CU - Boulder class of 2014 Forum

[oldhippie]

Anyone, besides Krad, get their financial statement yet?

i got mine yesterday.....although it feels like a form letter more than an actual personalized statement....it did include my scholarship, though....

[ptblazer]

Anyone, besides Krad, get their financial statement yet?

i got mine yesterday.....although it feels like a form letter more than an actual personalized statement....it did include my scholarship, though....

Okay, good to know they are making their way around. Hopefully I'll get it today. I'm assuming your scholarship was included, while Krad's wasn't, because you accepted the scholarship before it was printed. Which probably means mine won't be included.

[Pufer]

Also, as a question, I am looking at a place in Mapleton Hill. Does anyone know anything about the neighborhood and whether or not it's good? Also, it seems to be an okay distance to take by bus.

Mapleton Hill is a very nice neighborhood full of good looking old houses and tree-lined streets. The problem with this question, however, is that Mapleton Hill is a pretty specific and small neighborhood that doesn't really have any rentals (the few that do exist in the area are either viciously expensive infill new construction condos/townhomes that aren't selling, or a small handful of converted 120 year old houses, which are usually crap in my experience). A lot of apartment complexes and private landlords say their place is in Mapleton Hill, but it really isn't.

Thus, my answer is that Mapleton Hill is great, but you should probably be more specific on where you're looking because I'd bet you're not actually looking at Mapleton Hill (if for no other reason than the neighborhood really isn't accessible by bus, so your bus statement confuses me).

-Pufer

[boilerup89]

What is the thread's opinion on the best suburbs to live in outside of boulder for commuting to CU.

I know Pufer perfers Louisville and I have a 1L friend who lives in Superior, but what about Longmont, Broomfield, or others? At what point is the distance too much?

I'm becoming disheartened with the housing choices in Boulder and feel I now may end up outside of town.

[ptblazer]

Finally got my financial aid statement. Nothing on there I wasn't expecting already, which is good. The only number I didn't like was my student ID number, haha.

[oldhippie]

Finally got my financial aid statement. Nothing on there I wasn't expecting already, which is good. The only number I didn't like was my student ID number, haha.

hey, i just noticed that we have student ID numbers! i am a total geek because this makes me excited

and boiler, i can't help with the suburb question except to say it looks like there's good bus service to boulder even from the burbs (if that matters to you at all....i'll be carless so i've been looking at the bus system )

[oldhippie]

sorry for the double post...but for thise interested in a CSA, i just found this site - haven't looked at it closely but we have options!!!
http://coloradocsas.info/csas/pickupCity/Boulder

[boilerup89]

sorry for the double post...but for thise interested in a CSA, i just found this site - haven't looked at it closely but we have options!!!
http://coloradocsas.info/csas/pickupCity/Boulder

After looking at this I have become interested. Seems like a really wholesome and relatively cheap way to eat. When a website says this:
"We offer “box” shares of 2 sizes. A Half Share is meant to feed 2 people; A Full Share is meant to feed 4.".
Does that mean feeds for a week or one meal. And also do you stop receiving shares come October, or do you usally get something (even if its no much) all year?

Sorry I'm a CSA noob. I've never really even heard of them prior to this thread. I really like the idea though.

[oldhippie]

it should feed you for a week...
and usually there is a definite end to the season, with maybe a couple weeks of smaller shares of things that are still growing.
i can't wait to try a csa from a completely different place!

[ptblazer]

Finally got my financial aid statement. Nothing on there I wasn't expecting already, which is good. The only number I didn't like was my student ID number, haha.

hey, i just noticed that we have student ID numbers! i am a total geek because this makes me excited

my number looks almost entirely like binary, its just not a very attractive number.

[upfish]

I'm jealous of you guys with aid packets. I still haven't gotten anything in the mail.

[queenlizzie13]

Just got mine today. Scholly info was included. And lol didn't even notice my student ID number until you guys mentioned it <333

[eminem]

No financial aid info, but I did get a letter about living in the dorms. Add it to the pile with last week's internationa student email. Has anybody else gotten a series of communications from CU that indicate they think you're an undergrad from overseas?

