Minnesota class of 2011 Forum

[Amira]

I am going to be moving in at the beginning of August. I hate the boxes and packing part of moving (who doesn't), so I'm giving myself plenty of time. Also, my S.O. will hopefully have time to find a job before I start freaking out with law school stuff.

I'm definitely interested in dinner/beer before school starts, count me in.

By the way, the Walk Score for the law school's neighborhood is 82 out of 100. I'm a little skeptical of what they count as a library or a grocery store, but it's still fun to play with.

[Sammyler]

Well, I've come to visit here this weekend and have accomplished as much as I've drank. Which is a lot.

The law school is a 9 iron away from like six bars. I've checked them all out and Sgt. Prestons is probably my favorite, following by the Town Hall Brewery in close second (expensive).

I found an apartment about a mile from the law school. LARGE studio for 575 a month (includes heat and water). Originally went to look at dinky town and I got too much of an undergrad LET'S PARTY!!! vibe, which of course I like, but should probably try and put behind me.

Whoever planned this city is retarded, streets have multiple personality disorder and change from Washington to Cedar to 4th without notice. There is also 4th ave s., which is not to be confused with 4th st. etc.... It is a headache coming from a place like Chicago where everything is set up so logically.

Someone familiar with the area: set up a time and place during orientation week for us to get together because I'm definitely in.

Looking forward to the year. Have a good summer everyone.

[Oklahoma Mike]

I am going to be moving in at the beginning of August. I hate the boxes and packing part of moving (who doesn't), so I'm giving myself plenty of time. Also, my S.O. will hopefully have time to find a job before I start freaking out with law school stuff.

I'm definitely interested in dinner/beer before school starts, count me in.

By the way, the Walk Score for the law school's neighborhood is 82 out of 100. I'm a little skeptical of what they count as a library or a grocery store, but it's still fun to play with.

The area does seem quite walkable- I plan to rarely use my car. Of the things listed as grocery stores the only one that seems more than a little corner market or convenience store is the Seward Co-op just under a mile from school. It actually looks kind of nice, though I'm guessing it's a bit pricey.

[est1980]

does anyone know what kind of laptop the U gives us/we buy??? i assume it is a windows machine, dell or ibm...

[Sammyler]

They said it depends on who ends up giving them the best deal. Last year it was a dell. To be honest, im kind of upset. I just bought a macbook pro a couple months ago and now I have to get a dell.

[est1980]

yeah i got a macbook in january and a pretty big fan...

[ozzie]

This year's (compulsory) laptop is going to be a Lenovo ThinkPad T 61s. I don't know much about them, but the specifications were given as:

* 2.0GHz Intel Core2 Duo processor T7250
* 2.0GB of RAM (1 DIMM)
* 80GB hard drive (5400RPM)
* 24x DVD/CDRW
* 802.11a/b/g/n internal wireless card
* 14.1" WXGA+ monitor (1440 x 900)
* 12.2" x 10" x 1" weighing approximately 6 pounds
* Windows Vista Business (with Service Pack 1)
* 3-year warranty
* 3-year accidental damage protection

Hope that helps.

[Sammyler]

August 23rd 8:00 p.m. at Town Hall Brewery?

I'll be the one with the red rose drinking pinot.

[thathuy]

August 23rd 8:00 p.m. at Town Hall Brewery?

I'll be the one with the red rose drinking pinot.

I'm in. I'll be the one in a giant bunny costume drinking Wild Turkey from a baby bottle.

[Oklahoma Mike]

fantastic, I'm in as well. I'll be the guy that looks like one of the myth busters

[drleather]

Alright, alright...I'll be there too.

I'm Grimace. I won't dress like him, you understand, I AM Grimace. Ronald is downsizing and I can read the writing on the wall, so I'm going off to law school. Milkshakes on me.

[worldtraveler]

The closest major grocery store to the law school is the Lund's at the corner of 4th St and Hennepin Ave. You can get there easily by bus or bike. Also on that same corner is the Aveda Institute, where you can get really cheap haircuts and massages. It's wonderful and highly addictive.

