Welcome back to spring semester! LOTS of excellent opportunities are coming up, including the Illini Union Winter Week of Welcome, campus events honoring MLK Day, Pre-Law 101, Illinois in Washington, information on paid internships, an internship with a local law firm, a summer pre-law program and scholarships. And as we already posted, the LSAC has opened up the registrations for both the June and July 2019 LSATs. Go here for more information or to begin the registration process: https://www.lsac.org/lsat/lsat-dates-deadlines-score-release-dates. This is a long blog post full of good information so scroll all the way to the end!
Pre-Law Advising Services Workshops and Programs
We have updated our Spring Semester calendar of events! Our schedule begins in two weeks with Pre-Law 101. Check out other upcoming events on our website here.
Pre-Law 101 — Wednesday, January 30, 4:00pm, 514 IUB
Are you new to pre-law at Illinois? Then this event is a great opportunity for you! This workshop will cover: What it means to be pre-law at Illinois; what law schools are really looking for; what pre-law students can do to maximize their undergraduate years; how to build a strong pre-law resume; what resources are available to assist pre-law students at Illinois. For more details and to register, click here.
Upcoming Campus Events
UIUC is hosting many events to celebrate the life of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., including the 34th Annual Dr. MLK, Jr. Service of Celebration at Krannert on Sunday, January 20, starting at 5:00pm. Click on the following link to find out more. http://www.diversity.illinois.edu/mlk/calendar.html.
The Illini Union is hosting the Winter Week of Welcome featuring all kinds of fun events this week and next week. Check out the list here, and mark your calendars for the RSO Involvement Fair on Wednesday, January 23, 11:00am-3:00pm, Illini Union Rooms A, B, C, Courtyard Café, and South Lounge!
Illinois in Washington Information Session – Thursday, January 17, 5-6pm, David Kinley Hall, Room 119
Illinois in Washington (IIW) is an academic internship program open to all U of I undergraduates. Participants live and intern in Washington, DC, while taking U of I classes. IIW offers an exceptional opportunity to gain rewarding work experience while enjoying the political, intellectual, and cultural experiences that only the nation’s capital can offer. Student internships have included positions with members of Congress, think tanks, social justice organizations, and government agencies. Join us for an unforgettable semester in one of the most exciting cities in the world. Apply for Summer Semester 2019 by February 1, 2019, at http://washington.illinois.edu/
Career Center
For information about events and workshops at The Career Center, check out their spring calendar at: https://www.careercenter.illinois.edu/events. Now is a great time to update your resume, plan your job search or summer internship, and get to know their office and resources.
Ilinois Leadership Center will host several upcoming I-Programs. For more information and to register, visit their website here.
- Rolls Royce Innovation: Saturday, January 19
- Intersect: Saturday, January 26
- Petrullo Insight: Saturday, February 2
The Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) is now accepting submissions for the 2019 Undergraduate Research Symposium (URS), set for Thursday, April 18.
Deadline for submitting an application to the URS is Friday, February 1, 2019, at 11:59 pm. The application can be found here.
The URS is the signature event of Undergraduate Research Week (April 14-20), and brings together students, faculty, and staff from all disciplines on the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campus, as well as corporate partners and sponsors, to learn more about undergraduate research and its potential to change the world. Students are encouraged to apply even if titles or abstracts have not yet been finalized – they can be edited. Just make sure the application is successfully submitted by February 1!
For more information on Undergraduate Research Week, the URS, and OUR programs, please visit our website at: http://undergradresearch.illinois.edu/
Questions may be addressed to ugresearch@illinois.edu; please put “URS Application” in the subject line.
The Office of Undergraduate Research announces its Spring 2019 calendar for the Getting Started in Research Workshop!
PLEASE NOTE – These workshops fill up quickly, so if you are interested, sign up now!
During the workshop, we will discuss the various forms of undergraduate research that take place on campus, guide students to develop a plan of action to locate research opportunities on campus, and discuss ways to contact faculty research mentors. Students will leave the workshop with (1) a better understanding of undergraduate research and how it takes place on our campus, (2) increased confidence to contact faculty research mentors, and (3) a list of faculty mentors to contact. For more information and to register, go here.
