Proximity to campus? [Living situation during school] Forum

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jfadamson

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Proximity to campus? [Living situation during school]

Post by jfadamson » Wed Aug 01, 2018 2:47 pm

When looking for a place to rent during law school, how imperative is it that you live within a close proximity to campus? ... How many hours can I expect to spend on campus daily, and how many different daily commutes do you make from home?

(I have a dog, so I will need to come home atleast once every 5 hours.)

Should I look for a place within close proximity to campus, or is a 20 minute commute reasonable? Are most classes back to back or will there be hours between classes?



Thanks,
Jake

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totesTheGoat

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Re: Proximity to campus? [Living situation during school]

Post by totesTheGoat » Wed Aug 01, 2018 3:01 pm

I lived 20 miles away from campus and it was fine. I did most of my studying at home on the weekends. I was also working at the time, so I had considerations other than law school commute to worry about.

I think that living on campus or within a 10 or 15 minute drive would be ideal for a full-time student. Even though studying from home worked out okay, there are a lot of events on campus that aren't worth an hour round-trip commute if you aren't otherwise on campus.

Usually, you'll have enough breaks throughout the day that you can sneak away for 45 minutes or an hour to drive home, let the dog out, grab a quick lunch, and get back to your next class with time to spare. However, I recommend to most 0Ls that they treat law school like a full time job. 8 or 9 hours of devoted time to school each day. Sure, you can take breaks during the day, but you'll do better if you don't make a habit of screwing around a bunch during your breaks between classes.

TransferAdvice18

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Re: Proximity to campus? [Living situation during school]

Post by TransferAdvice18 » Wed Aug 01, 2018 3:08 pm

My 1L year I lived walking distance from the law school. I was about a 3-5 minute walk from the law school, which was really helpful, but probably not necessary. I like to sleep as late as possible so being able to roll out of bed and be in class in 10-15 minutes was awesome. Some classes were back to back, but I also had multiple breaks throughout the week that were about 1-1.5 hours. It was nice to be able to walk home and just chill for a while before going back to the law school. I also had class everyday, so this was also an advantage.

As for the hours you spend at school, it'll vary depending on how many classes you have each day. On my long days, my first class would be at 9am and my last class would end at 4:30pm with about a 1.5 hour break around lunchtime. On Fridays I only had legal writing so I was only at the school for 55 minutes, if I went for that.

This year I'm living about a 15-20 minute drive from the law school, which is still pretty close. In the fall I only have class on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday though, so I don't mind the slightly longer (but still pretty short) commute. This summer I lived about an hour from my job, which sucked and I would not recommend that.

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265489164158

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Re: Proximity to campus? [Living situation during school]

Post by 265489164158 » Fri Aug 17, 2018 7:58 pm

Twenty minutes would be no big deal if you did not have the dog. Needing to get home to let the dog out will get old fast, and you will spend 80 minutes per day commuting, at least. I would opt for closer, or, find a neighbor who can let the dog out a few times a week (or use a service). I commute 35-40 minutes each way and it is fine (starting 3L now). I enjoy the walk and train time, actually, and usually listen to podcasts or music.

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