WashU (wustl) Class of 2012! Forum

(housing, friendships, future exams, all things 2012)
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matty

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Re: WashU (wustl) Class of 2012!

Post by matty » Tue May 26, 2009 2:03 pm

steindle wrote:Just got back from my trip to St. Louis. Fiance and I drove 10 straight hours post-work (5PM to almost 3AM (Eastern time)), fell immediately asleep at our hotel downtown (amazing location and only $60/night via Hotwire)...woke up the next morning bright and early to look at 2 apartments found via Craigslist and 2 via FrontdoorSTL.com...

Frontdoor was a little too pricey for what they were offering, in my opinion -- i.e. they had an 850 sq ft one-bedroom going for $750 in the same neighborhood that my fiance and I saw a 1,200 sq ft 2-bedroom for $800. The Frontdoor properties seemed nice but a little less well-maintained than the one we decided to go with in the Loop area (about 5 minutes walking to the heart of the Loop and about 10 to the law school).

We also checked out a great house in Dogtown -- 2 bedrooms, pretty large, free washer/dryer, only one other couple living in the unit (a brother & sister who lived upstairs)...nice big backyard, sun room, etc. It would have been totally perfect (at $750/mo) if not for the dubiously walkable nature of the neighborhood. It seems like a fine place to live and I will very gladly hook up anyone who is interested in renting it with the landlord's name and # (he seems very responsible and nice)...but my fiance and I share a car and I am a sucker for having the convenience of the Loop basically at my doorstep.

In any case, we ended up taking a HUGE tour of St. Louis with a friend of a friend for about 3 hours on Sunday. It was absolutely great. It might be the fact that I'm from Pittsburgh talking, but I really cannot imagine maligning this place in the way that a lot of students and outsiders tend to. Lafayette Square is stunning, Soulard seems charming...we got great food and took a nice walk in the Tower Grove South area, we took a drive down Cherokee Street and saw all of the emerging businesses and incredibly varied business district there...

...Altogether it was a great, great experience. I know that I won't be taking in the full breadth of the city on a regular basis because I'll be busy with my studies, but I am totally excited at exploring it when I can.
no city museum?
if not, definitely check it out once you've moved.

ksp405

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Re: WashU (wustl) Class of 2012!

Post by ksp405 » Tue May 26, 2009 2:08 pm

So just found out from Financial Aid office that as of this coming school year, WashU will be a direct lending institution - no need to apply through access group or anyone else! Oh, and after you sign and return your award letter, they will email you instructions re. what to do next.

just FYI for anyone else out there who likes knowing what is going on months in advance ha

steindle

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Re: WashU (wustl) Class of 2012!

Post by steindle » Tue May 26, 2009 2:17 pm

matty wrote:no city museum?
if not, definitely check it out once you've moved.
Oh yeah, I checked out the City Museum the last time I was there in March. It was really incredible...it would be hard to find something more in line with my interests (salvaged materials from the around the city, urban history, etc). It's a truly unique cultural institution.

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Re: WashU (wustl) Class of 2012!

Post by steindle » Tue May 26, 2009 3:26 pm

Quick question: What is the Delmar Loop like during the school year? And how substantial is the change on the weekends?

The place we're renting is on Kingsbury about 2 1/2 blocks east of Skinker...It seems far enough away from the hustle & bustle that we're not going to have people vomiting in our garden, but close enough to be convenient when we need it (i.e. walking distance from a post office, the park, tons of restaurants, Subterranean Books, etc).

Walking down Delmar on Saturday seemed totally pleasant -- we stopped into the bookstore, had a great time at Vintage Vinyl, got some coffee, etc...My only fear is that it's going to transform into some nightmarish undergrad party scene during the school year. Experienced St. Louisians and WUSTLers, please tell me that I am wrong to fear this!

When I was there briefly in late March, it seemed more full of hippie stereotypes than frat guys -- is that generally true?

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matty

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Re: WashU (wustl) Class of 2012!

Post by matty » Tue May 26, 2009 4:39 pm

steindle wrote:Quick question: What is the Delmar Loop like during the school year? And how substantial is the change on the weekends?

