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June Letter
Dear Members of the Class of 2011:
Again, we would like to welcome you to the University of Chicago Law School. The next three years will be the most intellectually stimulating of your life. You will be joining a highly qualified and diverse student body. We hope to make your transition to the Law School as smooth as possible. Before you arrive on campus, there are some administrative matters to which you must attend and information you will need. This letter will detail that information and answer a lot of questions. Please take time to read the entire letter. Many of these administrative matters can be taken care of over the Internet, which should make things easy.
The school year will begin with Orientation, starting Wednesday, September 24, and ending Friday, September 26, 2008. During Orientation, we try to balance information sessions with social opportunities and still give you some time to unpack. The tentative Orientation schedule is available for your reference. See Orientation schedule. Between mailings, we will post updates on the Incoming JD Students section of the webpage regarding orientation, class schedules, and other matters of interest to new students. You should also start looking at the Student Handbook, which contains basic information about life and policies at the Law School. It is undergoing revision this summer, along with our other publications, but the information remains relatively constant from year to year.
The Law School requires students to use laptops for all of their Law School exams. Your student financial aid allocation can be increased by $1500 to cover the cost of a laptop purchase (or other computer equipment you may need). If you are receiving the maximum in aid/loans of $63,165, the computer allocation is included. Contact Cynthia Brewer at cynthiab@uchicago.edu or (773) 702-6056 if you have any questions about financing your laptop. Please see the Student Computing Memo from Ted Ressell, Director of Information Technology, detailing the recommended configurations for your laptop.
Also, you need to obtain your CNetID and University E-mail Account. All students are required to do this at the outset of their University of Chicago career. To obtain both of these items you can go to the CNET webpage. Next click on "Create your CNetID" and establish your e-mail account and directory password. Follow the instructions carefully. Please note that the CNetID serves as the basis for your official University e-mail address. Also, CNetIDs cannot be changed, so pick something that you will like for a long time and that can be used on your resume and in the Law School phone directory. Please claim your CNetID as soon as possible so that you will be included in the student directory. Do not share it, write it down, or save it on your computer. Please take care of this as soon as possible.
Please look at this letter from the University Bursar's Office, which contains information about tuition billing, policies, and dates that will be helpful during the 2008-2009 academic year. If you were awarded loans, this letter also contains information about how those will be distributed. Bills will be mailed to your current address: please verify your current address prior to August 25, 2008. To verify or specify a different address for tuition bills, please go to the "Personal Information" section of the "Students" web area. Instructions on use of cMore are available there. (Note that you will need to have first claimed your University CNetID and established your password before you can proceed to verify or change any information on cMore; see directions above). The first Autumn bill is scheduled to be mailed on August 25, 2008 and payment is due on September 19, 2008. A special August Autumn billing address is available on the Personal Information page. Please continue to update your address as it changes throughout your career at the University of Chicago. If you have any questions, please contact the Bursar's Office at (773) 702-7086 or by e-mail at bursar@listhost.uchicago.edu.
By August 29, 2008, please obtain an official transcript for each undergraduate and graduate degree you have received and send these to the Admissions Office, The University of Chicago Law School, 1111 East 60th Street, Chicago, IL 60637. Your transcripts must show that a degree was awarded. The American Bar Association rules prohibit submission of an LSDAS transcript in lieu of an official copy. You will not be able to register for classes if your official transcript is not on file.
The University Parking Office manages campus parking lots and makes space available to incoming students, as space permits, on a first-come, first-served basis. If you wish to apply for parking, please contact the University Parking Facilities Office or check on line http://facilities.uchicago.edu/transpparking for additional information.
If you are living in New Grad, you can apply for parking there. Instructions on obtaining a New Grad Parking permit will be enclosed with your New Grad information packet, which will be mailed to you by the Graduate Student Housing Office in August. New Grad parking spaces are very limited and are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. If demand exceeds supply for the New Grad lot, they will try to place students in the Kimbark or Chapin lots if space permits. Questions about parking at New Grad should be directed to the Real Estate Operations Office at (773) 753-2200.
