UVA Law Students Taking Questions Forum

[crossingforHYS]

Hi ya'll, in your opinion would 8,00 purely for food and other living expenses (not rent) be enough for the year?

I dont drink much (if at all) if that helps.

let me know what yall think?

I presume you meant $8,000. So about $150/week or $600ish a month.

I'd expect that would be plenty for most people, but it will be dependent on where you live and whether or not you live alone. If you share an apartment, you will have lower utility costs. If you use a prepaid cell phone you can save money - especially if you don't need to be on the phone all the time. If you need an iPhone, that's about 15% of your monthly budget right there. If you need to drive to school, that's another big expense.

Presumably you have some idea of how much your current cost of living runs? Are you expecting anything in particular to be cheaper or more expensive in Charlottesville? If so, tell us what it is and we might be better able to answer.

yep, I meant 8,000.

I am currently in Los Angeles, so I think my living expenses might be higher. My utilities are included in my rent budget, so the 8,000 would be only for other things. The phone is on my parents plan and I think they will keep it that way--its a blackberry.

I wont drive to school (I do now) but I won't be bringing my car. So that's another expense I can subtract. I quess clothing, coffee and food budget would be what I would spend money on? and some of it maybe on furniture.....does that sound better for Charlottesville?

Let me know what you all think.

Thank you for the help you already gave!!!

[albanach]

I wont drive to school (I do now) but I won't be bringing my car. So that's another expense I can subtract. I quess clothing, coffee and food budget would be what I would spend money on? and some of it maybe on furniture.....does that sound better for Charlottesville?

Let me know what you all think.

Thank you for the help you already gave!!!

I think you'll be comfortable with that budget. There are plenty of options for groceries and other essentials for any budget. Kroger is typically cheaper than Harris Teeter, both are located at Barracks Road Shopping Center near the law school. You'll need to drive to reach Whole Foods, Walmart and Target. Whole Foods will be in a brand new store as of next month. Trader Joe's should arrive in Charlottesville sometime before 2014 (hopefully much sooner) if construction on their site goes to plan.

Per the Financial Aid lecture at the admitted students weekend, you should buy a coffee maker though - apparently being seen by the staff from the financial aid office while in possession of a Starbucks cup can result in a stern lecture! That said, Charlottesville has a lot of good coffee shops, even if you save them for the weekends.

[YCrevolution]

..

[crossingforHYS]

darn it---my starbucks addiction will suffer

But on a more serious note--I will just get a coffee maker (I drink it black anyway)

Thanks for the advice!

[paulinaporizkova]

I wont drive to school (I do now) but I won't be bringing my car. So that's another expense I can subtract. I quess clothing, coffee and food budget would be what I would spend money on? and some of it maybe on furniture.....does that sound better for Charlottesville?

Let me know what you all think.

Thank you for the help you already gave!!!

I think you'll be comfortable with that budget. There are plenty of options for groceries and other essentials for any budget. Kroger is typically cheaper than Harris Teeter, both are located at Barracks Road Shopping Center near the law school. You'll need to drive to reach Whole Foods, Walmart and Target. Whole Foods will be in a brand new store as of next month. Trader Joe's should arrive in Charlottesville sometime before 2014 (hopefully much sooner) if construction on their site goes to plan.

Per the Financial Aid lecture at the admitted students weekend, you should buy a coffee maker though - apparently being seen by the staff from the financial aid office while in possession of a Starbucks cup can result in a stern lecture! That said, Charlottesville has a lot of good coffee shops, even if you save them for the weekends.

<----- totes had a large starbucks coffee in the front row of the welcome event at march ASW

[pjo]

I wont drive to school (I do now) but I won't be bringing my car. So that's another expense I can subtract. I quess clothing, coffee and food budget would be what I would spend money on? and some of it maybe on furniture.....does that sound better for Charlottesville?

Let me know what you all think.

Thank you for the help you already gave!!!

I think you'll be comfortable with that budget. There are plenty of options for groceries and other essentials for any budget. Kroger is typically cheaper than Harris Teeter, both are located at Barracks Road Shopping Center near the law school. You'll need to drive to reach Whole Foods, Walmart and Target. Whole Foods will be in a brand new store as of next month. Trader Joe's should arrive in Charlottesville sometime before 2014 (hopefully much sooner) if construction on their site goes to plan.

