Minnesota '12 Forum

[ehshornet]

hey any entering 1Ls from Cali?

Check out this thread from last year. In it "worldtraveler" talks about how he moved from MN to Cali and he comments on the quality of life. Also I think "bociferous" is from Cali as well.

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 9&start=25

At the end of that thread, there is a link to last year's Minnesota class, and I think they might talk a little about the weather/city/school.

Hope that helps!

[jellybean]

i am a california native who will be starting as a 1L at the U in the fall, and looking forward to it!

does anyone have an idea as to when we should start looking for housing/roomates, etc?

[Paul]

Yeah, the big apartment complexes near the school (the ones from the admitted students site) can probably forecast fall availability and get you set up now. I visited the GrandMarc site and this seemed possible.

It seems many recommend not living near the law school, though. The TLS thread linked above discusses some alternatives, and I have talked to one former law student who said she wishes she hadn't lived close to the school - even for 1L. I don't entirely understand this. I get that the area around the school doesn't offer much to do, but the reason people suggest living close to the entertainment is that the public transit is good and you can get to school so easily. But if the public transit is so good, wouldn't the opposite be true, that you can get from the school to the entertainment easily? I think I would rather deal with a commute going to enjoy myself than trying to get to class. This isn't what people say though. Maybe it's best to trust them.

If looking outside these larger complexes, I don't know if it is possible to get anything arranged yet. Most craigslist ads up now have July 1 or earlier move-in dates.

[MidwestJosh]

Yeah, the big apartment complexes near the school (the ones from the admitted students site) can probably forecast fall availability and get you set up now. I visited the GrandMarc site and this seemed possible.

It seems many recommend not living near the law school, though. The TLS thread linked above discusses some alternatives, and I have talked to one former law student who said she wishes she hadn't lived close to the school - even for 1L. I don't entirely understand this. I get that the area around the school doesn't offer much to do, but the reason people suggest living close to the entertainment is that the public transit is good and you can get to school so easily. But if the public transit is so good, wouldn't the opposite be true, that you can get from the school to the entertainment easily? I think I would rather deal with a commute going to enjoy myself than trying to get to class. This isn't what people say though. Maybe it's best to trust them.

If looking outside these larger complexes, I don't know if it is possible to get anything arranged yet. Most craigslist ads up now have July 1 or earlier move-in dates.

Paul... Being from Minneapolis I can comment on this..

The public transportation during the day is GREAT. But getting back to school late at night would be a bit more difficult. Granted it wouldn't be THAT bad, I see what they're saying.

Uptown is probably a better overall bet. You're going to be immersed in law school enough.. no need to feel like you're living there.

[MidwestJosh]

Enygma:

You should get a list going in the Opening Post of those who will be attending.

You can add me..

[milag64]

I will be attending as well...deposit going in today!

Hurrah!

[DCDeckard]

Anyone know when UMN will be done evaluating apps? I still haven't received a decision.

[3yearsnoprob]

.

[badlydrawn]

How difficult is this going to be without a car? I'm considering living in Uptown. Which buses can I take to get to and fro? Tell me all you know. Don't bother trying to linking a transit map; I can't read the damn thing.

[DCDeckard]

Hey everyone, recent admittee here. I just got a link to the admitted students site but don't have my student ID number to check my financial aid status. Do I have to wait for my packet to arrive to get my ID# or is there somewhere I can find it online? Thanks.

[mbw]

How difficult is this going to be without a car? I'm considering living in Uptown. Which buses can I take to get to and fro? Tell me all you know. Don't bother trying to linking a transit map; I can't read the damn thing.

There's a transportation center in Uptown, so there will be tons of buses, including express buses, in to the U.

We're looking in Tangletown and East Harriet, and according to the transit map, from our first choice house, it'll take me about 15 minutes to get to the law school on the express bus. That works for me. I'd much rather live out by the lakes and Uptown and enjoy whatever time I have away from school.

We've been here two weeks tomorrow, and so far, the town seems great.

[Paul]

As to transportation, the express bus routes are the 114 and 115. They both go directly from the north part of Uptown (or what I understand to be the north part of Uptown) to the Law School via I94. The trip reportedly takes 6 minutes. The departure point in Uptown is Hennepin Ave and Franklin Ave for one and Lyndale Ave and Franklin Ave for the other, I think. The farther south you live in Uptown the longer the commute will obviously be. But that is pretty fantastic either way. I visited this past weekend and have contact info for apt management companies in this area. If anyone would be interested in that.

[Imperious]

After being waitlisted for 5 months, I received the phone call yesterday. Not only was I let in, but I was offered a $10,000 scholarship!

What happened? Well about a week ago I submitted general rec letters from my DC internships. Add-ons seemed to do the trick!

[3yearsnoprob]

Hey everyone, recent admittee here. I just got a link to the admitted students site but don't have my student ID number to check my financial aid status. Do I have to wait for my packet to arrive to get my ID# or is there somewhere I can find it online? Thanks.

I received my ID through email a few weeks after I received my letter over the mail.

[enygma]

Enygma:

You should get a list going in the Opening Post of those who will be attending.