The place we're renting is on Kingsbury about 2 1/2 blocks east of Skinker...It seems far enough away from the hustle & bustle that we're not going to have people vomiting in our garden, but close enough to be convenient when we need it (i.e. walking distance from a post office, the park, tons of restaurants, Subterranean Books, etc).

Walking down Delmar on Saturday seemed totally pleasant -- we stopped into the bookstore, had a great time at Vintage Vinyl, got some coffee, etc...My only fear is that it's going to transform into some nightmarish undergrad party scene during the school year. Experienced St. Louisians and WUSTLers, please tell me that I am wrong to fear this!

When I was there briefly in late March, it seemed more full of hippie stereotypes than frat guys -- is that generally true?
Good god I'm bored at work, responding to a thread for a school I won't even be attending...but I did get accepted and have lived literally across the street from WUSTL for most of my life, so here goes:
You are absolutely right about it being more full of hippies/hipsters/goths than stereotypical frat guys, as it is populated more by quirky/drink-sipping establishments than party/heavy drinking type places. In fact, it can sometimes be quite dead during the weekdays, but it usually does pick up quite a bit on the weekends--not really to an overbearing point though. You should be fine living there, as people looking for a shitshow type party vibe congregate mainly in other areas of the city. I would only caution you that although it is safe for the most part, you still have to exercise common sense and be aware of your surroundings. Delmar does tend to get a bit sketchy once you go a few blocks east of Skinker, for example. Other than that, you should be fine, and here's a few places you should check out:
Gyros House: Don't let the shabby appearance fool you...some of the best gyros with the freshest toppings I've ever had
609: For hookah, if you're into that
Pi Pizza: Really good deep dish--a favorite of President Obama
Tivoli Theater: Shows some good indie flicks
Riddle's Penultimate: Nice wine bar
Mi Ranchito: Pretty good Mexican food including incredible queso dip and cheap margaritas
Blueberry Hill: Darts and beer 365 days a year
Vinatge Vinyl--glad you already checked that one out, one of my favorite stores
There's more, including a wide variety of ethnic restaurants, but its too much to list and I have to leave room for you to do some exploring too I guess.

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steindle

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Re: WashU (wustl) Class of 2012!

Post by steindle » Tue May 26, 2009 4:49 pm

Thanks very much for the tips, Matty. I did get that sense re: safety east of Skinker. I am generally the sort of person who is forgiving toward "sketchy" areas to a fault ("Oh, so a mortar shell fell five feet in front of us -- it didn't hit us, did it? We'll be fine.")...but yeah, when the fiance and I got off of the Metro at the Delmar stop, I was surprised by how sparse the area around it was and it became immediately clear that the active area of the neighborhood was at least a block away.

Where we are living (about two blocks east of Skinker but also three blocks south of Delmar) seemed totally fine. I'm sure it's different during the school year, but I was actually a little stunned by how serene it was just a block from the Metro -- the only sound we heard for about three blocks was the chirping of birds.

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SpAcEmAn SpLiFF

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Re: WashU (wustl) Class of 2012!

Post by SpAcEmAn SpLiFF » Wed May 27, 2009 12:09 pm

woo! i got in. you waitlisters will have your spot back soon though. im gonna think about it for the rest of the day and probably withdraw

Lawrence

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Re: WashU (wustl) Class of 2012!

Post by Lawrence » Wed May 27, 2009 1:35 pm

I just got my scholarship offer doubled! Great surprise to find waiting in my e-mail. I was already attending but this pretty much solidifies my decision. Looks like waiting to put my second deposit in until the last minute might have helped me out.

steindle

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Re: WashU (wustl) Class of 2012!

Post by steindle » Wed May 27, 2009 1:37 pm

Lawrence wrote:I just got my scholarship offer doubled! Great surprise to find waiting in my e-mail. I was already attending but this pretty much solidifies my decision. Looks like waiting to put my second deposit in until the last minute might have helped me out.
Did you specifically ask for this, or did you just get this offer out of nowhere?

Congratulations, but I am feeling more and more like I am being penalized for getting my application and deposits in early.

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Lawrence

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Re: WashU (wustl) Class of 2012!

