diegoforlan10 wrote:Ludovico Technique wrote:jpickman wrote:I have yet to send in my seat deposit but will almost assuredly be attending UIUC this fall. I am currently looking into housing options and was wondering if any current students could throw some advice my way about navigating Champagne. Are there certain locations that are within walking distance to the law school? What is reasonable for rent for a one bedroom (I'm coming from Ann Arbor where rent is ridiculously high; might as well be living in Chicago for what I'm paying right now)? Is it necessary to have a car in Champagne? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Stay away from Green Street. I could not imagine living on campus as a law student and I don't know anyone who does. See the discussion above about puke filled elevators. Other than that, it just comes down to personal preference. I live near downtown Champaign. It's a 5 minute car ride, 15-20 minutes bus ride and a 30-40 minute walk from the law school. A lot of people live in a place called the Village which is further away but has a shuttle that goes directly to the law school. Probably the closest place that you could live within walking distance is near Hessel Park.
You can get a reasonable one bedroom anywhere from 400-900 depending on what you're looking for. Rent in Champaign is really cheap. Check out the Illinois tenant union, you can find out what companies are good to rent from.
I wouldn't live in Champaign without a car. Admittedly, I'm biased coming from LA, but I think it would be awful. It's definitely doable, I have friends who don't have cars. But I would say it's not ideal.
Could you tell us a little bit about how it is living in Champaign and attending UIUC? I imagine it's much, much different from LA. You said the drive is only 5 minutes - how is the parking? Do you have to walk far or take a bus after you park? Is parking expensive? Also, where do the majority of law students seem to live?
After spending 5 years living practically on campus at Maryland I can confidently say I am sick of the party environment. I want to be able to live in peace without getting disturbed by drunk undergrads. I've already learned that Green Street needs to be avoided. Is Champaign the place for someone who's looking to live in peace, but also be relatively close to the school/bars/downtown area (if there is one)?
Living in Champaign isn't bad. It's a small town but since it's a college town it's bearable. There are some really great restaurants and cool bars. There's a tiny mall and there are stores like Target and Best Buy. (Having a Best Buy doesn't sound like much, but compared to some of the small towns in Central Illinois that's a big deal). There are touring bands that come through, there are shows like Cirque Du Soleil. There are BigTen sporting events. There are two incredible movie theaters in downtown Champaign, the Art and the Virginia (where they have Ebertfest every year). So there's enough stuff to do that you don't go totally crazy. And if you are really feeling the lack of culture, Chicago is just a couple hours away. Attending Illinois is great. I really loved my first year of law school. The professors are (for the most part) amazing. The culture is pretty welcoming, not cut throat or ultra competitive. It's easy to make friends.
Parking at the law school is kind of weird. There's plenty of parking right next to the law school, but it's meters. There is apparently a free lot somewhere that you can park and walk from but as far as I know it's kind of far. (Some people park in the Assembly Hall parking lot which is pretty close, but I don't think you're really supposed to.) I just park in the meters every day. You can pay over the phone and it's like a dollar per hour. If you're the type of person that wants to spend all day at the law school then this probably isn't advisable, but if you just go to class and then leave I think the meters are way more convenient and worth the cost.
I would say the majority of law students probably live in the Village. That seems to be the most common apartment name I hear people mention. You couldn't pay me to live there but most people seem to like it I think. The further you go out into the corn the nicer your place will probably be. They build all the luxury condo type places out on the edges of town. This makes them too far for me to want to live but I know there are law students who live in these types of places and love it.
Personally, I think anywhere in Champaign between Prospect and Neil is the best place to live. Quiet neighborhoods, near some nice parks, near the Champaign library which is amazing and a way way better place to study than the law school library, near downtown Champaign which has some great (mostly undergrad free) bars and restaurants. Some people live in Urbana as well but from the apartments I looked at in that area they seemed to be a little older and more run down than the places in Champaign. They have a nice downtown too but not as good as Champaign's.
Hope this helps, let me know if you have any more questions!
e:fb by 6 minutes. damn you blurbz
