Columbia Law School 2012! Forum

[express01]

Will I miss a lot if I move in the 24th?

[Skadden Stairs]

Will I miss a lot if I move in the 24th?

The first three days of Legal Methods and Legal Practice.

[jpaul09]

....

[06132010]

WTF? This is getting ridiculous. The 24th? ie...a week after we need to be there. Do you think they are having too many continuing students staying on in housing?

How many people have received *nothing* re: housing? My status still says my app is under review by the law school.

I haven't heard anything.

[dachillchick]

I got nothing on the housing front either.

[Explorer]

Did everybody who received a housing offer also get a floorplan? I saw some posts where people said they got a floorplan with the email housing offer, but I didn't get one...just checking to see if I have to call UAH or something.

I didn't get one either. Any idea how we can get them? Or is it just a big surprise?

[NoodlesHighChief]

I just talked to UAH to see if they could put me in another building besides the Arbor on Henry Hudson Parkway in the Bronx. They said they could not but tried to sell me on the Arbor, saying it has great amenities and a shuttle service that runs to the main campus in 10-15 minutes. They also said if we don't like it we can look to transfer at a transfer fair in October. They made a pretty good point and said I would like the Arbor if I actually went to see it. They said pass the word along to other students with the same assignment.

[acegikm]

I just talked to UAH to see if they could put me in another building besides the Arbor on Henry Hudson Parkway in the Bronx. They said they could not but tried to sell me on the Arbor, saying it has great amenities and a shuttle service that runs to the main campus in 10-15 minutes. They also said if we don't like it we can look to transfer at a transfer fair in October. They made a pretty good point and said I would like the Arbor if I actually went to see it. They said pass the word along to other students with the same assignment.

So what are you going to do? I still am waiting to hear back from UAH, but the housing liasion in the law school just emailed me to say that they didn't know incoming students would be housed in the Arbor, but they can't do anything to fix it. BAH

[acegikm]

also, fyi, the email said they are housing "many incoming students" in this building, so beware guys

[NoodlesHighChief]

I just talked to UAH to see if they could put me in another building besides the Arbor on Henry Hudson Parkway in the Bronx. They said they could not but tried to sell me on the Arbor, saying it has great amenities and a shuttle service that runs to the main campus in 10-15 minutes. They also said if we don't like it we can look to transfer at a transfer fair in October. They made a pretty good point and said I would like the Arbor if I actually went to see it. They said pass the word along to other students with the same assignment.

So what are you going to do? I still am waiting to hear back from UAH, but the housing liasion in the law school just emailed me to say that they didn't know incoming students would be housed in the Arbor, but they can't do anything to fix it. BAH

I don't think I am gonna take the offer. The pictures on the website do look great but it is just too far for me. The shuttle service looks decent but I am a night owl and the 45 minute minimum subway ride is not gonna work. I am gonna start searching craig's list for a studio in Morningside/Harlem/Hamilton Heights/UWS.

[marshponds]

Wow, I feel for you guys being housed in the Bronx. They really should have been more up front about where one could be assigned. At the ASW, we were led to believe that University Housing was only located in Morningside. If the Arbor is so great, why weren't they showing it off - or even mentioning it - at the ASW?

[Antipodean]

Urgh. I remember looking at the Arbor website - it seemed specifically designed for families and non-traditional students; those whose lives don't revolve around the university. We're law students, our lives by definition revolve around the university.

[imchuckbass58]

So I'll qualify this by saying I haven't seen the Arbor, so take my advice with a grain of salt, but:

-I imagine the actual apartment itself in the Arbor will be much nicer and bigger than anything else you'll get.
-It actually is about a 15-20 minute drive in reasonable traffic if there's shuttle service.
-The huge wild card is whenever you can't take the shuttle (late at night, if you're out elsewhere in the city) it will be enormously inconvenient to get back to HH Parkway. Either an expensive cab ride or subway and a lot of walking.

The last factor alone would prevent me from taking it, but maybe you're different from me.

[Skadden Stairs]

Well the Arbor wasn't exactly designed to house Coumbia students of any type, and it just is what it is. I don't think there was a lot Columbia could do about it since they bought it after completion. Columbia got the condos for a steal, though.

