WashU (wustl) Class of 2012! Forum

[senegalese_filmmaker]

For student who have cars and don't live right around campus, are parking passes expensive? Is driving to school a hassle? I'm considering WUSTL also and I would like to live practically on campus, or as close to campus as possible, but from a brief craigslist search it looks like the closest apartments to the law school are still about a mile away, which is longer than I am willing to walk every day and would suck in the cold. Are the any shuttles/buses that are convenient?

[hwmyones]

For student who have cars and don't live right around campus, are parking passes expensive? Is driving to school a hassle? I'm considering WUSTL also and I would like to live practically on campus, or as close to campus as possible, but from a brief craigslist search it looks like the closest apartments to the law school are still about a mile away, which is longer than I am willing to walk every day and would suck in the cold. Are the any shuttles/buses that are convenient?

Parking passes are $400 for the year.

[safari]

Are the parking passes hard to come by for 1Ls, or can anyone who wants one get one?

Also, are most of the apartments in the CWE and Clayton low-rise buildings/houses with a few apartments or are there high-rise or complex type places?

[hwmyones]

Are the parking passes hard to come by for 1Ls, or can anyone who wants one get one?

Also, are most of the apartments in the CWE and Clayton low-rise buildings/houses with a few apartments or are there high-rise or complex type places?

Anyone can get a parking pass. There are two huge parking garages right behind A-B Hall.

There are both types of buildings. There are a bunch of popular high rises for students in the West End if that's what you're interested in. I personally live in a low rise with 8 apartments but there is plenty of variety.

[WUSTL2011]

For student who have cars and don't live right around campus, are parking passes expensive? Is driving to school a hassle? I'm considering WUSTL also and I would like to live practically on campus, or as close to campus as possible, but from a brief craigslist search it looks like the closest apartments to the law school are still about a mile away, which is longer than I am willing to walk every day and would suck in the cold. Are the any shuttles/buses that are convenient?

If you want cheap and near-campus, look at Quadrangle Housing. It's actually owned by WashU (not legally, for liability reasons, but it's their company) and they own hundreds of apartments in the area. Expect low quality, but my apartment is dirt cheap and three blocks from campus.

[Lawrence]

For the 1L's here, how many days a week do you have classes and how many classes/how many hours of class do you have each day? Basically, what does your schedule look like?

[Leeroy Jenkins]

For the 1L's here, how many days a week do you have classes and how many classes/how many hours of class do you have each day? Basically, what does your schedule look like?

Pick a letter: --LinkRemoved--

[Lawrence]

For the 1L's here, how many days a week do you have classes and how many classes/how many hours of class do you have each day? Basically, what does your schedule look like?

Pick a letter: --LinkRemoved--

Appreciate it, your searching skills are obviously superior to mine!

[MaiKleenex]

I am heading there in the fall! I know nobody even in that vicinity and couldn't go to the ASW. Anyone have any helpful information?

[gk101]

I am heading there in the fall! I know nobody even in that vicinity (Philly born and bred) and couldn't go to the ASW. Anyone have any helpful information?

Welcome! what kind of information are you looking for?

so I have been trying to find some nice apartments in CWE but not having much luck. I was hoping for a nice 1 br apartments but the ones I like so far are mostly 2 br apartments and I really don't want a roommate next year. What about everyone else?

I refuse to let this thread go to page 2 so bump

[RAFisher]

I have also been apartment hunting in the CWE, or really anywhere within an easy walking distance from campus. It seems like Quad housing has the hook-up, but I have a dog, so it won't be the route that I'm taking (they only have two apartments that allow dogs). This website, http://www.frontdoorstl.com, seems to have quite a few to choose from, with plenty of options for 1 or 2 bedrooms. Someone let me know if you run across any other legit companies that are leasing apartments that are near campus and south of Delmar (from what I understand, anything north of Delmar is a little sketchy).

[Lawrence]

I have also been apartment hunting in the CWE, or really anywhere within an easy walking distance from campus. It seems like Quad housing has the hook-up, but I have a dog, so it won't be the route that I'm taking (they only have two apartments that allow dogs). This website, http://www.frontdoorstl.com, seems to have quite a few to choose from, with plenty of options for 1 or 2 bedrooms. Someone let me know if you run across any other legit companies that are leasing apartments that are near campus and south of Delmar (from what I understand, anything north of Delmar is a little sketchy).

I found an apartment through Front Door STL. However, I'm not really sure if I would recommend them. I didn't really like how they do business (pressure sell, these units are moving fast so you need to move quickly, etc.) but the apartment I found was far and away the best value for the nicest apartment. If you are willing to overlook some annoyances from the company themselves for a little better value then its worth looking into. Something to look out for though: they list apartments by neighborhoods and sometimes the neighborhood they say somewhere is located is misleading/a lie. For the main complex listed under The Loop, it is really north of the loop. It's about two minutes away, but not technically in The Loop and its an area many would consider to be sketchier. This kind of thing could be pretty misleading for somebody not from the area. They do have some nice apartments but make sure you do your research and don't just take their word for it regarding location.

