Minnesota class of 2011 Forum

[Oklahoma Mike]

well, talked to the laptop program support people and found that you can't upgrade or specify things you want in the laptop- however the specs should actually be a big step up from those listed on the website.

[Oklahoma Mike]

Got the registration stuff and section info yesterday.
Section D

[bocifious]

PM me when you know your professors... I can give reviews.

[drleather]

So, to recap: who's living where?

My wife and I ended up renting a place in Uptown, so we're exited about that. 1/2 block away from the express bus stop to campus!

[ntlord]

I looked at a bunch of placed in uptown (I liked that area the best). Eventually I just decided on the Grand Marc. I know it is expensive.. but everything is included and you can't get any closer. I figure I will stay there for the first year then reevaluate next year once I know Minneapolis better.

[Oklahoma Mike]

I decided basically the same thing. The risk of me missing the bus far too often is just too high.

I looked at Grand Marc, but I wasn't too excited about living with room mates I don't know. I ended up another block from campus in the Studios at Seven Corners. They're still a little expensive but cheaper than Grand Marc. I think there's a good chance I'll move after 1L, I'm just not sure where.

[drleather]

Yea, if I was single and didn't have furniture and stuff, I would have picked one of the furnished places closer to campus. We looked around there, but didn't find anything within our price range.

Has everyone seen their Fin Aid award letters yet? You have to go onto your OneStop page (after you've logged in) and check the "Financial Aid" section. From there you can view your award and choose to accept/decline.

Have fun with that, I know I am.

[seancs14]

I'm living clear out in Eden Prairie. My wife's job will be out there and it will be good for me to completely leave school behind at the end of the day.

I haven't received the financial aid letter, but can see scholarships, loans etc... on the one-stop site.

[drleather]

I am in Section B.

RE: Financial Aid:

You won't get a letter, from what I understand. You have to log into your account and view it manually through the portal. Go to One Stop, then click "Financial Aid Status." From there it tells you what step you're on (probably Step 4). Then you click on "Step 4" and it takes you through a series of windows to accept or decline your awards.

[ntlord]

I'm in section C. I just did the financial aid stuff.. you basically decline or accept which awards you want.

[bocifious]

F@^#ING TUITION HIKES

[drleather]

Yea, the $36K tuition kind of shocked me. I was expecting it to be closer to $34K.

[Amira]

I'm in Section B. Does anyone know how to see days and times for classes? My packet was delivered to my old address on Saturday even though I changed my mailing address in One Stop over a week ago.

[bocifious]

Here (LinkRemoved) is the schedule, I don't know if you have to sign into the system to see it

[est1980]

So, to recap: who's living where?

My wife and I ended up renting a place in Uptown, so we're exited about that. 1/2 block away from the express bus stop to campus!

another uptowner

[seancs14]

I am in Section B.

RE: Financial Aid:

You won't get a letter, from what I understand. You have to log into your account and view it manually through the portal. Go to One Stop, then click "Financial Aid Status." From there it tells you what step you're on (probably Step 4). Then you click on "Step 4" and it takes you through a series of windows to accept or decline your awards.

I talked to Admissions yesterday and they said we should all be getting an email soon that tells us to go in and look at our financial aid stuff. Not that it matters since it seems like everyone can already see it, but maybe the email will have more details on disbursement dates and such.

[Badger_Fan_At_Heart]

Long-time casual observer, but first time post......I will be a 1L this fall. Just wanted to say hello to everyone. I will be completing a joint degree between the Law School and the Department of Plant Biology. I have already completed my first year in plant biology, so if anyone has questions about UMN, don't hesitate to ask.

On a separate note, it looks like I will be living near Downtown.....I am in section E.

[Oklahoma Mike]

Welcome to TLS, glad to have other Golden Gophers around here (even if they're actually Badgers fans)

[bocifious]

I am in Section B.

RE: Financial Aid:

You won't get a letter, from what I understand. You have to log into your account and view it manually through the portal. Go to One Stop, then click "Financial Aid Status." From there it tells you what step you're on (probably Step 4). Then you click on "Step 4" and it takes you through a series of windows to accept or decline your awards.

I talked to Admissions yesterday and they said we should all be getting an email soon that tells us to go in and look at our financial aid stuff. Not that it matters since it seems like everyone can already see it, but maybe the email will have more details on disbursement dates and such.