Per the Financial Aid lecture at the admitted students weekend, you should buy a coffee maker though - apparently being seen by the staff from the financial aid office while in possession of a Starbucks cup can result in a stern lecture! That said, Charlottesville has a lot of good coffee shops, even if you save them for the weekends.

Lol, I had that talk with Jennifer Hulvey before I even committed to UVA. I was in her office and she was talking about rising tuition prices then she went off on a tangent about students complaining about loans while they drink their starbucks.

[suspicious android]

Lol, I had that talk with Jennifer Hulvey before I even committed to UVA. I was in her office and she was talking about rising tuition prices then she went off on a tangent about students complaining about loans while they drink their starbucks.

Daily Starbucks habit - $2 a day, 5 days a week, 52 weeks a year: $520

UVA's yearly tuition - $47500, rising about 4 times faster than inflation.

She's got a lot of nerve to bring up the price of coffee.

[coldshoulder]

Lol, I had that talk with Jennifer Hulvey before I even committed to UVA. I was in her office and she was talking about rising tuition prices then she went off on a tangent about students complaining about loans while they drink their starbucks.

Daily Starbucks habit - $2 a day, 5 days a week, 52 weeks a year: $520

UVA's yearly tuition - $47500, rising about 4 times faster than inflation.

She's got a lot of nerve to bring up the price of coffee.

What Starbucks on Earth is there that serves coffee for $2?
Double that, and $1040 is a significant amount of money.

[sundance95]

Washington, DC? I get coffee (drip, not any $4.50 latte bullshit) all the time for $2 at Starbucks.

[WVUCelticFan]

How much is coffee in the law school itself (for when you've finished all the drip coffee you brought with you)?

[East Coast Law]

So I finally decided on housing 2 miles away - and then I looked at the Law School's parking map. Is it difficult to find parking? How long of a walk is it from the main lot to the law school. I haven't signed a lease yet and can still find something in walking distance.

[badwithpseudonyms]

How much is coffee in the law school itself (for when you've finished all the drip coffee you brought with you)?

Coffee options:
(1) A decent sized cup of Greenberry's will run you about $2. They close about 3pm though. Also, it will occasionally taste like feet when their brewer needs cleaned.
(2) You can get coffee from the bookstore though I've never tried it. = If you have one of their travel mugs, it's cheap. They're open until 5pm
(3) There are two Keurig single cup brewers (the big commercial looking ones) on the second floor of the library. There is always a wide variety of coffees and teas. They ask for $1, but no one will report you to Honor so long as you're not abusing the system. I usually use a travel mug (so I'm not using their paper products) or bring my own K-cups from home. This is arguably your beset drip coffee option at the school, but most of the kids don't realize that. Big downsides: (a) There's no fridge so they only have powdered creamer available, which makes all coffee taste like it came from a gas station. (b) People are really messy and oftentimes don't know how to read instructions use a K-cup brewer, causing one or the other to overflow.

[badwithpseudonyms]

So I finally decided on housing 2 miles away - and then I looked at the Law School's parking map. Is it difficult to find parking? How long of a walk is it from the main lot to the law school. I haven't signed a lease yet and can still find something in walking distance.

You'll have a good chance at landing a spot in the D3 lot, although it's pretty outrageous what they charge considering you can park anywhere you want for free after 5pm and on the weekends.

If you happen to strike out in the D3 lotteries, you shouldn't have any problem getting a Blue Lot pass (although JAG commandeered a number of spots this year when they renewed their lease). The Blue Lot is significantly cheaper, but it can be quite a hike if you're running late. I don't think most people have problems finding parking there though.

I didn't buy a parking pass this year, despite driving to school everyday. So long as you're at school by 8am you can always find parking on Arlington. By 8:30am you should be able to get a spot, but there are no guarantees. On one hand, it was a great way motivator to get up and go everyday. But on the other hand, if I knew I had to skip for whatever reason in the AM, it was incentive to just take the whole day off.

tl;dr: D3 = best and most $$$; Arlington = free and biggest pain in the ass; Blue Lot = the best and worst of both.

[sundance95]

What was the rate for a D3 pass last year?