You can also take a bus to a Target, a Rainbow, and a Cub about 4 miles from campus. I believe it's also close to a lightrail station, maybe the Hiawatha station? It's the target commonly referred to as the "Targetto". There is also the "Targaet" downtown with a cart escalator, and the plain old "Target" which is in an area called the Quarry and is also fairly close to campus but you'll need a car to get to it.

[blueforest]

I am sure there are quite a few people here attending the U for undergrad, but I did not see very comprehensive summary of the housing options for prospective Mondalers on the board i.e. drleather. Here I would like to give my 2 cents about the housing options for the law school. By the way, I am a Chinese student attending the U grad school since 2002 and I will be with you guys this fall at the Mondale Hall.

A few places Mike mentioned around the Law School (Seven Corners, for example) are definitely great options for 1L. But these are usually quite costly even for a compact room. Other than the law school area, west bank has many more housing options, mainly in the riverside area such as a few apts on the back of Carlson School, but you need to walk for a little longer time to get to law school. In my opinion, more than 20mins of walking distance is not recommended, for two reasons, #1, 20mins of walk during Minnesota winter is pretty challenging, #2, west bank is not a super safe community and walking back from library at midnight is not recommended.

Uptown might be a good option, but I know nothing about the area.

Eastbank/Stadium Village. A lot of undergrads. There are a couple of pretty fancy apt complexes in the area (Melrose, for example), both furnished and unfurnished, but they are very pricy. There are cheaper options, but I personally do not like the condition of those houses/apts. In addition, street parking is always a problem, but if you pay for the lots or garages, you will be fine.

Dinkytown. There are very many housing options in this area, with prices in virtually all range. The local restaurants and shops are pretty good. You can get to the law school by bike when it is not too cold (5-6 months a year). During the winter, you have to rely on buses, so to live along bus #2 seems to be necessary. #2 has a stop just beside the law school. If your house is close to Washington Ave Bridge Circulator line, you will have one more option in the morning to get to law school, since #2 can get quite crowded during the winter.

I, myself, live in St Paul along both bus #3 and campus connector line (It will take me 30mins to get to law school including the walk to bus stop). I highly recommend those who are considering bus commuting look into the #3 line. CTC (--LinkRemoved--) is a student housing provided by U of M on both #3 and campus connector line. You need to apply early and likely you will end up in the waitlist. The waiting time depends on which kind of apt you want i.e. 1BR or 2BR and how hot it is. But there are many more options down como ave which are all along bus #3. You can check with http://www.metrotransit.com to see how long it will take from the house you are interested in to law school. Craigslist is a great place to look for these houses.

I just mention these I am familiar with, which is definitely not the complete list. Please PM me if you have any specific questions or need any help when you move in. I have a car and I might be able to drive you around if needed.

Hope all these help a bit.
Steve

[Oklahoma Mike]

Thanks Steve,
That is a big help.

I'm paying more than is probably reasonable for the twin cities in order to be really close to school- but I'll be looking for other options for 2L.

[Oklahoma Mike]

I am going to be moving in at the beginning of August. I hate the boxes and packing part of moving (who doesn't), so I'm giving myself plenty of time. Also, my S.O. will hopefully have time to find a job before I start freaking out with law school stuff.

I'm definitely interested in dinner/beer before school starts, count me in.

By the way, the Walk Score for the law school's neighborhood is 82 out of 100. I'm a little skeptical of what they count as a library or a grocery store, but it's still fun to play with.

I did the walk score for my apartment a block west of the school and it got a score of 83.
The things that walk score lists as libraries aren't real libraries - the actual public library isn't listed on walk score for some reason- but it's not too far. It's about a mile from the law school- just past the Metro Dome

[thathuy]

Has anyone else noticed that the Republican Convention is in St. Paul during the first week of classes? It should be quite an interesting crowd (bites tounge) taking over the Twin Cities.

