OLD SCHOOL (must be 30 and over ITT) Forum

[kalvano]

Owning a house is vastly overrated.

[Leira7905]

I like Guitar Hero...

Seconded.

What's funny about this is that Guitar Hero has been discontinued. If you want a "young" game, you probably need to move to "Call of Duty: Black Ops" or something.

Dammit! You're crushing my dreams of being the "cool mom" on the block!

[Justathought]

I like Guitar Hero...

Seconded.

What's funny about this is that Guitar Hero has been discontinued. If you want a "young" game, you probably need to move to "Call of Duty: Black Ops" or something.

Ahh, I see, so that's what all the young people, I mean...what we're all playing these days. Yeah Call of Duty is awesome, gonna break out my Sega Genesis and play some right now. I got to level 10 last night, I'm really good at it.

[Danteshek]

Old people seem to do well at Loyola Law School. The last two Editors-in-Chief of the Law Review have been in their mid thirties.

[firemed]

*puts on old person hat*
Meh. Most of the new video games I've played, Fallout excepted, rest too heavily on fancy graphics and technological bells and whistles and give narrative short shrift.

I'll take the story and challenge of Monkey Island or Chrono Trigger over the latest "kill everything shoot 'em up" any day.

+1000

going trough Baldur's Gate I and II again (slowly). Graphics suck, but the game is just soooo well made. On that note, Dragon Age by the same company is the bomb. DA II comes out soon.

[firemed]

Old people seem to do well at Loyola Law School. The last two Editors-in-Chief of the Law Review have been in their mid thirties.

I have a friend who says that older people did well while he was at Tulane as well (not that the fuckers let me in or anything). He said that while all the just out of undergrad people were partying the older people were working, volunteering, schmoozing, and doing homework. He says that at the time they pitied them... but since their entire focus was on getting a job they all did better than he and his friends (on average) when they graduated.

[flounder]

I will be 40 when I go to law school (assuming I get in)

As far as the "Why Law" question. I made change to paralegal and I am still looking for my first job. I decided to try a career change and took one class. I was hooked from there.

[ArghItsBlarg]

*puts on old person hat*
Meh. Most of the new video games I've played, Fallout excepted, rest too heavily on fancy graphics and technological bells and whistles and give narrative short shrift.

I'll take the story and challenge of Monkey Island or Chrono Trigger over the latest "kill everything shoot 'em up" any day.

+1000

going trough Baldur's Gate I and II again (slowly). Graphics suck, but the game is just soooo well made. On that note, Dragon Age by the same company is the bomb. DA II comes out soon.

This will change your Baldur's Gate life.

For those of us who actually like them some storyline, Bioware games are pretty consistently the best out there. Knights of the Old Republic I and II, Jade Empire, Mass Effect, Dragon Age, all excellent games with serious storylines.

[Justathought]

In all seriousness, I love video games. I will bust people up in CoD and SC2. Also Bioware makes amazing games. If The Old Republic wasn't an MMO that would cause me to fail out of LS, I would be playing for sure.

I mean, what other venue provides license to talk smack to a 12 year old?

Yes, I'm very mature...

[rinkrat19]

The last video games I cared about were made by Apogee (Secret Agent, Crystal Caves, Commander Keen, the original Duke Nukem), and my dad downloaded them for me off the bulletin boards or whatever the internet was called before AOL and Prodigy came along and dumbified it.

Ok, not true. Cooking Mama 2 on the DS is pretty addicting.

I'm not that old (31)...I'm just lame and my attention span for games is about 30 minutes.

[er doctor]

Old people seem to do well at Loyola Law School. The last two Editors-in-Chief of the Law Review have been in their mid thirties.

Oh God "mid thirties" means "old people"

And BTW I split my time between Rock Band 3, Assassin's Creed Brotherhood and Little Big Planet 2.

