Michigan Class of 2014 Forum

[MissLucky]

Hey quick question if someone could answer asap would be great - how long approx did the drive from the airport to campus take? should I take the flight that lands at 11:13pm or the flight that lands at 12:43pm? I obviously want to make one of the law quad tours and preferably not the very last one at 2:50...id like to make it to campus by 2 latest...would that be okay with a 12:43 landing? and i think i'd get picked up by a group on campus so there would be some lag time there thanks!

[buckilaw]

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-03-1 ... chool.html

Charles Munger is donating 20 million dollars to upgrade the lawyers club. I really wish I could live in the LC.

[hipstermafia]

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-03-1 ... chool.html

Charles Munger is donating 20 million dollars to upgrade the lawyers club. I really wish I could live in the LC.

say this yesterday, awesome!!

[hipstermafia]

Hey quick question if someone could answer asap would be great - how long approx did the drive from the airport to campus take? should I take the flight that lands at 11:13pm or the flight that lands at 12:43pm? I obviously want to make one of the law quad tours and preferably not the very last one at 2:50...id like to make it to campus by 2 latest...would that be okay with a 12:43 landing? and i think i'd get picked up by a group on campus so there would be some lag time there thanks!

i think it was about 40 minutes, you should be fine with a 12:43 landing!

[thelaststraw05]

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-03-1 ... chool.html

Charles Munger is donating 20 million dollars to upgrade the lawyers club. I really wish I could live in the LC.

Goal is completion Fall 2013.

--LinkRemoved--

[MissLucky]

Hey quick question if someone could answer asap would be great - how long approx did the drive from the airport to campus take? should I take the flight that lands at 11:13pm or the flight that lands at 12:43pm? I obviously want to make one of the law quad tours and preferably not the very last one at 2:50...id like to make it to campus by 2 latest...would that be okay with a 12:43 landing? and i think i'd get picked up by a group on campus so there would be some lag time there thanks!

i think it was about 40 minutes, you should be fine with a 12:43 landing!

Thanks so much!!!!

[InvictusFortis]

In order to get loans (even Staffords) from the federal government, you have to take this RIDICULOUS quiz about student debt. It's ridiculous because (spoiler alert) the answers to all the questions are true. It is, however, very helpful in teaching you EVERYTHING you need to know about the federal loan system - including the Grad PLUS. I would definitely schedule a phone meeting with financial aid at Michigan, though. They did a really good job of explaining everything during the ASW.

slept through that session... WHOOPS!

I did also, ASW2?

[InvictusFortis]

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-03-1 ... chool.html

Charles Munger is donating 20 million dollars to upgrade the lawyers club. I really wish I could live in the LC.

Goal is completion Fall 2013.

--LinkRemoved--

Says construction will begin "early summer 2012." Do you think early summer means after finals?

[agora139]

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-03-1 ... chool.html

Charles Munger is donating 20 million dollars to upgrade the lawyers club. I really wish I could live in the LC.

Goal is completion Fall 2013.

--LinkRemoved--

Says construction will begin "early summer 2012." Do you think early summer means after finals?

it had better!

[whathojeeves]

Hey quick question if someone could answer asap would be great - how long approx did the drive from the airport to campus take? should I take the flight that lands at 11:13pm or the flight that lands at 12:43pm? I obviously want to make one of the law quad tours and preferably not the very last one at 2:50...id like to make it to campus by 2 latest...would that be okay with a 12:43 landing? and i think i'd get picked up by a group on campus so there would be some lag time there thanks!

If you're in a car, it's definitely more like 25-30 or so. I got a ride from APALSA in the morning and it took a little more than 20.

[AreJay711]

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-03-1 ... chool.html

Charles Munger is donating 20 million dollars to upgrade the lawyers club. I really wish I could live in the LC.

Goal is completion Fall 2013.

--LinkRemoved--

Says construction will begin "early summer 2012." Do you think early summer means after finals?

Hmmm:

"The project will bring badly needed upgrades that will transform student rooms and other living areas inside the buildings"

Edit: Also, is anyone else utterly shocked about how much the new building cost (over $100 million). It looks nice but I find it hard to believe it had to cost that much. The only think I can think of is there was a premium for getting it built so fast

[Entchen]

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-03-1 ... chool.html

Charles Munger is donating 20 million dollars to upgrade the lawyers club. I really wish I could live in the LC.

Goal is completion Fall 2013.

--LinkRemoved--

Says construction will begin "early summer 2012." Do you think early summer means after finals?

Hmmm:

"The project will bring badly needed upgrades that will transform student rooms and other living areas inside the buildings"

I suspect this will include like...adding air conditioning.

[AreJay711]

I suspect this will include like...adding air conditioning.