[ptblazer]

No financial aid info, but I did get a letter about living in the dorms. Add it to the pile with last week's internationa student email. Has anybody else gotten a series of communications from CU that indicate they think you're an undergrad from overseas?

I didn't get either of those, that is really strange, haha, that would really suck to be in law school and live in the dorms.

[LeDique]

I haven't gotten any of that either.

[eminem]

I wonder why I keep getting that. I e-mailed the International Students folks and they apologized for the mix-up. I e-mailed the dorm people and they totally missed the sarcasm in my "does this apply to 28 year old law students, too?" reply. So, if nothing else at least the residence hall people think I'm a creep.

[queenlizzie13]

I wonder why I keep getting that. I e-mailed the International Students folks and they apologized for the mix-up. I e-mailed the dorm people and they totally missed the sarcasm in my "does this apply to 28 year old law students, too?" reply. So, if nothing else at least the residence hall people think I'm a creep.

Lol... I got one of those living in the dorm letters too. I was like o.O I've already graduated. But you know with CU being ranked the number one party school I might just go back to undergrad and forgo all this law school stuff.

[upfish]

Is anyone else moving w/an SO and worried about how long it will take them to find a job? Any natives know if the pharmaceutical industry has a presence in the Denver/Boulder area? My SO is convinced that he will be unemployed forever or end up in retail if it doesn't.

[oldhippie]

Is anyone else moving w/an SO and worried about how long it will take them to find a job? Any natives know if the pharmaceutical industry has a presence in the Denver/Boulder area? My SO is convinced that he will be unemployed forever or end up in retail if it doesn't.

yes and yes.....my SO is just starting the search process and it's a bit scary!!

[the lantern]

What is the thread's opinion on the best suburbs to live in outside of boulder for commuting to CU.

I know Pufer perfers Louisville and I have a 1L friend who lives in Superior, but what about Longmont, Broomfield, or others? At what point is the distance too much?

I'm becoming disheartened with the housing choices in Boulder and feel I now may end up outside of town.

Longmont is so far, but the traffic is probably not nearly as bad as if you commute to Boulder from the south. I just can't imagine taking the bus for 1hr+ each way or spending that type of gas money. Broomfield is okay. I have some friends who live a little outside of Broomfield (closer to Lafayette) and it doesn't seem bad at all. Their apartment is way way nicer than my apartment in north Boulder and I also pay more. Because they live outside of Broomfield proper, they don't have to take 36 to get to Boulder. I don't know if I'd want to live any place you'd have to take 36 to commute though. The traffic is awful and it only gets worse when it snows. This winter wasn't bad, but some of my friends had 2+ hour commutes on snowy days. A lot of students who live outside of Boulder commit themselves to arriving first thing in the morning and not leaving until the early evening in order to avoid the ridiculous traffic. This is not inconvenient at all in times like now where everyone is studying 12 hours a day for finals anyways, but it has to be annoying early in the semester when there isn't much to do.

I suppose my mind could be changed about living in Boulder if I get an in/externship in Denver next year. The only reasons I go to Denver now are for meetings (nonprofits/advocacy groups I'm involved with) and networking events. Since that stuff usually happens in the evening, the traffic is not bad at all (unless the fucking Rockies are playing-- I could probably get around this if I knew my way around Denver better).

Boulder is expensive. Crazy expensive. BUT:
1) if you are still young and like to go out, it is awesome to live in town because the buses can take you home and even a taxi ride from Pearl Street to the far side of Boulder is like $10 ($5 each when my roommate and I hit the bars together)
2) you will never have to drive except when you leave Boulder (I've filled up my gas tank maybe 4-5 times since last July)
3) it will make going to evening/weekend law school events a hell of a lot easier

Note: the one thing I hate most in the entire world is stopped traffic on the highway. Someone who has actually lived in these places might have better info as all my information is second hand.