Post by Lawrence » Wed May 27, 2009 1:41 pm

steindle wrote:
Lawrence wrote:I just got my scholarship offer doubled! Great surprise to find waiting in my e-mail. I was already attending but this pretty much solidifies my decision. Looks like waiting to put my second deposit in until the last minute might have helped me out.
Did you specifically ask for this, or did you just get this offer out of nowhere?

Congratulations, but I am feeling more and more like I am being penalized for getting my application and deposits in early.
Thanks. I asked earlier and leveraged another scholarship offer and got a little increase. But this one came out of nowhere.

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Re: WashU (wustl) Class of 2012!

Post by steindle » Wed May 27, 2009 1:45 pm

Lawrence wrote:Thanks. I asked earlier and leveraged another scholarship offer and got a little increase. But this one came out of nowhere.
I got $21k more total from Minnesota and attempted to use that as leverage but got shot down. You are probably the fourth person who has told me that they used this strategy successfully. I'm really curious what it was that I did wrong. I feel dangerously close to producing a self-righteous email about this, but I am going to swallow my jealousy.

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Re: WashU (wustl) Class of 2012!

Post by Lawrence » Wed May 27, 2009 1:56 pm

steindle wrote:
Lawrence wrote:Thanks. I asked earlier and leveraged another scholarship offer and got a little increase. But this one came out of nowhere.
I got $21k more total from Minnesota and attempted to use that as leverage but got shot down. You are probably the fourth person who has told me that they used this strategy successfully. I'm really curious what it was that I did wrong. I feel dangerously close to producing a self-righteous email about this, but I am going to swallow my jealousy.
I wonder if maybe the Admissions Office doesn't regard Minnesota quite as highly as the U.S. News Rankings does. I think the school I leveraged with is viewed as more of a direct competitor and when I had a discussion about my situation with admissions they seemed to hold the opinion that the other school was very good too. I don't have any inside info here obviously but that would be my guess.

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Re: WashU (wustl) Class of 2012!

Post by steindle » Wed May 27, 2009 2:07 pm

Lawrence wrote:I wonder if maybe the Admissions Office doesn't regard Minnesota quite as highly as the U.S. News Rankings does. I think the school I leveraged with is viewed as more of a direct competitor and when I had a discussion about my situation with admissions they seemed to hold the opinion that the other school was very good too. I don't have any inside info here obviously but that would be my guess.
I imagine you're right. Darnit, I knew I should have applied to UIUC so that I could potentially use it in the bargaining process!

Oh well. I guess I should just count my blessings that I got into WUSTL at all.

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Ali

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Re: WashU (wustl) Class of 2012!

Post by Ali » Wed May 27, 2009 2:10 pm

This sucks! They didn't increase my Scholarship either and I requested.

RAFisher

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Re: WashU (wustl) Class of 2012!

Post by RAFisher » Wed May 27, 2009 2:24 pm

I received a scholarship bump after putting a request in, but it certainly wasn't doubled. Congrats on achieving that Lawrence!

I am disappointed in the scholarship offer amount this year in comparison to the offers that were made last year. It seems fairly unlucky that I would have had a larger scholarship if I had just entered law school a year earlier with the same stats.

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Re: WashU (wustl) Class of 2012!

Post by WassAnch » Wed May 27, 2009 3:10 pm

Lawrence wrote:
steindle wrote:
Lawrence wrote:Thanks. I asked earlier and leveraged another scholarship offer and got a little increase. But this one came out of nowhere.
I got $21k more total from Minnesota and attempted to use that as leverage but got shot down. You are probably the fourth person who has told me that they used this strategy successfully. I'm really curious what it was that I did wrong. I feel dangerously close to producing a self-righteous email about this, but I am going to swallow my jealousy.
I wonder if maybe the Admissions Office doesn't regard Minnesota quite as highly as the U.S. News Rankings does. I think the school I leveraged with is viewed as more of a direct competitor and when I had a discussion about my situation with admissions they seemed to hold the opinion that the other school was very good too. I don't have any inside info here obviously but that would be my guess.
I'm not sure...received an e-mail today saying that they would match Minnesota's offer. That is the second time that they have up'd it when I asked--the first time I didn't even use another scholly as leverage.