[bedefan]

Unfortunately, I know jack-all about City/near-City living, as I live way out in the boonies. I can tell you that the northern areas/burbs tend toward the more expensive, with the west to south being more working class and affordable. It goes without saying that if you want a yard, you have to go to the suburbs. I can ask some of the younger folks in my firm who live hereabouts though...

#1 says stay around the red or blue lines of the El. Brown line is nice too, but more expensive. On the blue line, he says neighborhoods are great until around Logan Square, and then the further out you get from the City, the cheaper it gets but the quality starts to go down too. On the red line, Wicker Park area is decent.

#2 doesn't know the area as well, but knows that probably the nicest/safest area is Lincoln Park. Naturally it's more expensive too. She lives in Lakeview, specifically Wrigleyville, and the area itself is nice, but the rents run the gamut.

#3 lives in Andersonville in a 2-flat and actually rents out the top flat. She'd like to know what your price range is, as they'll be doing some renovation this summer and will likely be looking for a good tenant. Andersonville is a little pricier in general, but a very nice, safe area. She also mentioned Lincoln Park.

OK, I was born and raised in Chicago, have 4 siblings plus countless other relatives living there now. These three bits of advice are all right... If you're young and have no kids. Here are my two cents on it.

If you're looking for a family-friendly type neighborhood in the city, I'd agree with the Blue Line statement of #1 above. But s/he gets it backwards, IMHO. From Logan Square into the city (this is on the O'Hare Blue Line, not the Forest Park Blue Line), you will be living in overpriced hipster/yuppie hell. I'd recommend looking at neighborhoods west of the Addison, Irving Park and Montrose stops on the O'Hare Blue Line, in particular check out Avondale and Old Irving Park. These neighborhoods are cheaper than Wicker Park or Lincoln Park (being a father and Chicago native I consider Lincoln Park to be something like the 3rd circle of hell), cheaper than the somewhat more expensive residential neighborhoods of the NW side (Sauganash, Jefferson Park), but still real family-based neighborhoods--they're solidly in the "bungalow belt" that runs from the NW side to the SW side of the City.

Other overlooked parts of the city would include West Lawn, a bungalow belt neighborhood on the SW side. The Orange Line runs straight to it. And it's right by Midway, so if you're looking for easy access to cheap flights (Southwest is based at Midway), West Lawn has a fair bit to recommend it.

Suburbs that are close-in and not too expensive: I'd recommend looking at Oak Park, Austin, and suburbs north of there (e.g. Edison Park). The Forest Park Blue Line runs to those suburbs, and they also have good service via the Metra (suburban rail) line. Berwyn as you mention is another good choice. I've always been biased against Cicero, but as evidenced by Berwyn, those near-SW suburbs can be perfectly good places to live (though avoid Stickney unless you like the idea of living next to a sewage treatment plant).

In my mind there's a huge difference in how Chicago is experienced by the young & moneyed versus how it's experienced by families trying to do good by their kids, stretch their dollars, etc. Most younger transplants to Chicago don't even know that half the totally livable neighborhoods on the Northwest Side and Southwest Side even exist (Dunning, anyone? Anyone...?). Think of the NW side and SW side as like Queens, NY, except it's way easier to get to Manhattan (or the Loop in the Chicago analogy). Hipsters and yuppies don't want to live there, haven't been there, don't care about it... So much the better, I say.

Well that turned into something of a rant, didn't it...

[NYC_7911]

tag

[firemed]

+1000

going trough Baldur's Gate I and II again (slowly). Graphics suck, but the game is just soooo well made. On that note, Dragon Age by the same company is the bomb. DA II comes out soon.

This will change your Baldur's Gate life.

For those of us who actually like them some storyline, Bioware games are pretty consistently the best out there. Knights of the Old Republic I and II, Jade Empire, Mass Effect, Dragon Age, all excellent games with serious storylines.[/quote]

Sorry.... but I use a mac. None of that works.

[firemed]

+1000

going trough Baldur's Gate I and II again (slowly). Graphics suck, but the game is just soooo well made. On that note, Dragon Age by the same company is the bomb. DA II comes out soon.

