OLD SCHOOL (must be 30 and over ITT) Forum

[Skyhook]

i just hate the idea of dealing with tenants and the possibility of broken leases, etc from across the country. but reality dictates that we may well have to rent....so be it...something always works out!!

and i'm all about NOT giving unsolicited advice!

Hey- love this thread...I barely make the age requirement, but it's nice to see some people with similar issues to mine...I am moving my wife and dogs across the country for school and we will be renting out our current home. I have actually rented a property in the past, so I guess I will give some unsolicited advice: hire a property management company. The cost is pretty minimal, and they do ALL the work. If anyone wants more info on this, or if you're in AZ and want the name of my property manager, PM me and I can give you the details.
The nice thing about my personal situation is that we are moving to a much cheaper place to live, so rent I collect here should be more than rent I have pay in VA.

How does it work - you tell the agency a price, or they are more involved and persuade you based on their data?

[Capitol A]

i just hate the idea of dealing with tenants and the possibility of broken leases, etc from across the country. but reality dictates that we may well have to rent....so be it...something always works out!!

and i'm all about NOT giving unsolicited advice!

Hey- love this thread...I barely make the age requirement, but it's nice to see some people with similar issues to mine...I am moving my wife and dogs across the country for school and we will be renting out our current home. I have actually rented a property in the past, so I guess I will give some unsolicited advice: hire a property management company. The cost is pretty minimal, and they do ALL the work. If anyone wants more info on this, or if you're in AZ and want the name of my property manager, PM me and I can give you the details.
The nice thing about my personal situation is that we are moving to a much cheaper place to live, so rent I collect here should be more than rent I have pay in VA.

How does it work - you tell the agency a price, or they are more involved and persuade you based on their data?

The company that I work with runs comps and suggests a rate. You can tell them to list for whatever you want, but they know how much you can get. They do the advertising, they meet the renters, run credit, check references, everything. You give them a little cash up front (like $500) to cover any minor repairs, etc. And you never have any contact with renters whatsoever. The renter pays rent to the management company, which takes out their cut ( flat rate, not % of rent -with my people) and they mail you the rest. I can't remember what they charge, I think like $75/month for a house and $50/month for a condo. Well worth it...if the tenant doesn't pay or there is an issue, they completely handle everything. HTH. Let me know if other questions.

[oldhippie]

my mother uses a property management company for her condo and it has been GREAT - they advertise, screen tenants, do credit checks, deal with all the money issues, and it's only 10%. it has been a godsend for her, for sure.

my problem is, i don't think we could rent for the amount of the mortgage, so then we're still stuck with a (small) monthly payment and the constant fear of having to repair or replace things. but time will tell, we're calling a realtor this month to get a reality check...

[lolschool2011]

Guys, gals, are you all familiar with Fannie Mae's "REFI PLUS" program or Freddie Mac's "OPEN ACCESS" for refinancing at the market's lowest rates even if you're upside down in terms of equity?

Here's a few resources:

http://www.fanniemae.com/loanlookup/

or

http://www.freddiemac.com/mymortgage/

If Fannie or Freddie own your existing mortgage (regardless of which bank services it) you'd be able to utilize this program. PM me if you have any questions.

[JazzOne]

I just wanted to address two issues that came up in this thread.

First, my school does adjust COA if you have childcare expenses, but you have to go in and talk to a counselor personally. I had to bring a copy of my childsupport order. The FAFSA asks about childcare expenses, but my school doesn't factor them in unless you request it with documentation. I got the impression that financial aid has a lot of leeway to play with the numbers, but there may be different policies at different schools.

Second, it is a huge benefit to have been a teacher prior to law school. I've watched hundreds of kids screw up in my classes over the years, so I knew exactly what not to do in law school.

[Skyhook]

i just hate the idea of dealing with tenants and the possibility of broken leases, etc from across the country. but reality dictates that we may well have to rent....so be it...something always works out!!

and i'm all about NOT giving unsolicited advice!

Hey- love this thread...I barely make the age requirement, but it's nice to see some people with similar issues to mine...I am moving my wife and dogs across the country for school and we will be renting out our current home. I have actually rented a property in the past, so I guess I will give some unsolicited advice: hire a property management company. The cost is pretty minimal, and they do ALL the work. If anyone wants more info on this, or if you're in AZ and want the name of my property manager, PM me and I can give you the details.
The nice thing about my personal situation is that we are moving to a much cheaper place to live, so rent I collect here should be more than rent I have pay in VA.