Anyways, the e-mail implied that they have a little extra money to throw around, so maybe more increases are to come.

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Re: WashU (wustl) Class of 2012!

Post by LED1985 » Wed May 27, 2009 3:15 pm

Who have you guys been talking to at admissions to ask for increases?

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Leeroy Jenkins

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Re: WashU (wustl) Class of 2012!

Post by Leeroy Jenkins » Wed May 27, 2009 3:20 pm

,
Last edited by Leeroy Jenkins on Mon Jan 11, 2010 3:34 am, edited 1 time in total.

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WassAnch

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Re: WashU (wustl) Class of 2012!

Post by WassAnch » Wed May 27, 2009 3:20 pm

LED1985 wrote:Who have you guys been talking to at admissions to ask for increases?
I've been e-mailing Janet Bolin.

EDIT: Not sure if she is the correct person to talk to, but she sent me the initial scholly offer.

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Re: WashU (wustl) Class of 2012!

Post by steindle » Wed May 27, 2009 4:03 pm

WassAnch wrote:I'm not sure...received an e-mail today saying that they would match Minnesota's offer. That is the second time that they have up'd it when I asked--the first time I didn't even use another scholly as leverage.
This has now become genuinely vexing.

Edit: On the other hand, I see that your stats well outweigh mine, so that might have 95% to do with it.

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Re: WashU (wustl) Class of 2012!

Post by gk101 » Wed May 27, 2009 8:41 pm

WassAnch wrote:I'm not sure...received an e-mail today saying that they would match Minnesota's offer. That is the second time that they have up'd it when I asked--the first time I didn't even use another scholly as leverage.
got my scholarship doubled as well. They had already increased the initial offer when I sent them the UIUC acceptance package. Out of nowhere I got the new offer today. Very excited!!

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chadwick218

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Re: WashU (wustl) Class of 2012!

Post by chadwick218 » Wed May 27, 2009 8:52 pm

gk101 wrote:
WassAnch wrote:I'm not sure...received an e-mail today saying that they would match Minnesota's offer. That is the second time that they have up'd it when I asked--the first time I didn't even use another scholly as leverage.
got my scholarship doubled as well. They had already increased the initial offer when I sent them the UIUC acceptance package. Out of nowhere I got the new offer today. Very excited!!
With all this doubling-up on scholarships, I'll be emailing WUSTL tomorrow. Unfortunately, I am at zero so I need a little more help than just doubling. What do you think a 167, 4.0, and 5 years of WE are worth? :wink:

Working against me is the fact that I haven't received any scholarships from comparable schools, but have received a hand-ful of full and half scholarships (Baylor, Houston, St. Louis University, Indiana-Bloomington, Wake, etc).

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chadwick218

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Re: WashU (wustl) Class of 2012!

Post by chadwick218 » Thu May 28, 2009 4:55 pm

I just sent my letter ... I feel that I can make a pretty strong case for scholarship consideration, but I am understanding if they are unable to come through ... I have my fingers crossed and have sent prayers out to a couple of differnt gods :wink:

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WassAnch

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Re: WashU (wustl) Class of 2012!

Post by WassAnch » Thu May 28, 2009 5:30 pm

UM just increased my scholly from 60k to full tuition. I have already asked WUSTL to increase my scholly twice....would I be pushing my luck if I sent a third request?

I don't want to be a thorn in their side, especially since it isn't even June yet.

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Re: WashU (wustl) Class of 2012!

Post by chadwick218 » Thu May 28, 2009 5:38 pm

WassAnch wrote:UM just increased my scholly from 60k to full tuition. I have already asked WUSTL to increase my scholly twice....would I be pushing my luck if I sent a third request?

I don't want to be a thorn in their side, especially since it isn't even June yet.
Congrats! It's worth a try ... since this would be the third time, is there anyone that you could make a phone call with a certain dollar figure in mind? My thought is that their only hesitation would be what would keep this candidate from coming back a 4th time. Otherwise, your LSAT certainly helps to boost their numbers and if I remembering old posts correctly, you have a very intriguing story.

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