This will change your Baldur's Gate life.

For those of us who actually like them some storyline, Bioware games are pretty consistently the best out there. Knights of the Old Republic I and II, Jade Empire, Mass Effect, Dragon Age, all excellent games with serious storylines.

Sorry.... but I use a mac. None of that works.

[homestyle28]

Unfortunately, I know jack-all about City/near-City living, as I live way out in the boonies. I can tell you that the northern areas/burbs tend toward the more expensive, with the west to south being more working class and affordable. It goes without saying that if you want a yard, you have to go to the suburbs. I can ask some of the younger folks in my firm who live hereabouts though...

#1 says stay around the red or blue lines of the El. Brown line is nice too, but more expensive. On the blue line, he says neighborhoods are great until around Logan Square, and then the further out you get from the City, the cheaper it gets but the quality starts to go down too. On the red line, Wicker Park area is decent.

#2 doesn't know the area as well, but knows that probably the nicest/safest area is Lincoln Park. Naturally it's more expensive too. She lives in Lakeview, specifically Wrigleyville, and the area itself is nice, but the rents run the gamut.

#3 lives in Andersonville in a 2-flat and actually rents out the top flat. She'd like to know what your price range is, as they'll be doing some renovation this summer and will likely be looking for a good tenant. Andersonville is a little pricier in general, but a very nice, safe area. She also mentioned Lincoln Park.

OK, I was born and raised in Chicago, have 4 siblings plus countless other relatives living there now. These three bits of advice are all right... If you're young and have no kids. Here are my two cents on it.

If you're looking for a family-friendly type neighborhood in the city, I'd agree with the Blue Line statement of #1 above. But s/he gets it backwards, IMHO. From Logan Square into the city (this is on the O'Hare Blue Line, not the Forest Park Blue Line), you will be living in overpriced hipster/yuppie hell. I'd recommend looking at neighborhoods west of the Addison, Irving Park and Montrose stops on the O'Hare Blue Line, in particular check out Avondale and Old Irving Park. These neighborhoods are cheaper than Wicker Park or Lincoln Park (being a father and Chicago native I consider Lincoln Park to be something like the 3rd circle of hell), cheaper than the somewhat more expensive residential neighborhoods of the NW side (Sauganash, Jefferson Park), but still real family-based neighborhoods--they're solidly in the "bungalow belt" that runs from the NW side to the SW side of the City.

Other overlooked parts of the city would include West Lawn, a bungalow belt neighborhood on the SW side. The Orange Line runs straight to it. And it's right by Midway, so if you're looking for easy access to cheap flights (Southwest is based at Midway), West Lawn has a fair bit to recommend it.

Suburbs that are close-in and not too expensive: I'd recommend looking at Oak Park, Austin, and suburbs north of there (e.g. Edison Park). The Forest Park Blue Line runs to those suburbs, and they also have good service via the Metra (suburban rail) line. Berwyn as you mention is another good choice. I've always been biased against Cicero, but as evidenced by Berwyn, those near-SW suburbs can be perfectly good places to live (though avoid Stickney unless you like the idea of living next to a sewage treatment plant).

In my mind there's a huge difference in how Chicago is experienced by the young & moneyed versus how it's experienced by families trying to do good by their kids, stretch their dollars, etc. Most younger transplants to Chicago don't even know that half the totally livable neighborhoods on the Northwest Side and Southwest Side even exist (Dunning, anyone? Anyone...?). Think of the NW side and SW side as like Queens, NY, except it's way easier to get to Manhattan (or the Loop in the Chicago analogy). Hipsters and yuppies don't want to live there, haven't been there, don't care about it... So much the better, I say.

Well that turned into something of a rant, didn't it...

This was incredibly helpful, thank you. Much of my married adult life I've lived in smaller communities where trying to find info online was near impossible...with chicago it's the opposite problem so sifting through a myriad of internet opinions (i.e. gentrification, pro or con, brown people = gang members, etc) is challenging. So you lengthy opinions are welcome here, if you have more to share, PM away!

