UVA Law Students Taking Questions Forum

[vanwinkle]

On an unrelated note: other than ivy and jeffersonian, what are some good places within walking distance to live? I'm starting to shop for apartments.

Arlington Court Condos. It's where I live now, across the street from Jeffersonian.

Website? Can't seem to find one.

They're condos. Each one is owned by a separate landlord/landlady. You have to go look at property rentals; I found the one I'm living in through Craigslist.

Since there's no central leasing agency to go through, you just kind of have to find each unit as it's announced vacant.

[flyingpanda]

Oh ok gotcha... I'm browsing craigslist right now. So far I've found this: --LinkRemoved--

edit: and this --LinkRemoved--

are these the types of places you're talking about?

[Stringer Bell]

On an unrelated note: other than ivy and jeffersonian, what are some good places within walking distance to live? I'm starting to shop for apartments.

Arlington Court Condos. It's where I live now, across the street from Jeffersonian.

Website? Can't seem to find one.

They're condos. Each one is owned by a separate landlord/landlady. You have to go look at property rentals; I found the one I'm living in through Craigslist.

Since there's no central leasing agency to go through, you just kind of have to find each unit as it's announced vacant.

What time of year did you find yours? This practice of looking for an apartment several months in advance is somewhat foreign to me since I'm used to apartment hunting about a month before I move.

[flyingpanda]

I think most people are looking now, I believe Vanwinkle mentioned he found his place last year in March but considers that late.

[vanwinkle]

Oh ok gotcha... I'm browsing craigslist right now. So far I've found this: --LinkRemoved--

edit: and this --LinkRemoved--

are these the types of places you're talking about?

The "Arlington Park" townhome is a little further down the hill. The 1BR Arlington Court Condo is an identical unit to the one I'm living in, and at a similar price.

These units go quickly when they're posted; you might want to contact the owner soon and be prepared to deposit without visiting. That's how I got the unit I'm in. What you're paying for is location, and first person to deposit wins.

[vanwinkle]

I think most people are looking now, I believe Vanwinkle mentioned he found his place last year in March but considers that late.

Yeah, I kinda lucked out on when I found mine. Because each Arlington Court condo is individually owned it depends on when the owner finds out their lessee is moving out. Sometimes this happens early and sometimes it happens late, it just depends.

Mine was posted in April and I jumped on it when I found it. I don't know how much later you could hold out, but doing so decreases your chances of finding something close to the law school.

[Kohinoor]

I live on Arlington and got my place in June ONLY because the previous owner of the lease decided to defer for a year and needed out of her lease asap.

[flyingpanda]

I'm probably going to try to snag an Ivy Gardens unit for the first year just for the experience, but I might have to look on Arlington since it seems like housing is starting to fill up fast.

[vanwinkle]

I live on Arlington and got my place in June ONLY because the previous owner of the lease decided to defer for a year and needed out of her lease asap.

You must be like next door to me. Huh.

Is that where that loud thumping music is coming from at 2am?

[Kronk]

Yale thread got me thinking--do any of you guys know if UVA has a chapel?

[Stringer Bell]

This is kind of a bummer. I extended my ASW stay through Sunday mainly with the intention of checking out properties. You guys are saying that's futile and I should already have a signed lease agreement by then?

[vanwinkle]

Yale thread got me thinking--do any of you guys know if UVA has a chapel?

--LinkRemoved--

It's on the UVA main campus, but it's on the same bus route that stops in front of the law school. Unless ridership is crazy (not often) it's a 5-minute bus ride away.

[Kohinoor]

I live on Arlington and got my place in June ONLY because the previous owner of the lease decided to defer for a year and needed out of her lease asap.

You must be like next door to me. Huh.

Is that where that loud thumping music is coming from at 2am?

Signs point to yes

[vanwinkle]

This is kind of a bummer. I booked extended my ASW stay through Sunday mainly with the intention of checking out properties. You guys are saying that's futile and I should already have a signed lease agreement by then?

I found the place I'm in after ASW, but it wasn't a property I looked at during ASW, it was just a property that happened to be vacant when I was looking and I grabbed it.

I think going to ASW gave me the confidence to rent it sight unseen, since I had at least passed the complex and I knew its location was worth it. But if someone else was telling me what I know now, I'd have rented sooner to be more sure I got a decent place close to campus.

If you're planning on owning a car and getting a parking permit you can be in far less of a hurry. There's a variety of apartments and rental properties farther from campus that don't go quickly; it's really the stuff that's walking distance from the school that's hard to come by.

[Kohinoor]

This is kind of a bummer. I extended my ASW stay through Sunday mainly with the intention of checking out properties. You guys are saying that's futile and I should already have a signed lease agreement by then?

There are many properties available very late in the game. This was the only furnished unit that close available that late but you will certainly always have your choice of apartments. The dialogue here is focused on the three complexes where you can roll out of bed and be in class in 5 minutes on foot. For those units, yea, you're pretty much gg'ed but apartments are plentiful slightly further away.

