive the email today? so, maybe the first bunch of admissions is still being told?
when did you get you app. complete email? tks and rgds