The George Washington Law School 2010 Forum

[FromRussiaWithLove]

How did the housing search go? Are you looking to live near the school?

The housing search was not as fruitful as I had hoped. I dedicated an entire day to searching northern VA thinking it would be cheaper. Since I wanted to ditch the car, one of my biggest needs was proximity to a metro station. Turns out apartments near metro stations in VA are nearly as expensive as living in the city.

Columbia Plaza was by far the cheapest option in Foggy Bottom. Some people at the school advised against it but didn't really give me reasons why. They just said they wouldn't live there.

I didn't get a chance to see a room at the Aston because they are all occupied, but I was told the rooms are nice and do not have the feel of a college dorm. It is a good walk to the school. The Foggy Bottom metro stop, about 5 blocks away, is closer to the school than the Aston.

Many new high rises in DC were having move in specials that brought the rent down. 1 bedrooms averaged around 2100 a month, but with a three month free move in special stretched out over the year, you could lock in a lease for 1575 a month. This is actually really low compared to everything else there and the units are very nice. Most of them were built as condos and when the market tanked they were converted into luxury apartments. We're talking stained concrete, granite countertops, stainless steel appliances. All brand new.

Do you know what the waitlist situation is for the Aston? I'd rather not have to deal with finding housing, but I'm not quite ready to send in my seat deposit yet. I've still got one slightly realistic application in play, but odds are GW will be my choice.

I do not have any details regarding the Aston waitlist.

[sky7]

Try Crystal City - it's where I live. 1br/1ba, 850 sq ft for about 1500.

[Amelie]

Columbia Plaza was by far the cheapest option in Foggy Bottom. Some people at the school advised against it but didn't really give me reasons why. They just said they wouldn't live there.

I didn't get a chance to see a room at the Aston because they are all occupied, but I was told the rooms are nice and do not have the feel of a college dorm. It is a good walk to the school. The Foggy Bottom metro stop, about 5 blocks away, is closer to the school than the Aston.

Columbian Plaza really isn't bad... it's pretty spacious and super convenient. I know one of the buildings had a problem with mice last year (which may be what people are referring to), but I was under the impression that it had been taken care of - I have a friend who lives there now with no problems.

As for other buildings, it would be worth your time to check out 2400 M Street. And I know people who have places near the metro in Pentagon City and also Ballston for cheaper than average DC prices.

[democrattotheend]

In today with a very generous scholarship offer, and free housing for the first year, to "make my transition to DC easier" (find this funny because I have lived in the DC area for 6 years, but wouldn't say no to free housing!)

I have gotten into higher ranked schools, but with GW's scholarship offer, I could probably cover most of the remaining tuition and living expenses with my savings and not graduate with a lot of debt. And the chance to stay in DC is not insignificant for me.

Am I crazy to consider this? I know some of the rank whores on TLS will probably say yes, but it's a really tempting offer.

GW over NYU? Are you serious!?!?!?

I'd pay sticker for NYU. Please don't be foolish and not take NYU.

edit: didn't see Columbia. Jesus must be nice to be you. Columbia > NYU IMHO.

Unless money is that huge of an issue for you. I would take Columbia and NYU over GWU in a heartbeat if I were you. Better schools, better options, slightly smaller class size for Columbia. #4 > #28 Just my opinion though.
Best of luck! I wish I had your dilemma...

Money is a bit of an issue for me, because I want to do public interest but don't have the cheapest possible lifestyle. I don't think I am extravagant, but I have been working for a few years and going back to living on a student budget is going to be tough, especially if I move to NYC. And I am fairly debt-averse in general, and worried about paying off a huge student loan debt on a low PI salary, even with LRAP (which I feel like it would be foolish to count on, since schools will probably cut back on LRAP in the next few years). If I wanted biglaw, I know that taking the scholarship at GW over sticker at NYU or Columbia would be penny-rich, pound-foolish. But for PI I am not convinced that's true. Plus, I have heard that it's not a bad strategy to take a regional school with $ over a T14 if you already know where you want to practice, which I do.