How does it work - you tell the agency a price, or they are more involved and persuade you based on their data?

The company that I work with runs comps and suggests a rate. You can tell them to list for whatever you want, but they know how much you can get. They do the advertising, they meet the renters, run credit, check references, everything. You give them a little cash up front (like $500) to cover any minor repairs, etc. And you never have any contact with renters whatsoever. The renter pays rent to the management company, which takes out their cut ( flat rate, not % of rent -with my people) and they mail you the rest. I can't remember what they charge, I think like $75/month for a house and $50/month for a condo. Well worth it...if the tenant doesn't pay or there is an issue, they completely handle everything. HTH. Let me know if other questions.

Thanks very much! Great info - good to know before starting the process.
Do you know what would happen if a tenant didn't pay - do they have insurance to cover this?

[Skyhook]

Second, it is a huge benefit to have been a teacher prior to law school. I've watched hundreds of kids screw up in my classes over the years, so I knew exactly what not to do in law school.

The worst offenders: those that don't practice what they learned; those that sit there the whole semester, never say anything, then complain at the end about not getting it.

[DocHawkeye]

Second, it is a huge benefit to have been a teacher prior to law school. I've watched hundreds of kids screw up in my classes over the years, so I knew exactly what not to do in law school.

The worst offenders: those that don't practice what they learned; those that sit there the whole semester, never say anything, then complain at the end about not getting it.

So what you're saying is that I should actually do the assigned reading and turn in the homework? Because my students don't generally do that. Maybe THAT's why they're in community college...

[homestyle28]

I just wanted to address two issues that came up in this thread.

First, my school does adjust COA if you have childcare expenses, but you have to go in and talk to a counselor personally. I had to bring a copy of my childsupport order. The FAFSA asks about childcare expenses, but my school doesn't factor them in unless you request it with documentation. I got the impression that financial aid has a lot of leeway to play with the numbers, but there may be different policies at different schools.

Second, it is a huge benefit to have been a teacher prior to law school. I've watched hundreds of kids screw up in my classes over the years, so I knew exactly what not to do in law school.

Thanks for the info. I taught at the college level (I'm not sure how teaching slacker UGs translates to LS), what I can't imagine in law school is skipping class.

[JazzOne]

I just wanted to address two issues that came up in this thread.

First, my school does adjust COA if you have childcare expenses, but you have to go in and talk to a counselor personally. I had to bring a copy of my childsupport order. The FAFSA asks about childcare expenses, but my school doesn't factor them in unless you request it with documentation. I got the impression that financial aid has a lot of leeway to play with the numbers, but there may be different policies at different schools.

Second, it is a huge benefit to have been a teacher prior to law school. I've watched hundreds of kids screw up in my classes over the years, so I knew exactly what not to do in law school.

Thanks for the info. I taught at the college level (I'm not sure how teaching slacker UGs translates to LS), what I can't imagine in law school is skipping class.

I never skip class. I've had to miss a few for interviews, but I always feel bad about it. You'll be surprised how many people in law school just don't get how important it is. When I see my classmates with no job and not a care in the world, I wonder how they can get through life with so little effort.

Read the assignments, go to class, outline early, and take a bunch of practice tests. That's the recipe for success.

[emhellmer]

Not for making scholarship decisions, but they all said you could increase your cost of attendance, which means you can borrow more using fed programs. You're certainly not the first person who has said schools aid there is no increase. The schools I explicitly asked this too were all in the same state, so maybe that's a factor. I guess I will find out when I get my aid award notice.

Ah - gotcha.
Do me a favor? Let me know as you find out - I'm thinking of putting together some kind of resource thread for parents and this would be great info.

I would LOVE a resource thread for parents. I have been trolling around for information, and haven't had a lot of luck here. I've been agonizing over how to pay for childcare while in school, and posted a topic asking if I could qualify for student loans to cover it. Someone reminded me about the childcare vouchers offered by many states, and I felt like a fool! I'm a social worker who has referred dozens of people to that program. Anyway, here in Texas the program is operated by your local Workforce commission, but it is a federally funded program offered in many states. Full time students qualify. Maybe more parents have it together enough to know about this, but I certainly forgot

[DocHawkeye]

Not for making scholarship decisions, but they all said you could increase your cost of attendance, which means you can borrow more using fed programs. You're certainly not the first person who has said schools aid there is no increase. The schools I explicitly asked this too were all in the same state, so maybe that's a factor. I guess I will find out when I get my aid award notice.