You can add me..

since i'm not going, i'm probably not going to be following this thread much. not even sure why i checked in actually...

[enygma]

How difficult is this going to be without a car? I'm considering living in Uptown. Which buses can I take to get to and fro? Tell me all you know. Don't bother trying to linking a transit map; I can't read the damn thing.

bussing from uptown to the law school is super easy. there are a ton of different ones that'll get you there. and if you're a biker it's a really great commute as well. http://www.metrotransit.org if you wanna check out possible bus schedules.

[DCDeckard]

Hi all. Accepted regular decision last Friday, received my admissions envelope today. It only contains my acceptance letter and response form. Was this the case for you guys? Also, how were you informed about financial aid? Thanks!

[Spaceman_Stiff]

Not sure about financial aid yet, although I was just admitted off the wait list.

I have a feeling they are waiting to see how many people are accepting what aid offers they have out now before issuing anything.

I've never been to Minneapolis, everybody tells me it is fantastic though; I'm in Boston right now and while I like the area I don't LOVE it. How does Minneapolis compare?

[mbw]

Not sure about financial aid yet, although I was just admitted off the wait list.

I have a feeling they are waiting to see how many people are accepting what aid offers they have out now before issuing anything.

I've never been to Minneapolis, everybody tells me it is fantastic though; I'm in Boston right now and while I like the area I don't LOVE it. How does Minneapolis compare?

I did my UG in Boston, along with a few years post-UG. I liked it well enough when I was there, but looking back, it really wasn't that great.

I'm now in Minneapolis, and absolutely love it. Granted it's only been two weeks, so I'm probably not a reputable source, however, if you like the fact that people actually got out of the buildings in Boston, take that times ten out here. At least where I live (around the lakes) this is the case. The food is good, museums and theater seem very decent, and outdoor activities surpass Beantown.

I'm just amazed at the number of people I see outside. Maybe because they've all been trapped inside all winter. But it really is stunning. I can't wait to move into our house on June 1 and get organized/moving.

[milag64]

Hey all,
Looking for a roommate or two, male or female doesn't matter (I'm female), just someone who is relatively clean. I'd love to live with someone who has a dog or cat, and I would be happy to help out with walks and feeding and such. Downtown or uptown, i'm ok with either, as long as its no more than a 1 bus trip to the law school.

Hit me up if you are interested.

Thanks!

[Spaceman_Stiff]

Not sure about financial aid yet, although I was just admitted off the wait list.

I have a feeling they are waiting to see how many people are accepting what aid offers they have out now before issuing anything.

I've never been to Minneapolis, everybody tells me it is fantastic though; I'm in Boston right now and while I like the area I don't LOVE it. How does Minneapolis compare?

I did my UG in Boston, along with a few years post-UG. I liked it well enough when I was there, but looking back, it really wasn't that great.

I'm now in Minneapolis, and absolutely love it. Granted it's only been two weeks, so I'm probably not a reputable source, however, if you like the fact that people actually got out of the buildings in Boston, take that times ten out here. At least where I live (around the lakes) this is the case. The food is good, museums and theater seem very decent, and outdoor activities surpass Beantown.

I'm just amazed at the number of people I see outside. Maybe because they've all been trapped inside all winter. But it really is stunning. I can't wait to move into our house on June 1 and get organized/moving.

That's good to hear... I was contemplating someplace warm for a while, but I still have yet to hear anything negative about the city.

I'm extremely excited / overwhelmed. I need to find a place to live, roommate(s), figure out a way to move up there, which is a little overwhelming, and I really don't even know where to start with it all... When I moved to Boston from Texas I just packed everything in my car and drove, this time around I have too much furniture.

Damn me for buying a bed, the floor is good enough.

[SpAcEmAn SpLiFF]

just got my acceptance packet today. yiiikes didnt think id get any money at all, but they gave me a good amount. now im sorta looking at going to minnesota. what major cities do the place well in (outside of the twin cities)?

[Paul]

Spacemanspliff of JDU? Are you goading us to say something stupid?

[OldMinnesotan]

I've lived and worked in MPLS for the past 5 years. I got to say that I love the city. While the public trans is not as good as other large cities I've lived in, the fact that MPLS is table flat makes biking it a good deal easier for most folks than it is in say Seattle. As far as housing goes, don't live too close to the school, as you may likely get taken by an unscrupulous landlord for way too much rent. As homes in MPLS proper are generally in the 200-300k do not commit to anything over $1500/ month as you could just buy a house for that money. If you are torn, confused or anything else, you can pm me, and I will try to be of as much assistance as I can render between wrangling the babies.

Good luck and I look forward to meeting all of you. I am the 6'7" graying ex-lineman looking fella, impossible to miss.
Cheers,
OldMinnesotan

[mbw]

Hey, OldMinnesotan! Glad to see I'm not the only gray-hair in next year's class. I've got young-uns I'm wrangling as well, but fortunately we got up here early and got them into some pretty decent city schools - so my days are free to explore the city (in fact, I just found the Lyndale Farmers' Market - whee!)

See you at orientation.