The first three workshops will be held during the next two weeks:
Value of Undergrad Research Workshop, January 18, 2019
Date/Time: Friday, January 18, from 3:00-4:30pm
Location: Lincoln Hall Room 1065
Registration is available at:https://forms.illinois.edu/sec/5552337?referrer=https://calendars.illinois.edu/detail/6175?eventId=33328415
Getting Started in Research Workshop, January 22, 2019
Date/Time: Tuesday January 22, 2019 from 3:00-4:30pm
Location: English Building, Room 160
Registration is available at: https://forms.illinois.edu/sec/10880?referrer=https://calendars.illinois.edu/detail/6175?eventId=33328020
Getting Started in Research Workshop, January 24, 2019
Date/Time: Thursday January 24, 2019 from 3:00 – 4:30pm
Location: Mechanical Engineering Building, Room 218
Registration is available at: https://forms.illinois.edu/sec/3523231?referrer=https://calendars.illinois.edu/detail/6175?eventId=33328022
Study Abroad
The Institute for Field Education offers semester-long study abroad programs in France and Belgium for students with advanced French language skills that feature internship and research opportunities tailored to student interests. Students earn resident Illinois credit in this program, arranged through LAS Global Studies.
The 18-week academic semester includes
– An intense five weeks of preparatory courses covering political history, sociology and cultural foundations of French or Belgian society to prepare students for working in-country
– A week for travel and rest before starting the internship
– A three-month full-time internship related to each student’s studies and goals.
– Guided field research on a topic important to the student’s host organization.
– A weekly seminar on the key moments in European history for understanding European integration.
More information and the application can be found here:
https://app.studyabroad.illinois.edu/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ViewProgramAngular&id=10127
Questions? Interested students may contact Timothy Wedig, Ph.D., Associate Directory, LAS Global Studies, at: twedig@illinois.edu.
Internship and Scholarship Opportunities
We hope you have been utilizing our 20 page Internship Newsletter over on our Pre-Law Compass page that we posted in December! (Click here for instructions on how to access our Compass page.) It’s got lots of job and internship listings for spring, summer and long-term opportunities from Champaign to D.C. and beyond. In addition, you should regularly check Handshake via the Career Center’s website to see if summer internships have been posted.
Undergrad PAID Internship at UIUC in Environmental Humanities for 2019-2020 — Applications due March 1, 2019!
Environmental Humanities is environmental studies from a humanistic standpoint. Envrionmental Humanities pulls from different movements (environmental philosophy, environmental history, ecocriticism, cultural geography, anthropology, and others) to study the relationship between humans and non-human nature, past and present. The IPRH-Mellon Environmental Humanities Research Group is composed of professors, post-doctoral scholars, graduate students, and undergraduates from different disciplines who are united by their desire to understand the human place in nature, as well as to examine critically the way people make meaning of it.
The research group seeks three undergraduate interns who will work with the group on their seminars, workshops, and programs for the academic year 2019-2020. Interns will also work with the research group director, Professor Bob Morrissey, to develop their own research projects as well as a research symposium for undergraduates at the end of the spring semester.
Interns will work approximately 10-11 hours per week, paid at the rate of $15.75 per hours, and will have up to $600 to support their research. Applicants must be juniors or seniors the year of the internship. For more information and to apply, go here. Remember: The application deadline is by 5:00pm on Friday, March 1! Please address questions to: Dr. Nancy Castro, at ncastro@illinois.edu.
Legal Internship Opportunity — Holder Law Group, LLP
Holder Law Group, LLP, a young law firm in Champaign-Urbana, is looking for interns who want to be involved in a fast paced, high-tech, multi-area, legal environment. Holder Law Group engages in personal injury, medical malpractice, and civil litigation. Attorneys at Holder Law Group have had experience in both public and private sectors of work, including small and large law firms and are happy to share their knowledge and experience. Interns jobs will vary, and be assigned based on capabilities, but may include medical record organization, filing, abstracting depositions, assisting in trial preparations, Court filings, and attending depositions and Court hearings and legal marketing. Work times are flexible and we are willing to work around your academic schedule. Positions are available for fall, spring, and summer semesters as well as during breaks. Please email resumes and cover letters to Betsy Holder: Betsy@holderlawllp.com
Scholarships
Fulbright UK Summer Institutes – Info Session Tuesday, January 15, 3:30-4:30pm, Room 514 Illini Union Bookstore Building
Attention Freshmen and Sophomores! Do you want to study in the United Kingdom this summer for free? The Fulbright UK Summer Institutes offer nine programs for 2019:
- Interested in global leadership? Join the Future Leaders of a Global Age summer institute at the University of Westminster in London.
- Interested in the environment? Study climate change issues at the University of Exeter.
- Interested in social justice or education policy? Explore these in the post-conflict setting of Northern Ireland at Queen’s University Belfast.
- Interested in the performing arts? Practice combat and swordplay, movement, dance and design at Shakespeare’s Globe Theater.