[Oklahoma Mike]

Interesting indeed on both sides of the political spectrum. The hippies will be out protesting in force.

That said, I think it likely that I will go volunteer with NLG's Minnesota chapter to be an observer external to the protest. Minneapolis police basically descended on a critical mass (bicycle riders riding in large groups once a month) event because it had RNC protesters joining it. --LinkRemoved--

Also... --LinkRemoved--
Seriously? If that is true at all, that's completely insane.

[ari20dal7]

Not going to Minnesota, but that's crazy. I will scream holy hell if I'm ever approached with a filthy proposition like that.

[thathuy]

Great article Mike. This sounds like a really, really interesting thing to be around. I just wish it was a little closer to campus. If I can get my hand on one of these I wonder if I can get it signed? http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/ye ... ints1.html

[thathuy]

I went and checked out apartments this weekend. I ended up picking out a place in Phillips which is a bit sketch but isn't too far from the school. I figure if I keep my head on a swivel everything should be cool.

For anyone not from the area, the Minneapolis police keeps a "shots fired" from the previous week. It does a decent job of showing which neighborhoods might have safety issues.

http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/police/ ... sfired.asp

[bocifious]

This year's (compulsory) laptop is going to be a Lenovo ThinkPad T 61s. I don't know much about them, but the specifications were given as:

* 2.0GHz Intel Core2 Duo processor T7250
* 2.0GB of RAM (1 DIMM)
* 80GB hard drive (5400RPM)
* 24x DVD/CDRW
* 802.11a/b/g/n internal wireless card
* 14.1" WXGA+ monitor (1440 x 900)
* 12.2" x 10" x 1" weighing approximately 6 pounds
* Windows Vista Business (with Service Pack 1)
* 3-year warranty
* 3-year accidental damage protection

Hope that helps.

Note that, like last year, you will probably be able to upgrade from these minimum specs if you feel like it. We had Dells but I don't see them not offering better parts if you want.

[bocifious]

The closest major grocery store to the law school is the Lund's at the corner of 4th St and Hennepin Ave. You can get there easily by bus or bike. Also on that same corner is the Aveda Institute, where you can get really cheap haircuts and massages. It's wonderful and highly addictive.

You can also take a bus to a Target, a Rainbow, and a Cub about 4 miles from campus. I believe it's also close to a lightrail station, maybe the Hiawatha station? It's the target commonly referred to as the "Targetto". There is also the "Targaet" downtown with a cart escalator, and the plain old "Target" which is in an area called the Quarry and is also fairly close to campus but you'll need a car to get to it.

The "targetto" (it's really not that bad) is only about 2 miles from the school (its about a mile south of my place and I am a mile south of the school). It is on the light rail, I can't remember the name, but it is the station south of the Franklin Ave Station (I want to say the midtown station).

[ktg2011]

Hey guys! I am no longer going to be attending Minnesota. I have a room available for lease at the GrandMarc. The building is right across the street from the law school (should be great for just rolling out of bed and going to class!!!)! It is a two bed room and it is fully furnished with a washer and dryer in the apartment! You would have your own bathroom and there is a dishwasher and garbage disposal as well. The rent is $850 and includes everything!!! So if you are thinking of leasing at the GrandMarc please let me know by private message because I would really like to not pay rent on an apartment I will not be living in! Thanks so much!!!

[wadmcfly]

I just got in off of the waitlist last week, and am planning on attending... I know this is late in the game, but is anyone still looking for a roommate? I would like to live quite close to campus, as I won't have a car, but I can't afford to live at a place like the Grand Marc (which, coincidentally, I checked out today). Living in a real neighborhood (not surrounded by undergrads) would be ideal.
If so, PM me please.

[drleather]

I am also looking for a little guidance with the old apartment hunt. Looking for a large 1BR or a 2BR in Uptown or Northeast (or near the campus).

Moving with my wife around Aug. 18th.

Thanks!