I am certainly not married to taking GW's offer, but I haven't ruled it out for all of the reasons above. My instinct right now is go to Columbia, NYU or UVA, even at sticker, but I want to make sure that it's for valid reasons and not because I'm becoming a prestige whore. Does that make sense?

[gmichaelbluth]

In today with a very generous scholarship offer, and free housing for the first year, to "make my transition to DC easier" (find this funny because I have lived in the DC area for 6 years, but wouldn't say no to free housing!)

I have gotten into higher ranked schools, but with GW's scholarship offer, I could probably cover most of the remaining tuition and living expenses with my savings and not graduate with a lot of debt. And the chance to stay in DC is not insignificant for me.

Am I crazy to consider this? I know some of the rank whores on TLS will probably say yes, but it's a really tempting offer.

GW over NYU? Are you serious!?!?!?

I'd pay sticker for NYU. Please don't be foolish and not take NYU.

edit: didn't see Columbia. Jesus must be nice to be you. Columbia > NYU IMHO.

Unless money is that huge of an issue for you. I would take Columbia and NYU over GWU in a heartbeat if I were you. Better schools, better options, slightly smaller class size for Columbia. #4 > #28 Just my opinion though.
Best of luck! I wish I had your dilemma...

Money is a bit of an issue for me, because I want to do public interest but don't have the cheapest possible lifestyle. I don't think I am extravagant, but I have been working for a few years and going back to living on a student budget is going to be tough, especially if I move to NYC. And I am fairly debt-averse in general, and worried about paying off a huge student loan debt on a low PI salary, even with LRAP (which I feel like it would be foolish to count on, since schools will probably cut back on LRAP in the next few years). If I wanted biglaw, I know that taking the scholarship at GW over sticker at NYU or Columbia would be penny-rich, pound-foolish. But for PI I am not convinced that's true. Plus, I have heard that it's not a bad strategy to take a regional school with $ over a T14 if you already know where you want to practice, which I do.

I am certainly not married to taking GW's offer, but I haven't ruled it out for all of the reasons above. My instinct right now is go to Columbia, NYU or UVA, even at sticker, but I want to make sure that it's for valid reasons and not because I'm becoming a prestige whore. Does that make sense?

I don't see what's so crazy about taking the GW offer. You know you want to work in DC, and you're debt-averse. That would be a sensible decision, and I very well may end up making the same decision over Michigan, because I'd like to be in DC after law school and I'm also very debt-averse. It'd probably be best to visit everywhere you're considering and then go from there--it could turn out that you don't like GW in person, and that's very different from making a decision based solely on rankings.

[stayway]

IMHO, the COL is the cheapest at UVa (taking GW's free housing option out). I go to UVa undergrad and I pay $475 with one other roommate a month along with parking and such.

You sure you are going to stay faithful to PI and not shift over to the dark Biglaw side? I heard alot of people move to biglaw once they taste the cash.........

[cherryalamode]

Perhaps you can do Biglaw until you've paid off a large part of your debt and then do whatever it is you want to do. Isn't that possible?

[democrattotheend]

IMHO, the COL is the cheapest at UVa (taking GW's free housing option out). I go to UVa undergrad and I pay $475 with one other roommate a month along with parking and such.

You sure you are going to stay faithful to PI and not shift over to the dark Biglaw side? I heard alot of people move to biglaw once they taste the cash.........

I'm afraid of that happening to me, which is part of why I am debt-averse. I don't think I'm extravagant, but I am not good at living super-frugally, and I am worried that I could find it too hard to make ends meet and live the way I want to on a PI salary, especially with debt. But at the same time, I work at a PI job now, and I want to be able to come back and visit after law school and not be ashamed to tell people I work with what I'm doing with my degree. So hopefully that will keep me from going over to the dark side. That and the fact that working in Big Law sounds pretty miserable...

