WashU (wustl) Class of 2012! Forum

[jedgarhooter]

Alright, I'm joining the FB group. Also looking forward to some 3 on 3 basketball. Anyone here any good?

Hell yes! 3-on-3 intramural basketball is sweet.

[Lawrence]

I'd definitely be interested in some intramural basketball, football, or softball. I believe I remember hearing during my tour that students have some kind of flag football league at some point during the year.

[RAFisher]

This is pretty much just a bump to keep us on the first page, but I am pretty excited today because I signed a lease with campus housing! I'm on a coast, so making it in for apartment hunting was going to be a pain. I figured I'd cast my lot with university housing and hopefully I'll come out on top! Now that things are seeming more official, I'm having that hardest time focusing at work. When will everyone else be quitting?

[Leeroy Jenkins]

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[VAGATOR]

This is pretty much just a bump to keep us on the first page, but I am pretty excited today because I signed a lease with campus housing! I'm on a coast, so making it in for apartment hunting was going to be a pain. I figured I'd cast my lot with university housing and hopefully I'll come out on top! Now that things are seeming more official, I'm having that hardest time focusing at work. When will everyone else be quitting?

Campus housing? You talking about the housing the University owns in University City? I'm done in a month and a half and I can't wait to get to St. Louis.

[steindle]

So, uhh...any graduating 3Ls or 1L/2Ls who are moving out of their apartments want to give me a good line on a lease that starts in August?

I want to shore up housing ASAP but I'm only moving to St. Louis on August 1st, so I am trying to find creative ways to get an apartment (in CWE/University City preferably) before then.

Thanks!

[RAFisher]

This is pretty much just a bump to keep us on the first page, but I am pretty excited today because I signed a lease with campus housing! I'm on a coast, so making it in for apartment hunting was going to be a pain. I figured I'd cast my lot with university housing and hopefully I'll come out on top! Now that things are seeming more official, I'm having that hardest time focusing at work. When will everyone else be quitting?

Campus housing? You talking about the housing the University owns in University City? I'm done in a month and a half and I can't wait to get to St. Louis.

Oh yeah, sorry, to clarify I meant to say quadrangle housing, which are properties that are owned by the school. I'll be fairly close to the Loop, which is great because I hate driving. My job is pretty soul sucking, so I'm hoping to quit sometime in the next 2-3 months!

[steindle]

Yeah, that Quadrangle housing looks more attractive as the days go by. The number of 1,000+ sq ft 2-bedrooms there for $600-700 is impressive. There are even a couple $550 2-bedroom apartments in there...though I just have to believe there's something horribly wrong with them. If my fiance and I could snap one of those up (I'd use the second bedroom as a "study") and pay $275 each, that would be an unbelievable amount of money saved.

There must be some downside that I'm not seeing.

[Lawrence]

Yeah, that Quadrangle housing looks more attractive as the days go by. The number of 1,000+ sq ft 2-bedrooms there for $600-700 is impressive. There are even a couple $550 2-bedroom apartments in there...though I just have to believe there's something horribly wrong with them. If my fiance and I could snap one of those up (I'd use the second bedroom as a "study") and pay $275 each, that would be an unbelievable amount of money saved.

There must be some downside that I'm not seeing.

My only concern was that they don't seem to have a washer and dryer in unit and that is a no go for me. But besides that I don't see anything wrong with it. With the kind of buildings they offer they may not be as modern as other more expensive places, but it just depends how important that kind of thing is to an individual person. Overall I think they offer very good value though.

[dpburm]

i'm living in the loop lofts (not TECHNICALLY on the loop--a few blocks north of it)...but they're GORGEOUS! 800/month 1 bedroom--includes rent, cable, internet, electricity, washer/dryer in unit, gated parking, 24 hour staff, and fitness center. i already have furniture but furniture can be rented for an extra 100/month (so 900/month total)

[steindle]

Has anyone corresponded with Quadrangle or the school's housing department recently?

I've written emails to both in the last few days and weeks and I haven't received a single response.

[ArsenalGunner]

i'm living in the loop lofts (not TECHNICALLY on the loop--a few blocks north of it)...but they're GORGEOUS! 800/month 1 bedroom--includes rent, cable, internet, electricity, washer/dryer in unit, gated parking, 24 hour staff, and fitness center. i already have furniture but furniture can be rented for an extra 100/month (so 900/month total)

oooh this sounds nice! Is this is in Clayton? Do you have a website with pic? I've been totally slacking on housing...lol

[Leeroy Jenkins]

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[RAFisher]

Has anyone corresponded with Quadrangle or the school's housing department recently?

I've written emails to both in the last few days and weeks and I haven't received a single response.

I had a really hard time reaching anyone through email with Quadrangle, but when I finally called them they were very helpful. I was given a lot of options and then sent several floor plans and descriptions.

[steindle]

I had a really hard time reaching anyone through email with Quadrangle, but when I finally called them they were very helpful. I was given a lot of options and then sent several floor plans and descriptions.