For 40 million? I could get some guys from Charles County up there and get that done for 200K MAX and that isn't even with punching holes int the exterior walls. (Edit: so central air)

[dabbadon8]

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-03-1 ... chool.html

Charles Munger is donating 20 million dollars to upgrade the lawyers club. I really wish I could live in the LC.

Goal is completion Fall 2013.

--LinkRemoved--

Says construction will begin "early summer 2012." Do you think early summer means after finals?

Hmmm:

"The project will bring badly needed upgrades that will transform student rooms and other living areas inside the buildings"

Edit: Also, is anyone else utterly shocked about how much the new building cost (over $100 million). It looks nice but I find it hard to believe it had to cost that much. The only think I can think of is there was a premium for getting it built so fast

I honestly don't know what they could possibly to do to make living there better... Floors that aren't linoleum would be nice, and maybe no florescent lighting, bigger beds... But unless each room is getting a private bathroom, I don't think the changes are really going to make much of a difference to the people living there.

[AreJay711]

I honestly don't know what they could possibly to do to make living there better... Floors that aren't linoleum would be nice, and maybe no florescent lighting, bigger beds... But unless each room is getting a private bathroom, I don't think the changes are really going to make much of a difference to the people living there.

I think they might be doing that floors and bathrooms. It would at least make the price tag make sense.

[InvictusFortis]

I honestly don't know what they could possibly to do to make living there better... Floors that aren't linoleum would be nice, and maybe no florescent lighting, bigger beds... But unless each room is getting a private bathroom, I don't think the changes are really going to make much of a difference to the people living there.

I think they might be doing that floors and bathrooms. It would at least make the price tag make sense.

Good thing it will be finished just in time for us to start our third year

[srvyorgeneral]

Anyone from AS1 care to indicate dress? I'm assuming it's casual but I don't want to be that guy...

[pixytree]

Anyone from AS1 care to indicate dress? I'm assuming it's casual but I don't want to be that guy...

it was very mixed. some had on clearly worn shirts and pants; others dressed up. but I always like to go safe with something in between like a nice shirt and jeans. The Dean pulled me aside for a one-on-one chat at one point and I think it's times like that that you'll wish you'd thrown on a nice sweater just to show you cared enough (since she cared enough to seek you out). Formal or business casual is definitely not necessary IMO.

[srvyorgeneral]

Anyone from AS1 care to indicate dress? I'm assuming it's casual but I don't want to be that guy...

it was very mixed. some had on clearly worn shirts and pants; others dressed up. but I always like to go safe with something in between like a nice shirt and jeans. The Dean pulled me aside for a one-on-one chat at one point and I think it's times like that that you'll wish you'd thrown on a nice sweater just to show you cared enough (since she cared enough to seek you out). Formal or business casual is definitely not necessary IMO.

Thanks a ton. I figured as much--but good to have it confirmed. I guess this isn't the time to break out my metallic gold Air Jordans....

[hipstermafia]

Fortunately we don't have kids yet.

The decision ended up being pretty easy, given:

1) We want to end up in Chicago.
2) We want to minimize debt.
3) We want to maximize potential employment.
4) She has to stay in the Washington, D.C. area.

Obviously, fact 4 makes Georgetown attractive, but Georgetown suffers on 1, 2, and 3. Northwestern is an attractive option, but has a higher cost of living. Michigan best satisfies 1, 2, and 3... but unfortunately does not allow me to stay in D.C. with her.

So, nightly skype.

please no one kill me for saying this, but have you considered that by living in two separate places you're paying 2 COLs? Assuming COL is ~15k a year, that's 45k extra for the duration of law school if you go to michigan and she stays in dc, which is your scholarship amount at michigan right? so debt net around the same compared to going to school in dc? I can understand wanting to go to michigan to end up in chicago and to maximize employment (and also because it's awesome), but in your case i don't see a substantial financial difference and it would suck to live that far from your wife for three years

[FlightoftheEarls]

Says construction will begin "early summer 2012." Do you think early summer means after finals?

Hmmm:

"The project will bring badly needed upgrades that will transform student rooms and other living areas inside the buildings"

Edit: Also, is anyone else utterly shocked about how much the new building cost (over $100 million). It looks nice but I find it hard to believe it had to cost that much. The only think I can think of is there was a premium for getting it built so fast

I honestly don't know what they could possibly to do to make living there better... Floors that aren't linoleum would be nice, and maybe no florescent lighting, bigger beds... But unless each room is getting a private bathroom, I don't think the changes are really going to make much of a difference to the people living there.

They renovations (if approved) would begin in May 2012 after finals, and would only take one full school year if completed on time (which it should be - even the new building and commons are still slightly ahead of schedule). The tentative plans on the LC is that they will be renovating the inside of the building, potentially by adding bathrooms for each room, increasing the energy efficiency of the building, connecting the various halls so that it's a more connected LC community instead of individual "blocks" as it is now, adding more common spaces (and potentially kitchenettes for people who want to do some light cooking on occasion), and an all-around modernizing of the interior rooms. Of course, these are all just preliminary ideas that were tossed around, so we can't know for sure what will actually be approved and implemented.