[steindle]

I've been in touch with about a million different landlords, etc...I've been deviating back and forth between wanting to live close to the school for convenience and wanting to be a little farther away (Soulard, Downtown loft, possibly Dogtown, etc) in order to live a life relatively separate from the school when I'm not there.

Realistically I think that convenience will win during 1L (probably Skinker-Debaliviere, Debaliviere Place, or Central West End) and then I can move farther out for 2L and 3L.

Unfortunately no one seems to be sure what the market will look like in July/August yet, so it's still going to be another 2-3 months before most apartments will be ready to take deposits for August 1. I'm visiting Memorial Day weekend to get a sense for these places and where I can really see myself for my first year in St. Louis.

I've been out of school for four years so I'm really excited to get things started again and rarin' to go. The next four months can't go quickly enough.

[gracekelly]

I sent in my deposit today! I was deciding between WUSTL and William and Mary. William and Mary would be cheaper, but I decided to spend the extra money and go to WUSTL. It's closer to home, and I believe I would like St. Louis better than Williamsburg for three years.

Now, I've got to decide whether I want to live in Central West End or Clayton (although I haven't entirely discounted other neighborhoods). I'll be visiting over the summer, possibly at one of the housing days. Does anyone know what exactly goes on during those?

[gk101]

I sent in my deposit today! I was deciding between WUSTL and William and Mary. William and Mary would be cheaper, but I decided to spend the extra money and go to WUSTL. It's closer to home, and I believe I would like St. Louis better than Williamsburg for three years.

Now, I've got to decide whether I want to live in Central West End or Clayton (although I haven't entirely discounted other neighborhoods). I'll be visiting over the summer, possibly at one of the housing days. Does anyone know what exactly goes on during those?

congrats! I am planning on attending the housing day in June. hopefully I can find an apartment then. If nothing else, I get to meet some of the future classmates. not sure what exactly happens though

[Leeroy Jenkins]

I heard from last year, there'll be a bunch of landlord reps at some sort of panel so you can sign leases there (if you want) and they take you on a tour of St louis.

[gk101]

hmm that doesn't sound too bad.

[wolfmansrazor]

Just sent in my deposit today. I'll be living at home in St. Louis to help minimize cost.

[mizzoual]

Deposited yesterday.

To whoever said CWE is within walking distance, you are braver than me. There is a reason the majority of the nicer homes in the area are on streets with 15 foot tall stone barriers. Just north of the CWE is a terrible, terrible part of St. Louis. U City has some really bad parts too.

I'm paying the extra cash to live in Clayton.

[woopwoop]

I reserved my seat and visited the campus, and, recently, I've felt increasingly excited about starting a new life in St. Louis. In fact, today was supposed to be the day I officially commit to the WOOST and end this god-forsaken cycle, once and for all, by withdrawing the rest of my applications.

So it figures that I happened to watch 'Synecdoche, New York' last night:

"There are a million little strings attached to every choice you make; you can destroy your life every time you choose. But maybe you won't know for twenty years. And you'll never ever trace it to its source. And you only get one chance to play it out. Just try and figure out your own divorce. And they say there is no fate, but there is: it's what you create."

It's as if this cycle is a living, cosmic force, the sole purpose of which is to fuck with my head in the most clever and sadistic ways.

[Lawrence]

Has anybody heard anything about the possible scholarship increases to come after the seat deposit on April 1st? I'm guessing we'll have to wait past the second deposit deadline on the 15th and I'm not too optimistic here, but it would be nice to have a final aid number to work with. Ofcourse, I will gladly wait however long is necessary if it means an increase.

[steindle]

Just north of the CWE is a terrible, terrible part of St. Louis. U City has some really bad parts too.

I've done an immense amount of research on this now and I have to say that "North of Delmar" horrors are a tad overstated by WashU students in many cases...But I also have to admit that the level of crime and poverty in "North City" does come much closer to Detroitesque levels than I had realistically anticipated. It doesn't strike me as a pleasant place and I wouldn't particularly recommend spending time there.

Thankfully you have pretty much no reason whatsoever to go there. This is what people don't seem to understand about relatively large cities: they span a large enough area geographically and are populated so densely that one area can be radically different from another in every sense. The fact that St. Louis possesses pockets of violence should not compromise the reputation of the entire city.

St. Louis is often vilified as a wildly dangerous city in the media as well as word-of-mouth, but there are a lot of factors to take into account, arguably the most important being its relatively minuscule size. A stark counterexample is Kansas City, which has a smaller Metro Population, but the city itself accounts for 318 sq miles total. St. Louis city proper, a larger and denser urbanized area by all accounts, consists of only 66 sq miles -- a little more than 1/5 the geographic size of its cousin across the state.

Were the city borders of St. Louis to encompass 318+ sq mi like most if its western counterparts, it would incorporate most of St. Louis County, which is actually one of the safest areas of the United States. In other words, Kansas City (and Dallas and Houston and all of these western cities) gets off the hook because of its sprawling borders. I'm certain that there are 66 sq mile boxes you can draw within the Phoenix city limits that would look as bad or worse in terms of crime as St. Louis.