[East Coast Law]

So I finally decided on housing 2 miles away - and then I looked at the Law School's parking map. Is it difficult to find parking? How long of a walk is it from the main lot to the law school. I haven't signed a lease yet and can still find something in walking distance.

You'll have a good chance at landing a spot in the D3 lot, although it's pretty outrageous what they charge considering you can park anywhere you want for free after 5pm and on the weekends.

If you happen to strike out in the D3 lotteries, you shouldn't have any problem getting a Blue Lot pass (although JAG commandeered a number of spots this year when they renewed their lease). The Blue Lot is significantly cheaper, but it can be quite a hike if you're running late. I don't think most people have problems finding parking there though.

I didn't buy a parking pass this year, despite driving to school everyday. So long as you're at school by 8am you can always find parking on Arlington. By 8:30am you should be able to get a spot, but there are no guarantees. On one hand, it was a great way motivator to get up and go everyday. But on the other hand, if I knew I had to skip for whatever reason in the AM, it was incentive to just take the whole day off.

tl;dr: D3 = best and most $$$; Arlington = free and biggest pain in the ass; Blue Lot = the best and worst of both.

Thanks for the advice! So D3 passes aren't limited to 3Ls?

[badwithpseudonyms]

What was the rate for a D3 pass last year?

D3 was $468 this past year, which really isn't that bad in the grand scheme of things. Like I said though, seeing as anyone can park there after 5pm or on the weekends, it's kind of a crappy deal. Also, I'm sure it will go up this year.

Blue Lot was $192 last year.

http://www.virginia.edu/parking/informa ... ml#permits

Thanks for the advice! So D3 passes aren't limited to 3Ls?

Definitely not. I forget how the process works exactly, but not-1Ls had dibs and then there was a lottery for the remaining spots... and then there was another lottery for the spots that weren't filled after the first lottery. (e.g. People like me who won a D3 spot but decided not to take it.)

Also, forget about trying to sell spots or anything like that. Both the school and Ivy (it happens there, I've heard.) are wise to that sort of thing and you have to register your vehicle... although I don't know how often they bother to check on things like that.

[dgouzoul]

what parking options are available for the summer for Research Assistants?

[Cavalier]

what parking options are available for the summer for Research Assistants?

Not sure, but you shouldn't have a problem finding parking on Arlington over the summer (right now it's packed because of graduation, but it'll be empty soon).

[vanwinkle]

what parking options are available for the summer for Research Assistants?

Not sure, but you shouldn't have a problem finding parking on Arlington over the summer (right now it's packed because of graduation, but it'll be empty soon).

This is a good point. Before/after the school year Arlington gets pretty empty. You can often park near the top of the hill and be as close to the law school entrance than you would be with a permit.

[badwithpseudonyms]

Get my 2L Fall cite check out of the way this summer: yay or nay?

[crossingforHYS]

Ok I know I ask a lot of questions......but wondering about one more...

what is your opinion on moving in to your apartment a week in advance vs. moving in the weekend before orientation starts?

[bgdddymtty]

Ok I know I ask a lot of questions......but wondering about one more...

what is your opinion on moving in to your apartment a week in advance vs. moving in the weekend before orientation starts?

If you can afford it, get here as early as possible. Get acclimated. Get to know C'ville a little bit. Get all your shopping out of the way. Walk around the (mostly empty) Law School a few times. Just chill for a while. The first few weeks of law school are crammed/daunting enough already. No need to compound the matter.

[Cavalier]

Get my 2L Fall cite check out of the way this summer: yay or nay?

It depends on a lot of things, such as how difficult your cite checks are, how busy you are this summer, how busy you anticipate being in the fall, what you think your chances of making Law Review are (and thus, not being on the secondary journal in the fall), and so on. It's like a multi-factor balancing test!

Ok I know I ask a lot of questions......but wondering about one more...

what is your opinion on moving in to your apartment a week in advance vs. moving in the weekend before orientation starts?

I'd recommend a week in advance, if possible. I moved in the weekend before orientation and it felt a little rushed, but everything turned out OK.

[crossingforHYS]

Thank you all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think I will fly in the week before .

[sundance95]

Random question: does anyone know what size softball the 1L section league uses? A soon to be classmate and I are starting to get our catch on and want to make sure we aren't using the wrong ball. Softballs generally come in what I call "super-huge" or "twice-baseball" sizes.