[stayway]

IMHO, the COL is the cheapest at UVa (taking GW's free housing option out). I go to UVa undergrad and I pay $475 with one other roommate a month along with parking and such.

You sure you are going to stay faithful to PI and not shift over to the dark Biglaw side? I heard alot of people move to biglaw once they taste the cash.........

I'm afraid of that happening to me, which is part of why I am debt-averse. I don't think I'm extravagant, but I am not good at living super-frugally, and I am worried that I could find it too hard to make ends meet and live the way I want to on a PI salary, especially with debt. But at the same time, I work at a PI job now, and I want to be able to come back and visit after law school and not be ashamed to tell people I work with what I'm doing with my degree. So hopefully that will keep me from going over to the dark side. That and the fact that working in Big Law sounds pretty miserable...

well, (you might know this already) my friend who is currently at UVa law teaches part time for testmasters and gets paid $35/hr (he has a 173 like you do) so maybe you could go to UVa, work and save up.

Also, I heard the cash makes biglaw job manageable.....heh.

[ccs224]

Perhaps you can do Biglaw until you've paid off a large part of your debt and then do whatever it is you want to do. Isn't that possible?

The man could also start a meth lab or enter the black market adoption market (I like how that sounds) until he's paid off his loans as well.

The work most entering lawyers do for "Biglaw" looks ridiculous and miserable by most standards, and it would most likely seem even more so if your life goal is not the accumulation of material wealth. Just the idea of it gives me the skeeves, but I'm biased.

[ccs224]

I am worried that I could find it too hard to make ends meet and live the way I want to on a PI salary...

I guess that would depend on what you define as frugal. Most law-related PI jobs pay a good bit better than regular ones (not twice as much, but usually a decent fraction more). If you are living alright off of your current salary, then you should be alright in the future, unless your vision of the future entails a lot more fancy things. I know several folks who do PI, law-related work and they live pretty comfortable, middle class lives. They aren't rich, and they aren't buying townhouses or brownstones, but they are perfectly fine. Either way, GW or not, you'll also have a good LRAP most places that really will help lessen the load.

[lstwin]

Someone has probably already asked this, but . . .

How long did it take for you guys to get the "application received" email and/or status checker email?

Thanks!

[nyskidude]

Don't go to UVa.... You might as well just withdraw now....

*Waiting for UVa to accept him off the waitlist*

[cherryalamode]

Perhaps you can do Biglaw until you've paid off a large part of your debt and then do whatever it is you want to do. Isn't that possible?

The man could also start a meth lab or enter the black market adoption market (I like how that sounds) until he's paid off his loans as well.

The work most entering lawyers do for "Biglaw" looks ridiculous and miserable by most standards, and it would most likely seem even more so if your life goal is not the accumulation of material wealth. Just the idea of it gives me the skeeves, but I'm biased.

Haha yea it's definitely not for everyone. But I'm just saying it would be an option to do BigLaw until debt is paid off (perhaps also house bought) and then you can go into PI or whatever.

And just like there are salaries between $160,000 and $50,000, there are also jobs that are in between. Not PI but not Biglaw. (at least I hope so lol)

[ccs224]

Perhaps you can do Biglaw until you've paid off a large part of your debt and then do whatever it is you want to do. Isn't that possible?

The man could also start a meth lab or enter the black market adoption market (I like how that sounds) until he's paid off his loans as well.

The work most entering lawyers do for "Biglaw" looks ridiculous and miserable by most standards, and it would most likely seem even more so if your life goal is not the accumulation of material wealth. Just the idea of it gives me the skeeves, but I'm biased.

Haha yea it's definitely not for everyone. But I'm just saying it would be an option to do BigLaw until debt is paid off (perhaps also house bought) and then you can go into PI or whatever.