That said, I'm admittedly a bleeding heart and a steadfast urbanite, so I'm probably just rationalizing my own foregone conclusions.

[VAGATOR]

Just north of the CWE is a terrible, terrible part of St. Louis. U City has some really bad parts too.

I've done an immense amount of research on this now and I have to say that "North of Delmar" horrors are a tad overstated by WashU students in many cases...But I also have to admit that the level of crime and poverty in "North City" does come much closer to Detroitesque levels than I had realistically anticipated. It doesn't strike me as a pleasant place and I wouldn't particularly recommend spending time there.

Thankfully you have pretty much no reason whatsoever to go there. This is what people don't seem to understand about relatively large cities: they span a large enough area geographically and are populated so densely that one area can be radically different from another in every sense. The fact that St. Louis possesses pockets of violence should not compromise the reputation of the entire city.

St. Louis is often vilified as a wildly dangerous city in the media as well as word-of-mouth, but there are a lot of factors to take into account, arguably the most important being its relatively minuscule size. A stark counterexample is Kansas City, which has a smaller Metro Population, but the city itself accounts for 318 sq miles total. St. Louis city proper, a larger and denser urbanized area by all accounts, consists of only 66 sq miles -- a little more than 1/5 the geographic size of its cousin across the state.

Were the city borders of St. Louis to encompass 318+ sq mi like most if its western counterparts, it would incorporate most of St. Louis County, which is actually one of the safest areas of the United States. In other words, Kansas City (and Dallas and Houston and all of these western cities) gets off the hook because of its sprawling borders. I'm certain that there are 66 sq mile boxes you can draw within the Phoenix city limits that would look as bad or worse in terms of crime as St. Louis.

That said, I'm admittedly a bleeding heart and a steadfast urbanite, so I'm probably just rationalizing my own foregone conclusions.

Good Post.

[hwmyones]

Just north of the CWE is a terrible, terrible part of St. Louis. U City has some really bad parts too.

I've done an immense amount of research on this now and I have to say that "North of Delmar" horrors are a tad overstated by WashU students in many cases...But I also have to admit that the level of crime and poverty in "North City" does come much closer to Detroitesque levels than I had realistically anticipated. It doesn't strike me as a pleasant place and I wouldn't particularly recommend spending time there.

Thankfully you have pretty much no reason whatsoever to go there. This is what people don't seem to understand about relatively large cities: they span a large enough area geographically and are populated so densely that one area can be radically different from another in every sense. The fact that St. Louis possesses pockets of violence should not compromise the reputation of the entire city.

St. Louis is often vilified as a wildly dangerous city in the media as well as word-of-mouth, but there are a lot of factors to take into account, arguably the most important being its relatively minuscule size. A stark counterexample is Kansas City, which has a smaller Metro Population, but the city itself accounts for 318 sq miles total. St. Louis city proper, a larger and denser urbanized area by all accounts, consists of only 66 sq miles -- a little more than 1/5 the geographic size of its cousin across the state.

Were the city borders of St. Louis to encompass 318+ sq mi like most if its western counterparts, it would incorporate most of St. Louis County, which is actually one of the safest areas of the United States. In other words, Kansas City (and Dallas and Houston and all of these western cities) gets off the hook because of its sprawling borders. I'm certain that there are 66 sq mile boxes you can draw within the Phoenix city limits that would look as bad or worse in terms of crime as St. Louis.

That said, I'm admittedly a bleeding heart and a steadfast urbanite, so I'm probably just rationalizing my own foregone conclusions.

You make a very good point. But really, it's only a few people who make the North City claims. I've taken gone North of Delmar to get to I-70 plenty of times and it's never been very bad. Now, I also wouldn't suggest just standing on a street corner in the middle of the night by yourself, but I don't think you'd do that anywhere. The areas where you'd spent most of your time (U-City, Clayton, Central West End, Downtown, Soulard, etc.) all have plenty of places to eat/drink and are as safe and diverse as any cities different urban neighborhoods. While I'm still not completely sold on St. Louis as a whole, I will say that safety has absolutely nothing to do with it.

[hotburrito]

Just north of the CWE is a terrible, terrible part of St. Louis. U City has some really bad parts too.

I've done an immense amount of research on this now and I have to say that "North of Delmar" horrors are a tad overstated by WashU students in many cases...But I also have to admit that the level of crime and poverty in "North City" does come much closer to Detroitesque levels than I had realistically anticipated. It doesn't strike me as a pleasant place and I wouldn't particularly recommend spending time there.

delmar is not really the dividing line it is often made out to be. i live a few blocks north of delmar (!!!), and my neighborhood is probably 2/3 students, 1/3 actual st. louisans, who mostly seem to be young people with families. it's not the wire or anything. i actually really enjoy walking home from class and seeing kids skateboarding, old folks out on walks, etc. that said, i would probably prefer to live in skinker-debalivere if i were going to keep living here without a car. just wanted to stand up for u city is all.