While the building (and interior) does have a somewhat more "historic" feel to it, I also agree that it certainly isn't in bad shape at all. Nonetheless, the renovations sound like they'll be pretty awesome once completed.

[vegenator]

Fortunately we don't have kids yet.

The decision ended up being pretty easy, given:

1) We want to end up in Chicago.
2) We want to minimize debt.
3) We want to maximize potential employment.
4) She has to stay in the Washington, D.C. area.

Obviously, fact 4 makes Georgetown attractive, but Georgetown suffers on 1, 2, and 3. Northwestern is an attractive option, but has a higher cost of living. Michigan best satisfies 1, 2, and 3... but unfortunately does not allow me to stay in D.C. with her.

So, nightly skype.

please no one kill me for saying this, but have you considered that by living in two separate places you're paying 2 COLs? Assuming COL is ~15k a year, that's 45k extra for the duration of law school if you go to michigan and she stays in dc, which is your scholarship amount at michigan right? so debt net around the same compared to going to school in dc? I can understand wanting to go to michigan to end up in chicago and to maximize employment (and also because it's awesome), but in your case i don't see a substantial financial difference and it would suck to live that far from your wife for three years

In addition to two COLs, you should also consider the cost of transportation for visiting each other. Even if you fly back to dc only on thanksgiving, winter and spring breaks, that's still 9 round-trip flights to pay for. And I'm sure your wife would enjoy flying out to ann arbor sometime. I'm not trying to persuade you one way or another, but just hoping to chime in with info you may have overlooked. My husband and I had a similar discussion as he'll likely take a large paycut, but we decided the money saved (if any) isn't worth living apart for three years. And we don't have kids yet either.

[artichoke]

Woohoo! Haven't been here in a while and just saw Mich went up two spots (enter obligatory statement about how it's not like rankings matter here). Can't help but feel the pride.

Plus, with all this ring-of-fire impending dooms-day earthquake talk about California I'm starting to feel GREAT about my (almost final) decision to Go Blue. I will be sleeping easy the next three years knowing Michigan is like, the least disaster-prone place on the map, and hardly a terrorist target, being decimated by the economy and all .

Can't wait for ASW2!

[thelaststraw05]

Fortunately we don't have kids yet.

The decision ended up being pretty easy, given:

1) We want to end up in Chicago.
2) We want to minimize debt.
3) We want to maximize potential employment.
4) She has to stay in the Washington, D.C. area.

Obviously, fact 4 makes Georgetown attractive, but Georgetown suffers on 1, 2, and 3. Northwestern is an attractive option, but has a higher cost of living. Michigan best satisfies 1, 2, and 3... but unfortunately does not allow me to stay in D.C. with her.

So, nightly skype.

please no one kill me for saying this, but have you considered that by living in two separate places you're paying 2 COLs? Assuming COL is ~15k a year, that's 45k extra for the duration of law school if you go to michigan and she stays in dc, which is your scholarship amount at michigan right? so debt net around the same compared to going to school in dc? I can understand wanting to go to michigan to end up in chicago and to maximize employment (and also because it's awesome), but in your case i don't see a substantial financial difference and it would suck to live that far from your wife for three years

In addition to two COLs, you should also consider the cost of transportation for visiting each other. Even if you fly back to dc only on thanksgiving, winter and spring breaks, that's still 9 round-trip flights to pay for. And I'm sure your wife would enjoy flying out to ann arbor sometime. I'm not trying to persuade you one way or another, but just hoping to chime in with info you may have overlooked. My husband and I had a similar discussion as he'll likely take a large paycut, but we decided the money saved (if any) isn't worth living apart for three years. And we don't have kids yet either.

Yes, we have considered both of these things and done a lot of budget calculations. The primary cost reduction that would come from me staying in D.C. would be the shared cost of housing. Food and other consumable items will be similar cost in D.C. or Ann Arbor.

Georgetown has a total cost of attendance right around $70,000. Michigan has a total cost of attendance right around $65,000. When combined with the scholarship the difference grows to $20,000 a year or $60,000 over three years.

Taking into account the cost of rent in Ann Arbor ($500-$600 a month or $6,000-$7,200 a year) would change the cost by about $20,000 over three years. That would make it a difference of $40,000.

Throw in the fact that I prefer to drive rather than fly (we drove out when I visited) and the cost of travel will be around $5,000 over the three years. Still a savings of about $35,000 over three years.

It will be cheaper for me to attend a school I love (Michigan) to a school I like (Georgetown).

[hipstermafia]

i'm not sure you're doing that math right, but to each their own