- Interested in arts as activism? Consider how social policy, philosophy and the arts have been combined to promote social change at the University of Bristol.
- Interested in technology and design? Explore Scotland’s creative and technological industries through study at the University of Strathclyde and the Glasgow School of Art.
- Interested in media? Explore film and media culture in the UK at the University of Birmingham
- Interested in British or Irish studies? Explore British culture at the University of Sussex or Irish studies at the Queen’s University Belfast.
- Interested in international politics? Study identity and nationhood at the Aberystwyth University in Wales.
The Summer Institutes cover the majority of the participant costs (round-trip airfare from the US to the UK, tuition and fees at the university, room and board, and social programs). Students must be US citizen freshmen or sophomores with a GPA of 3.7 or above.
More information about the institutes and their application can be found at: http://www.fulbright.org.uk/going-to-the-uk/uk-summer-institutes
Our info session will tell you everything you need to know about the benefits of attending a Fulbright UK Summer Institute and how to be a competitive applicant. We’ll also hear from previous Illinois recipients. Don’t forget – the info session is Tuesday, January 15, 3:30-4:30pm, Room 514 IUB.
Upcoming Law School Events–OPEN TO ALL PRE-LAW STUDENTS
Penn State Law – Online Info Session: Wednesday, January 16, 11am-Noon CST
This online information session will provide information about Penn State Law and its J.D. program. The format of the session will be a presentation followed by an opportunity to chat online with the Director of Admissions, Julian Morales. Click here to register!
Diversity Law Day – Indiana University Maurer School of Law – February 9, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Diversity Law Day is dedicated to the idea that the legal profession must reflect the expanding diversity of our society. Joining efforts with the Law School Admissions Council (LSAC), we hope that this day will encourage student from underrepresented and underserved communities to discover career opportunities in law. This day is particularly tailored towards high school juniors and seniors, as well college freshman and sophomores.
Diversity Law Day is free to attend, but registration is required for planning purposes. To attend, simply complete the registration form at www.law.indiana.edu/diversity-day
Contact Kendra Abercrombie at klabercr@indiana.edu or 812-855-2704 if you have any questions.
The Wisconsin Statewide Pre-Law Diversity Day is set for Friday, February 22, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the University of Wisconsin Law School in Madison, Wisconsin. This event is open to all students. For more information and to register, visit their website here. Cosponsored by the University of Wisconsin Law School and Marquette University Law School, this FREE event includes lunch and:
- an update on law school admissions in Wisconsin featuring the University of Wisconsin and Marquette University Law Schools;
- breakout workshops featuring a mock class for students ; and
- law school fair featuring admissions representatives from law schools around the country. Click here for a list of law schools that participated in last year’s event.
Minnesota Pre-Law Scholars Summer Program – Application Due March 1!
Minnesota Pre-Law Scholars (MPLS) is a program that offers a select number of students a free LSAT prep class each summer at the University of Minnesota Law School. Admission is highly selective and based on a holistic review of the MPLS application material. MPLS is an approved DiscoverLaw.org event.
College students considering law school, especially rising seniors and those from groups historically underrepresented in law school, are encouraged to apply. The program is open to undergraduate students and recent graduates from any undergraduate institution.
Students will learn about law school admissions preparation from Minnesota Law School staff. The remaining portion of class taught by an instructor from The Princeton Review, will be dedicated to LSAT preparation and practice exams.
There is no cost to participate in MPLS. However, participants must submit a $100 seat deposit which is fully refundable upon successful completion of the program. All books and study materials will be provided. The program will run from early June to mid-August 2019.
To learn more about MPLS or to apply, click on this link:
https://www.law.umn.edu/admissions/minnesota-pre-law-scholars-mpls-program
Law School Open Houses and Admitted Students Days
As we first mentioned in several of our fall blog posts, many law schools host open houses for prospective applicants and all law schools strongly encourage students to visit their campuses. Note: spring semester is a time when many law schools will host events specifically for admitted students. Make sure you check the law school websites to see what types of events the schools in which you have an interest are offering. Listed below are upcoming events for four Illinois law schools.
Chicago Kent Law School Open House, Saturday, February 2, 9:00am-2:00pm. For more information or to register, go here.
DePaul University College of Law Open House, Saturday, January 26, 10:00am. For more information and to register, go here.
John Marshall Law School Open House, Saturday, February 2, 9:00am-Noon, or Tuesday, February 5, 5:30pm-8:30pm. For more information or to register, go here.
Northern Illinois University College of Law Open House, Saturday, January 19, 10:00am-1:00pm. For more information or to register, go here.