[NoodlesHighChief]

So I'll qualify this by saying I haven't seen the Arbor, so take my advice with a grain of salt, but:

-I imagine the actual apartment itself in the Arbor will be much nicer and bigger than anything else you'll get.
-It actually is about a 15-20 minute drive in reasonable traffic if there's shuttle service.
-The huge wild card is whenever you can't take the shuttle (late at night, if you're out elsewhere in the city) it will be enormously inconvenient to get back to HH Parkway. Either an expensive cab ride or subway and a lot of walking.

The last factor alone would prevent me from taking it, but maybe you're different from me.

If you look at the pictures of the rooms at the Arbor they are impressive. It made me think twice about rejecting the offer. But just thinking about that commute makes me uncomfortable. And if you look at the shuttle schedule it seems that it only runs on weekdays. So it is definitely out of the question for me. It seems like the perfect place for a family but not me.

[whyamidoingthis]

Urgh. I remember looking at the Arbor website - it seemed specifically designed for families and non-traditional students; those whose lives don't revolve around the university. We're law students, our lives by definition revolve around the university.

to be fair, it sounds like this year's placements at the arbor are an exception for the law school, not the rule. UAH is a separate organization from CLS so I think this may be as much of the surprise to the LS as it is to us.

"conveniently located in Riverdale"...right.

[acegikm]

Yea. The law school basically knew nothing about it and told me it must have been a mistake. Until they spoke to UAH and realized a bunch of people are getting housed there.

[whyamidoingthis]

Yea. The law school basically knew nothing about it and told me it must have been a mistake. Until they spoke to UAH and realized a bunch of people are getting housed there.

Given that our tuition is, I believe, the highest at the university. I'd like to be housed closer to the school!

[express01]

I actually have a good apartment share on the 112th street. I hope they don't put me in some shit-hole in order to accomodate my earlier move-in date.

[Skadden Stairs]

to be fair, it sounds like this year's placements at the arbor are an exception for the law school, not the rule. UAH is a separate organisation from CLS so I think this may be as much of the surprise to the LS as it is to us.

"conveniently located in Riverdale"...right.

I find it interesting that you used an 's.' That is all.

[NoodlesHighChief]

Yea. The law school basically knew nothing about it and told me it must have been a mistake. Until they spoke to UAH and realized a bunch of people are getting housed there.

So what is your plan ace? I am not even gonna bother reapplying for UAH. I am debating signing up for a no-broker service like Rent Direct New York. It costs 200 dollars but it would save a lot of hassle of searching through the scams and information-less posts on craigs list. Any thoughts?

[whyamidoingthis]

to be fair, it sounds like this year's placements at the arbor are an exception for the law school, not the rule. UAH is a separate organization from CLS so I think this may be as much of the surprise to the LS as it is to us.

"conveniently located in Riverdale"...right.

I find it interesting that you used an 's.' That is all.

i go in and out, whoops

[chris0805]

Have you guys at the arbor talked to Elizabeth Grainger and/or the LS Dean of Students about this? I have NEVER heard of law students being housed up there and, though I'm sure it's nice, it's totally unacceptable if you put proximity as a priority. Even if they tell you no, you should still push a little bit more. Making law students happy is important to the school (since they assume we'll all be rich).

The only upside I can see is that, if you don't want to stay there, the housing market has dropped significantly in the last year. I'm really sorry to hear that your class is having such a rough experience with this. Housing in one of the big positives here... or at least it used to be

[NoodlesHighChief]

Have you guys at the arbor talked to Elizabeth Grainger and/or the LS Dean of Students about this? I have NEVER heard of law students being housed up there and, though I'm sure it's nice, it's totally unacceptable if you put proximity as a priority. Even if they tell you no, you should still push a little bit more. Making law students happy is important to the school (since they assume we'll all be rich).

The only upside I can see is that, if you don't want to stay there, the housing market has dropped significantly in the last year. I'm really sorry to hear that your class is having such a rough experience with this. Housing in one of the big positives here... or at least it used to be

I just emailed Granger. I hope she can come through for me. I am now willing to compromise a lot more than before but I am still gonna try to live within 5 miles of CLS.

[imchuckbass58]

By the way guys, I hate to say it, but this is generally how things work at Columbia.

I've talked to some current students, and they love the school, the faculty, etc., but unanimously they have said that admin and student services are absolutely horrendous. Takes forever to get things done, they're not done right when they finally do get done, etc.

Oh well, price you pay I guess.