Pittsburgh 2011 Forum

[BarbellDreams]

Current students- can you shed some insight to the oci processs? job search? thanks!

I would say about 75% 1L's have jobs right now. As long as you apply early most judges are willing to take Pitt students, PD+DA office take 20+ students each summer along with a decent amount of firms. Paid work is tough to find as a 1L but as long as you're looking for unpaid stuff you should land something.

[hscohen]

Sorry if this question has already been asked, but I am currently in a housing search in preparation for my move to Shadyside to attend Pitt. Can anyone please recommend some good Shadyside apartment / townhouse companies to investigate? I am looking for a large (non-suite), quiet single-bedroom unit.

[Heller3]

Is anyone here planning on attending the Open House on April 1st?

[BarbellDreams]

Sorry if this question has already been asked, but I am currently in a housing search in preparation for my move to Shadyside to attend Pitt. Can anyone please recommend some good Shadyside apartment / townhouse companies to investigate? I am looking for a large (non-suite), quiet single-bedroom unit.

Stay as far away from Lobos management as possible and also Mozart isn't liked very much by everyone I know. Forbes Management and Walnut Capital are two of the best management companies in Pittsburgh. If you have the money, Franklin West Realty is also a really good one, but their apartments are a bit pricier than most companies in this area.

[hscohen]

Thanks!

[OGR3]

Sorry if this question has already been asked, but I am currently in a housing search in preparation for my move to Shadyside to attend Pitt. Can anyone please recommend some good Shadyside apartment / townhouse companies to investigate? I am looking for a large (non-suite), quiet single-bedroom unit.

Stay as far away from Lobos management as possible and also Mozart isn't liked very much by everyone I know. Forbes Management and Walnut Capital are two of the best management companies in Pittsburgh. If you have the money, Franklin West Realty is also a really good one, but their apartments are a bit pricier than most companies in this area.

I'd definitely encourage you to visit apartments before signing the lease, I know a couple people from out of town who signed leases based on pictures from the management company websites and the pictures were significantly better than the reality. I know this isn't anything new, but it was more egregious here than where I went to undergrad.

[HOPEFORCHANGE]

I don't go to Pitt Law yet (and I can only hope that I will be that lucky), nor did I go to Pitt undergrad, but I have lived in Pittsburgh for a long time. I don't know how much the community involved in most people from Pitt living in Oakland, Squirrel Hill, and Shadyside adds to the Pitt experience; but I do know those places are extremely expensive. They are because they are so easy to rent out. Given that Pitt students get free PAT transportation (if that is still the case) and it isn't as though ten more minutes on the bus can't be utilized studying, I'd suggest that anyone who isn't from here consider other options before immediately assuming it's best to rent in one of those neighborhoods. You're not much farther from school and inconvenienced at least time and safety-wise if you live in Dormont or Overbrook, for example.

With that said, can current Pitt Law students please comment about how much they think it matters as far as feeling to be part of the Pitt Law community to live in Oakland, Squirrel Hill, and Shadyside? Thanks.

[hscohen]

Can current Pitt Law students please comment about how much they think it matters as far as feeling to be part of the Pitt Law community to live in Oakland, Squirrel Hill, and Shadyside? Thanks.

Not a current student, but a 2L told me that "around 90%" of the law students live in Shadyside. Depending on where in Shadyside you live it is a ~7 minute ride from campus, which makes the bus passes a great law school perk. Oakland is seen as more for undergrads and may be a bit louder, but it is much closer to campus. Squirrel Hill is pricier & further away than Shadyside with bigger houses and is seen as more of a "family" neighborhood, so depending on your current life stage (aka if you have a family) this may be a fair choice as well.

[HOPEFORCHANGE]

But my question is, sort of like commuting in undergrad, are you missing anything experience-wise to not live in those places given that you're paying a lot more to live around ten minutes closer to campus? I just thought that perhaps the law school class size is small enough that it doesn't make a difference if you live there or your friends drive out to see you sometimes or you stay there after class and go home later.

[rs2004]

pitt made above the law.
--LinkRemoved--

[OGR3]

But my question is, sort of like commuting in undergrad, are you missing anything experience-wise to not live in those places given that you're paying a lot more to live around ten minutes closer to campus? I just thought that perhaps the law school class size is small enough that it doesn't make a difference if you live there or your friends drive out to see you sometimes or you stay there after class and go home later.

No, you're not giving anything up. I live 45 minutes away by bus, but I'm still able to hang out with my friends on a regular basis. I don't really go out to Bar Review, but it's more because that's not my scene. At the beginning of the year, I had a bunch of people come over for a barbecue before a Pirates game, and no one had any trouble driving or riding the bus out.