I can't remember when my exact disbursement date was, but it was very close to the start of orientation. I don't think they ever tell you when it will be exactly, but maybe you can find the information on the website somewhere.

[bocifious]

I decided that I should post my response to a question drleather sent me about textbooks, as it might help others with the same questions.

The bookstore should give you the book list pretty soon, it will come straight from the bookstore I think, with the option to have them reserve books for you. My advice: do not reserve books. I got all new books first semester, it was NOT worth it. Second semester, I looked for books online on amazon.com and other places. I found NEW books (my property book was still shrinkwrapped) for about 25%(!!) of the cost of the book if you were to get it from the bookstore or from amazon directly. I also found used copies online for super cheap. If you can put up with books that are already highlighted, GET USED COPIES. I saved hundreds of dollars second semester. Literally, my total cost for books second semester was under $100. At first I didn't like that my book was highlighted but it was very easy to get used to. I will never buy books from the bookstore again. Remember that for Civ Pro and Con Law (if they do it like last year, not sure yet) you will have the same teacher Spring semester, and they will use the same book. If you can find a decent used or new copy for cheap ($50), then that will save you a ton of money in the long run.

Also, DO NOT BUY A BLACK'S LAW DICTIONARY. Yes they are cool looking, and go well on your bookshelf, but unless you can justify spending $100 (or however much) to have a huge, scholarly looking law dictionary on your bookshelf it is not worth it. I did not use it ONCE. There are law dictionaries on both westlaw and lexis. There is also the internet. Black's is a ripoff.

Furthermore, the law library has numerous copies of all the E&E's and the hornbooks. Some of them will have the new editions in the stacks. Most will have the second newest edition in the stacks, and the newest edition on reserve. These were never missing when I wanted to use them. The reserve copies can only be checked out for 2 hours at a time, so they will always be there if you want to use them on the weekend or in between class to study. I bought my own copies of all the E&Es and the hornbooks for first year. This is not recommended since you can use them at the library very easily (or, for that matter, you can borrow them from me if you want).

Hope this helps. Seriously, I will answer any question you might have about school. Do not hesitate to pm me. I try and check every couple of days.

[Oklahoma Mike]

Very good advice on books, I really appreciate it. I figured that hunting down used books or even buying new from Amazon would be a pain (and might potentially not find them in time) but it sounds like that's not really a problem.

[bocifious]

I found 30-40 of each book on the amazon.com marketplace, and it was pretty simple to place an order with the third party and then get it shipped within the next few days. I had about a week to get my books during winter break and got them all well before I needed them. You should get your book list early enough. Actually, I just did a search and saw your books. Here's a hint:

go here, Search by Dept for LAW, and click on get books. I don't know if you guys know your lecture # yet, but you can figure it out using enrollment summary under onestop. If you can't do that, then you will have to wait until you get your list from the bookstore (or you can try giving them an e-mail if you really want to know). But, if you have Marshall or Weissbrodt for Torts, you will be using the book they wrote (Common law Process of Torts - probably won't be online, try a second year to see if they have a copy). If you have Carpenter for Con Law, you will be using Sullivan. I think all the Contracts teachers use the Knapp book.

[drleather]

ahem...

Go to ND. It is hard enough for the first quartile (well, more like 15%-25% range) at UMN to get good jobs (firms larger than 20) in Minneapolis, let alone in other states. Plus, they are overhauling career services during what will probably be one of the worst hiring seasons for 2Ls and it is a total clusterfuck right now. Stay away.

[bocifious]

Sorry, I forgot to qualify that I was solely speaking about OCI. Lots of people (40% - the biggest percentage) get jobs through networking, while only about 25% get a job through oci. Hopefully for you guys the new career services will be put into place before you need it, i was just a little pissy about it because the current directors (who know they are being fired) aren't even trying.

[bocifious]

Hey guys,

So, I just got the last of my OCI interviews scheduled. If you would like to know what the oci and interview prospects are like, give me a pm. I can talk specifically about trying to return to California for jobs if you are from there, and I can talk about trying to get a job in Minneapolis if you have no connection other than going to the law school. I would post more information here (and I still might), but just pm me for now. I will say it was a LOT easier for me to get interviews at great California firms than it was for me to get interviews at mediocre Minneapolis firms, and my GPA puts me in the top 15-20%.