And just like there are salaries between $160,000 and $50,000, there are also jobs that are in between. Not PI but not Biglaw. (at least I hope so lol)

That's true, though my advice (not based on any personal experience) would be that if you really want to do PI work, you should bite the bullet and do PI work. If you are making $160k a year, it's hard not to live like you're making a ridiculous amount of money and it is even harder to return to a modest wage afterwards. They call it the gilded cage for a reason.

If you go after LRAP or IBR, your debt shouldn't be too onerous and you should be able to pursue the career that you want.

[minuit]

Someone has probably already asked this, but . . .

How long did it take for you guys to get the "application received" email and/or status checker email?

Thanks!

Hey! I applied January 3rd, and I got the application complete email on January 20th. I didn't receive an application received email (I actually called them paranoid to make sure they received it!). There's also no status checker, so after the complete email you will hear nothing until you get a letter in the mail.

[lstwin]

Hey! I applied January 3rd, and I got the application complete email on January 20th. I didn't receive an application received email (I actually called them paranoid to make sure they received it!). There's also no status checker, so after the complete email you will hear nothing until you get a letter in the mail.

Thanks!

[ctaylor21]

Anyone going to the Admitted Student Event in LA on March 3rd?

[FromRussiaWithLove]

As for other buildings, it would be worth your time to check out 2400 M Street. And I know people who have places near the metro in Pentagon City and also Ballston for cheaper than average DC prices.

I don't know what kind of money you are making, but I just checked out the rental rates for 2400 M street. 2600 a month for their cheapest 1 bedroom, 1810 a month for the cheapest studio.

Also, I looked at 5 or 6 places in Ballston and Crystal City, and they were all at least 1600-1700 a month for a 1 bedroom.

I guess I was naive, but I was hoping to find apartments under 1000 a month in VA without having to bring my car or take a 45 minute bus+metro trip one way.

[ryguy]

As for other buildings, it would be worth your time to check out 2400 M Street. And I know people who have places near the metro in Pentagon City and also Ballston for cheaper than average DC prices.

I don't know what kind of money you are making, but I just checked out the rental rates for 2400 M street. 2600 a month for their cheapest 1 bedroom, 1810 a month for the cheapest studio.

Also, I looked at 5 or 6 places in Ballston and Crystal City, and they were all at least 1600-1700 a month for a 1 bedroom.

I guess I was naive, but I was hoping to find apartments under 1000 a month in VA without having to bring my car or take a 45 minute bus+metro trip one way.

How are you all going to pay for your housing??

[jelizabeth88]

I'm going to go to school in Austin instead.

[memaha]

I'm going to go to school in Austin instead.

I wish I could be saying that... too bad UT won't even tell me one way or the other. Good luck if that is what you choose!

[dontstopbelivin]

As for other buildings, it would be worth your time to check out 2400 M Street. And I know people who have places near the metro in Pentagon City and also Ballston for cheaper than average DC prices.

I don't know what kind of money you are making, but I just checked out the rental rates for 2400 M street. 2600 a month for their cheapest 1 bedroom, 1810 a month for the cheapest studio.

Also, I looked at 5 or 6 places in Ballston and Crystal City, and they were all at least 1600-1700 a month for a 1 bedroom.

I guess I was naive, but I was hoping to find apartments under 1000 a month in VA without having to bring my car or take a 45 minute bus+metro trip one way.

How are you all going to pay for your housing??

Get a roommate. Seriously, as someone who's lived in the city for 6+ years, you'll have to so you can afford decent DC (or NOVA) housing. Another option might be a house in Shaw or Columbia Heights or Eastern Market. I have several friends living in all these neighborhoods in group homes, spending about $1000/month each. More like a 20-30 minute commute to campus, but you won't need a car and it sounds like a better option in your price range.

EDIT for clarity (not so hot with my typing skills today)

[guacolly]

Rejected today

[vanstone22]

waitlisted via snail mail. somehow every other school 20-30 accepted but i was not impressing the gw admissions committee