Ah - gotcha.
Do me a favor? Let me know as you find out - I'm thinking of putting together some kind of resource thread for parents and this would be great info.

I would LOVE a resource thread for parents. I have been trolling around for information, and haven't had a lot of luck here. I've been agonizing over how to pay for childcare while in school, and posted a topic asking if I could qualify for student loans to cover it. Someone reminded me about the childcare vouchers offered by many states, and I felt like a fool! I'm a social worker who has referred dozens of people to that program. Anyway, here in Texas the program is operated by your local Workforce commission, but it is a federally funded program offered in many states. Full time students qualify. Maybe more parents have it together enough to know about this, but I certainly forgot

What's the chance that I might qualify if my wife is the primary wage earner while I'm in school?

[homestyle28]

Not for making scholarship decisions, but they all said you could increase your cost of attendance, which means you can borrow more using fed programs. You're certainly not the first person who has said schools aid there is no increase. The schools I explicitly asked this too were all in the same state, so maybe that's a factor. I guess I will find out when I get my aid award notice.

Ah - gotcha.
Do me a favor? Let me know as you find out - I'm thinking of putting together some kind of resource thread for parents and this would be great info.

I would LOVE a resource thread for parents. I have been trolling around for information, and haven't had a lot of luck here. I've been agonizing over how to pay for childcare while in school, and posted a topic asking if I could qualify for student loans to cover it. Someone reminded me about the childcare vouchers offered by many states, and I felt like a fool! I'm a social worker who has referred dozens of people to that program. Anyway, here in Texas the program is operated by your local Workforce commission, but it is a federally funded program offered in many states. Full time students qualify. Maybe more parents have it together enough to know about this, but I certainly forgot

I'm sure you know much more about this in your state than I do, but at least where I currently live, being a graduate student disqualifies you from some childcare programs (food stamps however are go!)

[stevededalus]

I would LOVE a resource thread for parents. I have been trolling around for information, and haven't had a lot of luck here. I've been agonizing over how to pay for childcare while in school, and posted a topic asking if I could qualify for student loans to cover it. Someone reminded me about the childcare vouchers offered by many states, and I felt like a fool! I'm a social worker who has referred dozens of people to that program. Anyway, here in Texas the program is operated by your local Workforce commission, but it is a federally funded program offered in many states. Full time students qualify. Maybe more parents have it together enough to know about this, but I certainly forgot

I second this -- would love to have a resource for parents in law school. One of my biggest dreads is that childcare costs will be more expensive, while our household income will go down by 2/3.

Some who have raised kids while in law school say to treat law school like a job. Leave the house in the morning, hit the library before, in between and after classes, then go home at 6 and spend time with your family. Sounds reasonable, but I'm not sure if it's entirely realistic. Can any parents in law school advise how they do it?

[emhellmer]

I would also love to hear more information about the childcare centers operated by individual universities. Some of the childcare centers I have looked at can't hold a candle to the Montessouri school my daughter currently attends, and I hate the thought of pulling her out of it unless I knew she would be going somewhere just as good. I looked at the Piper Center at Baylor, and loved it! It's a childcare center, but it is also a training ground for childhood development and early education majors. All of the undergrads must complete an internship prior to graduation. I figure that undergrads eager to do well at their first internship--as well as the people who are training them (all of the teachers at least a BA in childhood development)--are going to go out of their way to do a good job caring for the kids (compared to the $6.50 an hour staff at most daycares anyway). Also, this center serves as a place where education professors and students test innovative teaching strategies. I love the idea of my three year old going there. However, I don't love the idea of my three year old living in Waco with a mommy who has been driven mad by the stress of Baylor Law. Does anyone know of any other schools that have a similar student childcare/childhood development research center?

[emhellmer]

Not for making scholarship decisions, but they all said you could increase your cost of attendance, which means you can borrow more using fed programs. You're certainly not the first person who has said schools aid there is no increase. The schools I explicitly asked this too were all in the same state, so maybe that's a factor. I guess I will find out when I get my aid award notice.

Ah - gotcha.
Do me a favor? Let me know as you find out - I'm thinking of putting together some kind of resource thread for parents and this would be great info.