Oh and yes there is lots of tech/health industry here. Only a few of my friends are married, but I know friends' spouses have gotten good paying jobs as mechanical engineers, teachers, environmental research, etc. I haven't heard anyone complain about their spouse being unable to find a job. YMMV

[upfish]

Oh and yes there is lots of tech/health industry here. Only a few of my friends are married, but I know friends' spouses have gotten good paying jobs as mechanical engineers, teachers, environmental research, etc. I haven't heard anyone complain about their spouse being unable to find a job. YMMV

Well, it's a little different for my SO. He's non-degreed and very niche (pharmaceutical-grade clean room tech work is apparently sparse-ish? I dunno). We'd be less worried if he'd already completed his degree, but he hasn't. =/

if anybody has local industry names, i'd love to have a few to start scoping out on monster.com, etc.

[Pufer]

Longmont is so far, but the traffic is probably not nearly as bad as if you commute to Boulder from the south.

I'd assert that it's at least not any better because you have to drive through the inner-city traffic in Boulder to get up there.

I don't know if I'd want to live any place you'd have to take 36 to commute though. The traffic is awful and it only gets worse when it snows.

Meh. I'd assert that the traffic on 36 isn't at all awful compared to the traffic along the freeways in any major city in the US (including Denver, which is a total shitshow from Park to 225 every single day). The traffic inside Boulder is far worse than it is on 36. From Boulder to Broomfield, at the height of evening rush hour, you will be 60+ mph until Foothills Parkway, where you'll occasionally have to come to a complete stop (add at most 4 minutes to the commute), and then will be 60+ mph back up the hill, past Louisville/Superior and the Interlocken exits to the Interlocken onramps, at which point it will slow down substantially on Fridays, but will still be 50+ all other days.

Of course, most folks who live in south/central Broomfield take 93 south to 128, neither of which have any traffic at all once you're out of Boulder. The people on 36 are either going to Louisville/Superior, or Denver. Traffic doesn't get particularly bad until you get to the Wadsworth onramp, which is about as far away as anyone should probably get from CU without bussing it (and most people who bus it just put on the headphones and read Contracts or whatever and don't care how long it takes - I think they're crazy, but there are a lot of folks who live in Denver).

It's true that snow can add substantial time to the commute, but in my three years commuting from Louisville, it's taken substantially more than half an hour (which would equate to hours from Denver) maybe five times (and one of those was due to a roll-over accident closing the road more than the snow). If there's less than seven inches of snow, it generally only slows 36 down to 40-45 mph (unless temperatures drop below zero and the roads freeze, which only happens about once a year), and it doesn't snow that much all that often.

The commute to the McCaslin exit or the first Flatirons Mall exit takes no longer than getting up to Iris and Broadway in Boulder during rush hour. The traffic in both Boulder and along 36 isn't great, but it's hardly awful (at least until you start approaching Denver).

-Pufer

[martin024]

Colorado Law 1L here. If anyone's interested in purchasing like-new textbooks with no highlighter marks (just light pencil "book briefing" in there), PM me sometime. You clearly won't know which books you'll need for a while, but keep me in mind. I'd rather sell them to CU students at good prices, if I can... I also have some like-new supplements, as well.

Cheers!

[shock259]

I got an email back from a woman at the Kensington apartments. She sent me some photos and some availability on the rooms there. I'm excited for the place: it seems very reasonable. I'm going to have a family member go look at it before signing onto the lease, but if all is well, one piece of the puzzle should fall into place in a few weeks.

Next item that I need some help with: health insurance. Both of my parents don't want to cover me and I'm single. I've looked at the school plan. It looks a bit pricey, but seems to cover 100% of almost everything (and no copays). Does anyone have any opinions? I never get sick, but I have worked in the insurance industry and have seen what happens when people don't have coverage..

thanks!

[LeDique]

I got an email back from a woman at the Kensington apartments. She sent me some photos and some availability on the rooms there. I'm excited for the place: it seems very reasonable. I'm going to have a family member go look at it before signing onto the lease, but if all is well, one piece of the puzzle should fall into place in a few weeks.

Next item that I need some help with: health insurance. Both of my parents don't want to cover me and I'm single. I've looked at the school plan. It looks a bit pricey, but seems to cover 100% of almost everything (and no copays). Does anyone have any opinions? I never get sick, but I have worked in the insurance industry and have seen what happens when people don't have coverage..

thanks!

Would you mind sharing the availability info with me? I'm about to start making those calls in the next week and that'd save me one.