I guess I'll give that a try. I don't have anything else to do at work.

[gracekelly]

I looked at Quandrangle housing online and was impressed with the prices. But I wonder how nice they are. A lot of students at my undergrad live in old houses near campus, but they're very poorly insulated. If the Quadrangle apartments couldn't be well-heated, I just couldn't live there. (They would have to allow me to bring my cat, too.) I've got to do more research on different places, but I can't wait to look for housing this summer to get a better idea of the neighborhoods in the area.

[MaiKleenex]

Quitting my job July 17th.....can't WAIT.

I was thinking about buying a condo and then flipping it when I graduate (the housing market can only get better, right? Come on Obama!) Anyone consider this?

[WUSTL2011]

1L here for some comments on housing:

Quadrangle: University owned, very easy to work with on finding a place and decently fast response time. However, all of the buildings I know of are extremely old, with poor insulation and poorly kept. Most people I know who live in them now are not returning to them. Remember that is most, some people did find some places they liked and are staying. Plus, if you're on a coast (like I was), they are very easy to deal and that is a big plus.

Some companies you might want to also look at: Baron Property Management & Frontdoor. I have friends in both and they love the companies. Their units are usually more recently redone than Quadrangles. Frontdoor is a little pricey, but almost all new stuff with everyone you'd expect. Baron's stuff is a good bargain and I know tons of people who are returning to them.

West End City: every year 1Ls fall for this building because it is "conveniently located in the heart for the Central West End." That is bull. They are a 30m walk from the Central West End and longer from school. Likewise, they are the worst at property management. There were people in my section who: (1) lost all their stuff from flooding due to a broken water pipe, (2) were evacuated from their floor for a weekend due to a gas leak, (3) had a broken furnace so the apartment was always 90+ deg for several days, and worse. Stay away from them.

Only other thing to point out: ask what kind of heating the place has. If it is a gas heater, which most will be, expect gas bills of ~$100 during the winter months. Gas is pricey here and most heater have them. If you keep your thermostat low, you can probably get it down to ~$75 but you probably won't get it much lower. There were people who didn't turn their thermostat down and had a $200 bill for a month. So ask about appliances.

That's my two cents. Good luck.

[blakeb23]

I looked at some apartments in the Central West End. The Metro Lofts and the Residences at Forest Park Hotel were both very nice, although a little pricey. The area seemed very cool and had lots of young people.

Has anyone else looked at places in the CWE?

[onfo]

1L here:

I live in the CWE and dig it. It is about an 8 min drive to school, and that is with the major highway being closed. There are plenty of other law students around as well so it is a breeze to get a group together for drinks at any one of the dozen or so bars. You will tend to pay more in the large high rises, but if you have some time, you should just drive around and look for for rent signs. Sure they are smaller buildings, but many offer better prices and nice amenities.

Also, I know there are some law students in the cwe who dont have cars and take the bus every day - so that is another option for all you green / carless people. Hope this helps.

Congrats and have fun this summer.

[matty]

I got into Wash U but won't be matriculating, but I live in the CWE right now and am insanely bored so I'll chime in. I like it a lot here and it is a great neighborhood for students. The best way to find an apartment here is Craigslist. The one caution I will issue is that realtors will advertise apartments as being in the cwe when they're really not in the nice part that St. Louisans generally identify as the cwe. Watch out for this, as some areas around the cwe, especially to the north, can get pretty shady real fast.

As a general guideline, the area you are looking at should be bounded on the west by kingshighway, on the east by newstead, on the south by forest park ave, and on the north by McPherson. Again, these aren't absolutes, just general guidelines. There are numerous large apartment buildings in this area, but there is also an abundance of smaller units and condos/duplexes (which I prefer). So your best bet is to go on Craigslist and search "cwe" or "central west end" in the apartment section, and then check if the apartments fall within the area I pinpointed. You can also search "laclede" or "Maryland" to find apartments on those streets. Doing a quick search of "Lacede," for example, returned this result among others:
--LinkRemoved--


This is right across the street from my apartment. Its a nice, quiet part of the cwe that is still just a short walk to Maryland, where most of the restaurants and bars are centered. You can find good deals if you look hard. A roommate and I each pay $430 for our current apartment, and it is pretty nice. Anyway, good luck with your search...

[VAGATOR]

Thanks for the housing advice guys. I'm going to be in town in a couple weeks to find a place, and I have pretty much settled on finding a place in the CWE.

[ksp405]

I'm ridiculously excited. Even after talking to my friends who are just finishing law school now...

[gk101]

Does WUSTL give any need based aid? All I got was the scholarship information on the financial aid letter
Also, I should be in Saint Louis sometime in early June to lock up housing somewhere in CWE.

[ksp405]

I called the Financial Aid office with that question early this year, and was told that they do not. That aid is merit based only.

Does WUSTL give any need based aid? All I got was the scholarship information on the financial aid letter
Also, I should be in Saint Louis sometime in early June to lock up housing somewhere in CWE.