I would LOVE a resource thread for parents. I have been trolling around for information, and haven't had a lot of luck here. I've been agonizing over how to pay for childcare while in school, and posted a topic asking if I could qualify for student loans to cover it. Someone reminded me about the childcare vouchers offered by many states, and I felt like a fool! I'm a social worker who has referred dozens of people to that program. Anyway, here in Texas the program is operated by your local Workforce commission, but it is a federally funded program offered in many states. Full time students qualify. Maybe more parents have it together enough to know about this, but I certainly forgot

What's the chance that I might qualify if my wife is the primary wage earner while I'm in school?

In Texas, the requirements are 1. you must be working or in school full time, and 2. you must have an income below a certain level. That said, they would probably take your wife's income into account to see if you qualify. However, homestyle28 made an excellent point above. I'm not sure if graduate students are disqualified in my state. Augh! Guess I need to look into that as well. Thanks homestyle!

[KMaine]

I would LOVE a resource thread for parents. I have been trolling around for information, and haven't had a lot of luck here. I've been agonizing over how to pay for childcare while in school, and posted a topic asking if I could qualify for student loans to cover it. Someone reminded me about the childcare vouchers offered by many states, and I felt like a fool! I'm a social worker who has referred dozens of people to that program. Anyway, here in Texas the program is operated by your local Workforce commission, but it is a federally funded program offered in many states. Full time students qualify. Maybe more parents have it together enough to know about this, but I certainly forgot

I second this -- would love to have a resource for parents in law school. One of my biggest dreads is that childcare costs will be more expensive, while our household income will go down by 2/3.

Some who have raised kids while in law school say to treat law school like a job. Leave the house in the morning, hit the library before, in between and after classes, then go home at 6 and spend time with your family. Sounds reasonable, but I'm not sure if it's entirely realistic. Can any parents in law school advise how they do it?

You just do it. I think I have missed dinner with my family fewer than 10 times in my two years at law school. 1L I stayed up pretty late studying after I put the kids to bed. One of the things that I love most about LS is the flexibility it gives me compared to a regular job. People overstate the work load. It gets kind of hectic when you have a paper due or around finals time, but you get a long break in the winter, and I really think you get diminishing returns when you overstudy. My family keeps me grounded and lets me know there is more to life than Law School.

[Skyhook]

I just wanted to address two issues that came up in this thread.

First, my school does adjust COA if you have childcare expenses, but you have to go in and talk to a counselor personally. I had to bring a copy of my childsupport order. The FAFSA asks about childcare expenses, but my school doesn't factor them in unless you request it with documentation. I got the impression that financial aid has a lot of leeway to play with the numbers, but there may be different policies at different schools.

Second, it is a huge benefit to have been a teacher prior to law school. I've watched hundreds of kids screw up in my classes over the years, so I knew exactly what not to do in law school.

Thanks for the info. I taught at the college level (I'm not sure how teaching slacker UGs translates to LS), what I can't imagine in law school is skipping class.

I never skip class. I've had to miss a few for interviews, but I always feel bad about it. You'll be surprised how many people in law school just don't get how important it is. When I see my classmates with no job and not a care in the world, I wonder how they can get through life with so little effort.

Read the assignments, go to class, outline early, and take a bunch of practice tests. That's the recipe for success.

How do you find the workload? I've heard numerous mentions that if you treat it like a 9-5 job you can get pretty much everything done you need to.

[Stringer Bell]

I'll meet the criteria for this thread pretty soon. It's a little worrisome to see that Jazz and KMaine felt their age diminished their OCI prospects.

The career services director at the t14 I'm planning to head to told me that biglaw previously emphasized hiring young grads but that this dynamic has changed somewhat and that my extensive work experience would actually work in my favor. Your experiences are sobering. Do you guys feel like the "age liability" holds true for folks that have had business WE?

[TarHeel11]

I'll meet the criteria for this thread pretty soon. It's a little worrisome to see that Jazz and KMaine felt their age diminished their OCI prospects.

The career services director at the t14 I'm planning to head to told me that biglaw previously emphasized hiring young grads but that this dynamic has changed somewhat and that my extensive work experience would actually work in my favor. Your experiences are sobering. Do you guys feel like the "age liability" holds true for folks that have had business WE?

The first of many steaming piles that your CSO will deliver, I have no doubt. Other than people with engineering backgrounds going into IP, I don't think biglaw firms care about your prior experience.

[Stringer Bell]

The first of many steaming piles that your CSO will deliver, I have no doubt. Other than people with engineering backgrounds going into IP, I don't think biglaw firms care about your prior experience.