Free street parking is available around the Law School for those who arrive early. Most nearby spots are taken by 8:00 a.m. each day. The Law Lot (directly behind the Law School) is reserved parking, but it is open to all students beginning at 4:00 p.m. each afternoon (and all day on the weekend) so you have the option of parking on the street and moving your car into the lot for the evening if you will be at school late.
We produce a background sheet to help the members of your class get to know one another. The Class Profiles will be distributed at Orientation. You can complete the incoming student profile sheet on-line. Please complete this form by July 18, 2008.
Each year the Law School puts together a student/faculty face book (a.k.a., The Glass Menagerie). The Menagerie includes a picture of each student in the Law School, information about home towns, schools attended, and degrees received. This information is obtained from your Student Profile form. The Menagerie is given to all students at orientation and is provided to faculty, to employers interviewing at the Law School, to prospective students, and to alumni. Please send a recent photo, passport size (approximately 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 inches). As you know, we have already been collecting these photos. If you haven't already sent them in please be sure that we receive them no later than Thursday, July 3, 2008. You can mail your photos to the Admissions Office, The University of Chicago Law School, 1111 East 60th Street, Chicago, IL 60637. While we prefer to receive a print photo, we know some of you may want to send the photo digitally, so the guidelines to do so are available on-line. If you send a digital image, please send it to glassmenagerie@law.uchicago.edu.
The Law School's Big Sibling program matches a 1L student with a second- or third-year "big sibling" who will be available to answer questions you may have once you arrive on campus. Your Big Sibling can be a valuable resource for advice on study habits, exam prep, job searching, restaurant recommendations, etc. A number of Big Sibling events will be scheduled throughout the year to introduce you to your big sib and to help you get the info and advice you need from someone who's been there. If you would like to participate in the program, complete the online registration form.
As a University of Chicago student, you have access to excellent health care at the Student Care Center (SCC) and the Student Counseling and Resource Service (SCRS). The SCC and SCRS are part of the University of Chicago Hospitals, named one of the best hospitals in America. The Student Health and Wellness Fee covers visits to the SCC and SCRS. Students who have chronic medical conditions should meet and establish a relationship with a primary care provider when they arrive on campus. To find out more about these services, visit http://scc.bsd.uchicago.edu/ or http://counseling.uchicago.edu/.
All students are required to have insurance coverage. You must either select the University-sponsored plan or show that you have comparable coverage. If you do not select the University-sponsored plan, please review your coverage carefully and familiarize yourself with your coverage including any restrictions, deductibles, and co-payments. Services other than visits to the SCC and SCRS are not covered by the Student Health Fee and will be billed to the patients and/or their insurance. This includes all laboratory testing, radiology, specialist visits, and emergency room care. Be sure to bring a copy of your insurance card with you to campus. More information regarding insurance is available here.
The State of Illinois requires entering students to provide proof of immunity to Measles (Rubeola), Mumps, Rubella (German measles), and Tetanus/Diphtheria. Proof of immunity varies from disease to disease. Carefully read the instructions on http://scc.uchicago.edu/pdf/immunizations_general.pdf . Have the form completed by a licensed provider and/or attach a copy of your childhood immunization record. This form needs to be completed by September 24, 2008. DO NOT SEND ORIGINAL IMMUNIZATION RECORDS. Return the immunization form to the immunization office as soon as possible:
University of Chicago Hospitals
Student Care Center Immunization Program
5841 South Maryland MC 3051
Chicago, IL 60637
In accordance with the Illinois State Code, if you have not completed the immunization requirement by registration time for your second quarter at the University of Chicago, you will not be able to register. If you have questions about the immunization requirement or immunization form, you may call the Student Immunization Office, (773) 702-9975, during regular business hours.
You will receive a couple additional emails this summer which will include information about the class schedule (which will also be on the web). Section assignments are finalized just before the start of the school year so you will learn about your section assignment when you arrive for Orientation. As a first-year student, you do not have to register yourself because the registrar takes care of that for you.
As you make your transition to the Law School, please feel free to contact us. We join the rest of the Law School community in looking forward to meeting you and welcoming you. In the interim, best wishes for an enjoyable summer!
Sincerely,
Michele Baker Richardson
Dean of Students
(773) 702-3955
mrichardson@uchicago.edu
Ann Killian Perry
Assistant Dean for Admissions
(773) 834-4425
akperry@uchicago.edu
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