[HOPEFORCHANGE]

Thanks, OGR3. I hope I do have to make the choice, but we will see. I doubt, if admitted, I would pay for Shadyside. In any case, for people new to Pittsburgh, it might be worth it to pay for it until you get to know Pittsburgh. But since we know people aren't missing out on friendships or study groups, I am just letting people know that those areas are quite overpriced because of supply and demand and because they're considered to be wealthier parts of the city.

[HeavenWood]

I am just letting people know that those areas are quite overpriced because of supply and demand and because they're considered to be wealthier parts of the city.

I agree that Oakland (especially south Oakland) is a bit overpriced, but in Shadyside and Squirrel Hill, I feel you get what you pay for. Both are nice neighborhoods with lots of great shops, restaurants, and bars (Shadyside especially). Can you get an equivalent apartment for half the rent in the suburbs? Of course, but you'll have to sacrifice a fair amount of convenience and amenities to get it. Other than Regent Square and the northern limits of Mt. Lebanon (and neither of those places would provide much of a cost savings), Pittsburgh's suburbs can be quite dull if you're a young twenty-something.

[HOPEFORCHANGE]

Well, Dormont is ok and cheaper than Mt. Lebanon. Mount Washington is cheaper but you sacrifice safety, same with the Southside. It all depends if you want to pay for a very safe area and to have nice amenities or you if want to roll the dice and live in a pretty safe area and not have as many amenities or have something in between. To me, I know I could get a duplex in a reasonably safe area for hundreds less per month than in Shadyside. I would rather have that room and money, but I have two cats who are used to going in the yard. I would probably pay for a one bedroom in. Shadyside if that were not the case. And yes, I know I sound like a dork because I'm thinking of my cats.

[HeavenWood]

Well, Dormont is ok and cheaper than Mt. Lebanon. Mount Washington is cheaper but you sacrifice safety, same with the Southside. It all depends if you want to pay for a very safe area and to have nice amenities or you want to roll the dice and live in a pretty safe area and not have as many amenities or anything in between. To me, I know I could get a duplex in a reasonably safe area for hundreds less per month than in Shadyside. I would rather have that room and money, but I have two cats who are used to going in the yard. I would probably pay for a one bedroom in. Shadyside if that were not the case. And yes, I know I sound like a dork because I'm thinking of my cats.

Mount Washington makes for a pretty awful commute. You could probably get into Oakland from the East Hills in less time. I agree though, it's all about choices.

[HOPEFORCHANGE]

Just an update, someone just posted on LSN that they were dinged. URM, 150/3.2. So, they are releasing decisions at the moment although it is pretty sporadic still.

[northwood]

or they just updated their profile...

[HOPEFORCHANGE]

They put the decision date as 3/21

[gin]

look at her profile. she's been updating all her decisions regularly which means her ding was probably today

[HOPEFORCHANGE]

For those of that are still waiting, she put that she sent it on 1/25. So that means they are working on the UR 2/17s in addition to the ones that went UR in January.

[kk19131]

I'll be flying to Pittsburgh next week for ASD.

[BarbellDreams]

Can current Pitt Law students please comment about how much they think it matters as far as feeling to be part of the Pitt Law community to live in Oakland, Squirrel Hill, and Shadyside? Thanks.

Not a current student, but a 2L told me that "around 90%" of the law students live in Shadyside. Depending on where in Shadyside you live it is a ~7 minute ride from campus, which makes the bus passes a great law school perk. Oakland is seen as more for undergrads and may be a bit louder, but it is much closer to campus. Squirrel Hill is pricier & further away than Shadyside with bigger houses and is seen as more of a "family" neighborhood, so depending on your current life stage (aka if you have a family) this may be a fair choice as well.

This isn't entirely true. I would say its 60% Sahdyside, 30% Squirell Hill and 10% everywhere else. Also, Shadyside is definitely pricier than Squirrel Hill, not the other way around. It is also equal distance from campus. Both are about 7 mins on bus. Squirrel Hill has more buses running to campus than Shadyside, but there are rumors that some of those routes may be cut soon so who knows. I live in Squirrel Hill and recomend it over Shadyside unless you really like to go out to the bars a lot cause Shadyside has a better nightlife.

[HOPEFORCHANGE]

Sorry to constantly be responding today, but Pittsburgh as a city is one thing I know for sure. If there are rumors that they are cutting buses, they will nine times out of ten. Our public transportation system is still alive, but it needs something to give sooner or later because the service has been getting worse and more costly for years. Again though, Pitt students are free and any city has to have some public transportation, so don't worry. Also, although they may cut Squirrel Hill bus routes, it's one place in the city/county that has very frequent bus service, so I am sure it would never be terrible. To play it safe, it is always good to live within a reasonable distance of a busway or a trolley stop, but Shadyside and Squirrel Hill, etc. really are the exceptions to this rule.

[hscohen]

How long of a commute is Shadyside --> the law school by bus?

[OGR3]

How long of a commute is Shadyside --> the law school by bus?

~ 10 minutes