Northwestern 1L/2L/3L/Grads Taking Questions and Challenges Forum

[D-hops]

I have two roomies. We live in a nice condo up in wriglyville/north lakeview. We pay 2400 total (I pay a larger portion than they do because I have the master with an attached bath).

[Holly Golightly]

I live alone in a loft in the west loop and pay $1300. Higher rent than I wanted, but it includes utilities & cable.

[bostonian]

2-bedroom, 1200 sq. ft. apartment in Streeterville. Combined my roommate and I pay about $2200 - it includes cable and utilities except electricity.

[09042014]

1140 for a 600 sq ft studio (the bedroom and living room are mostly separated by a wall). I've got a mostly obstructed lake view which raises the rent. I also have a walk in closet, which I barely use, but it's nice.

[homestyle28]

Thanks folks, it's good to know

[rinkrat19]

Anyone live in graduate housing on the Evanston campus and take the train to the LS?

How far away from campus do you have to get before you can find something besides luxury highrises?

[09042014]

Anyone live in graduate housing on the Evanston campus and take the train to the LS?

How far away from campus do you have to get before you can find something besides luxury highrises?

Commuting from Evanston would be a disaster, especially if you ever stay late. There are cheaper apartments in Lincoln Park, and even some in Gold Coast. There are some really nice lofts in River West. BJSesq and HollyGL can tell you more about that.

What do they charge for graduate housing at Evanston? It'd have to be super cheap to be worthwhile.

[rinkrat19]

Anyone live in graduate housing on the Evanston campus and take the train to the LS?

How far away from campus do you have to get before you can find something besides luxury highrises?

Commuting from Evanston would be a disaster, especially if you ever stay late. There are cheaper apartments in Lincoln Park, and even some in Gold Coast. There are some really nice lofts in River West. BJSesq and HollyGL can tell you more about that.

What do they charge for graduate housing at Evanston? It'd have to be super cheap to be worthwhile.

Thanks for the info. I don't know the city at ALL, so I looked at a CTA map and saw a fairly straight shot on the train between the 2 campuses and was assuming it wouldn't be a bad commute.

The grad dorms at Evanston are, like, $200/mo cheaper for the equivalent size (studio/1br/etc) than the luxury highrises near campus. So probably not worth it, then.

[09042014]

Anyone live in graduate housing on the Evanston campus and take the train to the LS?

How far away from campus do you have to get before you can find something besides luxury highrises?

Commuting from Evanston would be a disaster, especially if you ever stay late. There are cheaper apartments in Lincoln Park, and even some in Gold Coast. There are some really nice lofts in River West. BJSesq and HollyGL can tell you more about that.

What do they charge for graduate housing at Evanston? It'd have to be super cheap to be worthwhile.

Thanks for the info. I don't know the city at ALL, so I looked at a CTA map and saw a fairly straight shot on the train between the 2 campuses and was assuming it wouldn't be a bad commute.

The grad dorms at Evanston are, like, $200/mo cheaper for the equivalent size (studio/1br/etc) than the luxury highrises near campus. So probably not worth it, then.

You can probably find something in that range in Lincoln Park. You can definitely find it in River West.

I think I'm going to look in River West for next year. It's a straight shot on the 66 bus, which runs 24/7.

[Holly Golightly]

If you're looking for affordability and space, look at apartments in 3 and 4-flat buildings in River West/West Town/Ukranian Village. I used to have a large 2-bedroom apartment in River West that I paid $800/month for (total).

[bjsesq]

I think I'm going to look in River West for next year. It's a straight shot on the 66 bus, which runs 24/7.

w00t

[09042014]

I think I'm going to look in River West for next year. It's a straight shot on the 66 bus, which runs 24/7.

w00t

Or I'll get 2.8 in law school and move into a closet to save money for unemployment.

[ahduth]

You could live in Uptown. It's right on the red line - if you live close to the Green Mill, you can booze out to some sweet jazz every night, fail out after your second semester, be one of the bums on Broadway a year later. But yeah, you can find some cheap places up there, and the red line runs all night.

It sounds like all the 1Ls live right by campus though?

[09042014]

You could live in Uptown. It's right on the red line - if you live close to the Green Mill, you can booze out to some sweet jazz every night, fail out after your second semester, be one of the bums on Broadway a year later. But yeah, you can find some cheap places up there, and the red line runs all night.

It sounds like all the 1Ls live right by campus though?

Also you can score H in Uptown really easily. The lawerence stop isn't too far from school on the Red line.

Like 2/3rds do. You don't have to at all.

[Nola]

I want to talk job prospects. Like most I am hesitant to take on 200k in debt. Is there a reasonable expectation that you will be able to manage your debt by getting a good job post graduation?

Please be candid.