The director at our CSO is actually regarded as extremely good at his job by the students there now. He may be wrong in my case due to being older, but to say that non IP WE doesn't matter seems pretty contradictory to the evidence that's out there. NU's dramatic rise in relative biglaw placement indicates firms like the type of students they are graduating (At least 2 years WE vs. fresh out of UG). Also, the employment forum seems to indicate people with good WE have done much better.

[JazzOne]

I just wanted to address two issues that came up in this thread.

First, my school does adjust COA if you have childcare expenses, but you have to go in and talk to a counselor personally. I had to bring a copy of my childsupport order. The FAFSA asks about childcare expenses, but my school doesn't factor them in unless you request it with documentation. I got the impression that financial aid has a lot of leeway to play with the numbers, but there may be different policies at different schools.

Second, it is a huge benefit to have been a teacher prior to law school. I've watched hundreds of kids screw up in my classes over the years, so I knew exactly what not to do in law school.

Thanks for the info. I taught at the college level (I'm not sure how teaching slacker UGs translates to LS), what I can't imagine in law school is skipping class.

I never skip class. I've had to miss a few for interviews, but I always feel bad about it. You'll be surprised how many people in law school just don't get how important it is. When I see my classmates with no job and not a care in the world, I wonder how they can get through life with so little effort.

Read the assignments, go to class, outline early, and take a bunch of practice tests. That's the recipe for success.

How do you find the workload? I've heard numerous mentions that if you treat it like a 9-5 job you can get pretty much everything done you need to.

I found the workload to be reasonable, especially if you've worked more than 40 hours/week in the past. Basically, everything is super easy for a few months. Then the writing assignments start coming due, and the work picks up to a regular pace. Then, it gets crazy right before finals. There are perhaps 3 weeks of intense studying just before and during finals, but everything else is pretty much cake. For my first semester of LS, I worked very hard, and my grades were at the very top of my class. Second semester, I worked much less, and that was reflected in my grades. So, your workload will be largely determined by your goals and your ability to motivate yourself. The material is pretty boring, and it gets worse second year.

The busiest semester so far was fall of 2L. OCI + callbacks + 2L classes + your whole life on the line = misery

[JazzOne]

The first of many steaming piles that your CSO will deliver, I have no doubt. Other than people with engineering backgrounds going into IP, I don't think biglaw firms care about your prior experience.

The director at our CSO is actually regarded as extremely good at his job by the students there now. He may be wrong in my case due to being older, but to say that non IP WE doesn't matter seems pretty contradictory to the evidence that's out there. NU's dramatic rise in relative biglaw placement indicates firms like the type of students they are graduating (At least 2 years WE vs. fresh out of UG). Also, the employment forum seems to indicate people with good WE have done much better.

My CSO has been pretty good, but no matter how good they are, they aren't hiring partners, and they can't offer you a job. So, everything they say is second to what the hiring partners say at the firms you're interested in. My experience was that WE means very little to firms. Perhaps you can spin in positively in an interview, but they want someone who's eager to learn their system, not someone who thinks he already has the skills he needs.

[masochist]

Longtime lurker, first time poster (to this thread anyhow). I'm glad I came across this thread. I am 33 was just married last June, I have an 11 year old step-son and the wife is expecting a baby in September. I have a Ph.D. in music (yes, you can get them) and have been teaching college part-time for the last four years. The thing that makes me the most nervous about school itself, is being "on the other side of the desk" again. Anyone with teaching experience having similar fears?

Definately. I am working now as an asst. prof at a univerisity, and I have become quite accustomed to having people care about my opinion. It will be hard to go back to being treated like a student.

[Stringer Bell]

My CSO has been pretty good, but no matter how good they are, they aren't hiring partners, and they can't offer you a job. So, everything they say is second to what the hiring partners say at the firms you're interested in. My experience was that WE means very little to firms. Perhaps you can spin in positively in an interview, but they want someone who's eager to learn their system, not someone who thinks he already has the skills he needs.

The CSO director was a biglaw partner I believe as recently as four years or so ago and still has alot of contacts he keeps in touch with. He certainly could be feeding me a line of BS to make me feel better, but the mantra of "WE doesn't matter" on the surface seems tough to agree with given NU's placement. A couple of years ago NU had the lowest placement in the NLJ 250 of any school (EDIT: In the t14) and in the latest data they had the highest. I understand the flaws in relying on this data in totality, but it would be difficult to not draw a conclusion that employers like what NU grads are bringing to the table with their WE.

If they want people that can learn new skills, why would they not give a bonus to people that have demonstrated that ability in a professional environment as well as an academic environment?