[kch3684]

Is anyone here having issues with the EFC? I work/own a home make enough to pay bills and save enough if my water heater blows up but by no means do I have the EFC of $14,000 laying around. From my first awards letter it looks like that was subtracted from the subsidized fed loans - I plan on asking the financial aid office but I thought I'd ask around here as well.

[kalvano]

Is anyone here having issues with the EFC? I work/own a home make enough to pay bills and save enough if my water heater blows up but by no means do I have the EFC of $14,000 laying around. From my first awards letter it looks like that was subtracted from the subsidized fed loans - I plan on asking the financial aid office but I thought I'd ask around here as well.

My EFC was stupidly high and it affected my loans not one cent.

[pkt63]

I haven't gotten mine yet, but yeah, I'm worried about the same thing. So are you unclear on how they even got to the number $14k? I was under the impression that they would take the amount from those two questions on the FAFSA (cash and investments, I think?) and divide by three, effectively. Then from there, you'd get grant/loan eligibility. I was also under the impression that the EFC + grants + loans may not equal the total COA, in which case one would independently pursue other, less desirable loans. Is that right?

[Sinra]

I haven't gotten mine yet, but yeah, I'm worried about the same thing. So are you unclear on how they even got to the number $14k? I was under the impression that they would take the amount from those two questions on the FAFSA (cash and investments, I think?) and divide by three, effectively. Then from there, you'd get grant/loan eligibility. I was also under the impression that the EFC + grants + loans may not equal the total COA, in which case one would independently pursue other, less desirable loans. Is that right?

The EFC is only used towards subsidized loan amount. You'll get loans up to the full COA through grad plus and unsubsidized loans (20500 limit I believe all together). But you get gradplus loans for the remainder amount (COA-20500). You can get loans for all of it. And EFC is derived using some arcane formula from the 60s that does not take into account geographical cost of living etc. Largely meaningless.

[kalvano]

My EFC was something like $23,000. I got full subsidized loans. It won't matter.

[kch3684]

Granted this was from one school, and I can still take out gradplus loans but the Federal Subsided (which I though were up to $20,000) were only $8,500
I'm going to talk to the financial aid people but I wanted to know if anyone had already dealt with this.

The EFC is only used towards subsidized loan amount. You'll get loans up to the full COA through grad plus and unsubsidized loans (20500 limit I believe all together). But you get gradplus loans for the remainder amount (COA-20500). You can get loans for all of it. And EFC is derived using some arcane formula from the 60s that does not take into account geographical cost of living etc. Largely meaningless.

Is there a way of reducing the EFC on the Fsafa? I have no idea how the hell they expect me to contribute that much and next year will be bad too since I'm working till August then renting out my house so will still have income and a house

[kch3684]

My EFC was something like $23,000. I got full subsidized loans. It won't matter.

I hope that's the way it turns out for me!
Thank you

[ahduth]

Should I be practicing academic writing? People keeping asking what they should read before law school, but I'm far more concerned about the writing. I've been writing corporate emails and powerpoints for a long while now. The whole style is different - you take an 80/20 approach, no bullshit, etc. Law school seems to be all about focusing on that other 20 percent if you want to actually score out with an A. Am I reading it wrong, and should I be at all... concerned I suppose?

[kalvano]

Should I be practicing academic writing? People keeping asking what they should read before law school, but I'm far more concerned about the writing. I've been writing corporate emails and powerpoints for a long while now. The whole style is different - you take an 80/20 approach, no bullshit, etc. Law school seems to be all about focusing on that other 20 percent if you want to actually score out with an A. Am I reading it wrong, and should I be at all... concerned I suppose?

No. Absolutely not. "Academic writing" is in no way what you do in law school, and any practice will only hurt you. Your legal writing teacher will have a specific way they want you to write.