[bjsesq]

I want to talk job prospects. Like most I am hesitant to take on 200k in debt. Is there a reasonable expectation that you will be able to manage your debt by getting a good job post graduation?

Please be candid.

I can only speak from my own perspective, so take what I say with a grain of salt. I wouldn't have attended NU at sticker. My reasons are very situation specific, based on familial responsibilities, general aversion to big law, as well as several other factors. I wish I could give you an "everything is going to be alright" speech, but I can't. If you go here at sticker, want biglaw and end up not getting it, things may very well end up going badly for you if you didn't do a good job of solidifying plan b during school.

[09042014]

I want to talk job prospects. Like most I am hesitant to take on 200k in debt. Is there a reasonable expectation that you will be able to manage your debt by getting a good job post graduation?

Please be candid.

60% of Class of 2011 got something out of OCI. Nobody knows how 2014 will look.

But you probably won't get a significantly better chance at big law other than the T6 law schools.

Tough choice.

[ArchRoark]

Anyone planning on using LARP at NU? How does it compare to other lower T14 (security, flexibility, etc)? At least NU isn't a public university, so hopefully I don't have to worry about it's funding getting usurped by state coffers.

Moreover, the state has made clear that it intends to ‘recapture’ those funds to meet its larger budgetary needs sometime before June 30, the end of this fiscal year. This will leave us without the financial means to make LRAP awards.

[bdubs]

I want to talk job prospects. Like most I am hesitant to take on 200k in debt. Is there a reasonable expectation that you will be able to manage your debt by getting a good job post graduation?

Please be candid.

60% of Class of 2011 got something out of OCI. Nobody knows how 2014 will look.

But you probably won't get a significantly better chance at big law other than the T6 law schools.

Tough choice.

Does that include PI jobs, or are you just talking private?

[Bumi]

I just RSVP'd for ASW a few days ago, and I chose not to try to stay with a student because I would feel awkward crashing on some dude's studio floor when I could just find a hotel for myself. Will this affect my ability to do shots and/or drink whiskey with 1Ls? Because if so, I'm sure I can switch my RSVP.

I'm also planning on coming up there in February to see what bad weather is really like. There will still be bad weather in February, right?

[bjsesq]

I just RSVP'd for ASW a few days ago, and I chose not to try to stay with a student because I would feel awkward crashing on some dude's studio floor when I could just find a hotel for myself. Will this affect my ability to do shots and/or drink whiskey with 1Ls? Because if so, I'm sure I can switch my RSVP.

I'm also planning on coming up there in February to see what bad weather is really like. There will still be bad weather in February, right?

If you are here for asw, you are here to drink. Where you stay is irrelevant to this.

[09042014]

I want to talk job prospects. Like most I am hesitant to take on 200k in debt. Is there a reasonable expectation that you will be able to manage your debt by getting a good job post graduation?

Please be candid.

60% of Class of 2011 got something out of OCI. Nobody knows how 2014 will look.

But you probably won't get a significantly better chance at big law other than the T6 law schools.

Tough choice.

Does that include PI jobs, or are you just talking private?

60% who went to OCI got something out of OCI. Someone who was pure PI and didn't do OCI wouldn't count either way.

There are probably a few who were PI, and went to OCI. They sometimes don't do well at OCI because they half ass it. But there are also some PI who take jobs.

2012 was a little better but not insanely better. It's definitely risky. But again, unless you are going to HYSCCN you aren't going to get any less risky.

[09042014]

I just RSVP'd for ASW a few days ago, and I chose not to try to stay with a student because I would feel awkward crashing on some dude's studio floor when I could just find a hotel for myself. Will this affect my ability to do shots and/or drink whiskey with 1Ls? Because if so, I'm sure I can switch my RSVP.

I'm also planning on coming up there in February to see what bad weather is really like. There will still be bad weather in February, right?

It won't effect that at all. In fact I'd recommend getting a hotel if you have the cash.

[chadwick218]

I want to talk job prospects. Like most I am hesitant to take on 200k in debt. Is there a reasonable expectation that you will be able to manage your debt by getting a good job post graduation?

Please be candid.

60% of Class of 2011 got something out of OCI. Nobody knows how 2014 will look.

But you probably won't get a significantly better chance at big law other than the T6 law schools.

Tough choice.

Does that include PI jobs, or are you just talking private?

60% reflects big law. After factoring in PI, we are probably much closer to 75-80%. About 5-10% of our class are JD/MBAs who did not go through OCI. I would say that only 10%-15% have nothing at this point.

I don't think that the market was all that better this year, but people were much more proactive and creative in their job searches.

[homestyle28]

I would say that only 10%-15% have nothing at this point.

Is your general impression that this 10-15 percent is scattered throughout the class performance-wise? I know that NU doesn't rank their students (right?) and I get that one can't assume that the people w/o jobs are just the bottom end of the class, but I'm curious about the distribution.