FWIW while Ivy is close, the Woodlands/Redfields/University Place are nice as hell and so many people end up living there that I often up up traveling out there for social functions. In fact, I've been there more than I've been to Ivy.

[Amelie]

How soon after you put an application in for an apartment do you have to commit? Is it a bad idea to try to get a spot in Ivy if I'm not positive yet where I'll be next year?

[astro1819]

Just admitted recently, and so far I'm pretty psyched about the prospect of coming to UVA.

Could anyone comment on the opportunities available for significant others and spouses? My SO will definitely be moving with me, and I was wondering how the job market is around Charlottesville. Also, do sig. others and spouses tend to integrate into the law school community easily? Would they be able to gain access to UVA facilities?

Stanford definitely has the nicest accommodations for partners, but just wondering how UVA fares. Thanks.

[vanwinkle]

How soon after you put an application in for an apartment do you have to commit? Is it a bad idea to try to get a spot in Ivy if I'm not positive yet where I'll be next year?

Ivy, in terms of applying to live there, is one of the worst systems in the history of apartment rentals. They require you to submit a large deposit with your rental application, and without knowing 1) what unit you're getting or 2) what move-in date you'll be offered. You're also charged a $20 app fee. If the rental they end up offering you isn't satisfactory, then they refund the deposit (but not the app fee). They will not guarantee you a particular unit or start date except for the units/start dates they offer you after you deposit.

Those start dates are non-negotiable, too; they offered me a unit in mid-June, and I told them I didn't want to move in until August, and their "suggestion" was that I start paying rent in mid-June so that I'd get the apartment. Pardon my French, but fuck that shit.

It's worth putting up with the immense bullshit from the leasing/management agency if 1) you're sure you're going to UVA and 2) you want to live in a nice modern place close to campus where a bunch of other law students are living. The problem is that the longer you wait to apply, the less likely there will be an apartment available around the start date you want, and they'll try to stick you with an offer of a lease that starts months before you want to move in. So you should get an apartment now in order to ensure you don't end up double-paying rent... but they keep your deposit as non-refundable if you cancel later, meaning you lose hundreds of dollars if you don't come to UVA.

It's a huge and unfortunate dilemma.

[vanwinkle]

FWIW while Ivy is close, the Woodlands/Redfields/University Place are nice as hell and so many people end up living there that I often up up traveling out there for social functions. In fact, I've been there more than I've been to Ivy.

I have never been to a "social function" at one of these places but I do know that several people in my section stay at them as well. They are fairly popular, if not as close to the law school as Ivy or the Jeffersonian. As Kohinoor says, there will be plenty of options available later this spring and summer, just probably not ones within walking distance from the law school.

[McNabb]

Hey I've been accepted to UVA and was wondering what you guys would say about the school for someone who knows they aren't interested in NYC, kinda of interested in DC, and unsure about other markets? I'm a minority from the Philly area who would like to got to a school that isn't cutthroat, has great job prospects, and preferably warm weather. So far I've gotten into UVA, Michigan, Penn, Chicago, Columbia, Duke, and GULC (in the top 10). I'm waiting to hear from Harvard and Stanford. I applied to Texas as well and got about a 60K scholarship.

[02082010]

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[McNabb]

Hey I've been accepted to UVA and was wondering what you guys would say about the school for someone who knows they aren't interested in NYC,

[strike]Columbia[/strike]
[strike]Penn[/strike]

kinda of interested in DC, and unsure about other markets? I'm a minority from the Philly area who would like to got to a school that isn't cutthroat,

[strike]GULC[/strike]

has great job prospects,

[strike]Texas[/strike]
[strike]Duke[/strike]

and preferably warm weather.

[strike]Chicago[/strike]

So far I've gotten into UVA, Michigan, Penn, Chicago, Columbia, Duke, and GULC (in the top 10). I'm waiting to here from Harvard and Stanford. I applied to Texas as well and got about a 60K scholarship.

Looks like UVA. hth.

Well I probably will drop Michigan, but I don't just want to throw Chicago out considering their amazing rep and location in a city that is big and has an OK cost of living. That's really attractive to me, Charlottesville might be a little small for me. Besides, what about Duke? Their weather is great and I really liked their admissions staff. Plus I would be able to experience great B-ball and party in Chapel Hill. Columbia's prestige has them in the running too.

I guess for now can someone compare Duke to UVA? I know that UVA is more prestigious but is it by that much? Durham/Chapel Hill seems more fun.

[Kohinoor]

Hey I've been accepted to UVA and was wondering what you guys would say about the school for someone who knows they aren't interested in NYC, kinda of interested in DC, and unsure about other markets? I'm a minority from the Philly area who would like to got to a school that isn't cutthroat, has great job prospects, and preferably warm weather. So far I've gotten into UVA, Michigan, Penn, Chicago, Columbia, Duke, and GULC (in the top 10). I'm waiting to here from Harvard and Stanford. I applied to Texas as well and got about a 60K scholarship.

If you don't get into Stanford, come here.

[Amelie]

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[FeuerFrei]

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