Top Law Schools

Hi all,

Not sure if this is the correct place for this question so please move it if it doesn't belong here.

I will be starting law school in the fall and want your thoughts on renting a 2 bedroom vs a 1 br/studio. I'm not going to share a room with someone, but what do you think about sharing an apartment? It would save a fairly minor amount of money in the city I'm looking at but I was also thinking it might be nice not to live totally alone. On the other hand, it would be lower stress living alone and not worrying about a potential bad roommate who leaves dishes all over or who is loud late at night. Anyone have a compelling reason why one is better than the other?

i like roommates. did you have them in college/post-grad? if you got along then get roommates, extra $ saved is well worth it

jsquared wrote:Hi all,

Not sure if this is the correct place for this question so please move it if it doesn't belong here.

I will be starting law school in the fall and want your thoughts on renting a 2 bedroom vs a 1 br/studio. I'm not going to share a room with someone, but what do you think about sharing an apartment? It would save a fairly minor amount of money in the city I'm looking at but I was also thinking it might be nice not to live totally alone. On the other hand, it would be lower stress living alone and not worrying about a potential bad roommate who leaves dishes all over or who is loud late at night. Anyone have a compelling reason why one is better than the other?

I've done both. For law school it might be different and for LS I've lived alone, but if you have a good roommate I think it's probably better IMHO. You WILL have SOME free time during law school and it's nice to have someone to go out to a bar with, go to bar review with, or just chill with sometimes. At least for me. Minuses are the obvious: sharing a fridge/kitchen (sucks), potentially sharing a bathroom (sucks), and sharing a washer/dryer (sucks).

I know people who live alone and people who have a roommate. There is nothing law-school-related to mention regarding those situations. I have found that my friends who room with other law students seem to be more "plugged in" to the social scene than the ones who have random roommates (or families), but who knows how much of that is causative.

I think the marginal benefits of living alone aren't worth the $300+ you save each month. Plus, studios are TTT.

If you live with a roommate you should do some vetting to find a good one. And if you do, the rewards of having a roommate who would keep you honest in law school to do all the work, but also hang out with you to just unwind are going to help you keep your sanity

This is really going to depend on the kind of person you are. There's not really a correct answer here. Personally, I would much rather shell out the extra cash to have my own place. I'm pretty introverted and an incredibly light sleeper so no matter how quiet and accommodating my roommates are, I still feel a lot better in my own studio/1BR. I seem to be the minority here though; a lot of people really like having a roommate, especially one who is quiet and respectful.

If you don't mind living with people, want to save some money, and can find a good roommate, then there is nothing wrong with living with someone. Your own comfort (including financial) should weigh heaviest on your decision here.

~

There's nothing special or particular about law school when it comes to answering this question

This answer is: It depends. There can be pros and cons to either and it's up to you and your priorities/tolerances/preferences/whatever.

get a dog and no roommate. a dog is a roommate who is mentally incapable of acting passive-aggressively.

grand inquisitor wrote:get a dog and no roommate. a dog is a roommate who is mentally incapable of acting passive-aggressively.

Just make sure before you get a dog that you start a TLS thread on whether it's a good idea to have a dog in law school. It's a topic that has never before been addressed but I'm sure we can all arrive at a reasonable consensus!

BigZuck wrote:

grand inquisitor wrote:get a dog and no roommate. a dog is a roommate who is mentally incapable of acting passive-aggressively.

Just make sure before you get a dog that you start a TLS thread on whether it's a good idea to have a dog in law school. It's a topic that has never before been addressed but I'm sure we can all arrive at a reasonable consensus!

Can a mod please move this to its own thread? We need more space to talk about if it's a good idea to talk about if it's a good idea to have a dog in law school

Ideally, you should find a friend with benefits (casual hook up buddy) to live with while you are in law school.

This arrangement has numerous positive qualities and advantages that you wouldn't have if you live alone or with a traditional roommate.

kellyfrost wrote:Ideally, you should find a friend with benefits (casual hook up buddy) to live with while you are in law school.

This arrangement has numerous positive qualities and advantages that you wouldn't have if you live alone or with a traditional roommate.

Bad idea, not the FWB part but living with an FWB. This may be a personal thing, but I feel like this has could have big disadvantages. I'd rather not live with someone I'm hooking up with but have a rather ambiguous relationship with.

GMasters5 wrote:

kellyfrost wrote:Ideally, you should find a friend with benefits (casual hook up buddy) to live with while you are in law school.

This arrangement has numerous positive qualities and advantages that you wouldn't have if you live alone or with a traditional roommate.

Bad idea, not the FWB part but living with an FWB. This may be a personal thing, but I feel like this has could have big disadvantages. I'd rather not live with someone I'm hooking up with but have a rather ambiguous relationship with.

I understand what you are saying and where you are coming from.

I've just had really good experiences for years with this, unlike the one time I had a roommate.

kellyfrost wrote:

GMasters5 wrote:

kellyfrost wrote:Ideally, you should find a friend with benefits (casual hook up buddy) to live with while you are in law school.

This arrangement has numerous positive qualities and advantages that you wouldn't have if you live alone or with a traditional roommate.

Bad idea, not the FWB part but living with an FWB. This may be a personal thing, but I feel like this has could have big disadvantages. I'd rather not live with someone I'm hooking up with but have a rather ambiguous relationship with.

I understand what you are saying and where you are coming from.

I've just had really good experiences for years with this, unlike the one time I had a roommate.

Really? I've just never heard good experiences from living with a FWB. So far, my roommates have been mostly random and cool, except for one guy but even then it wasn't too bad.

GMasters5 wrote:

kellyfrost wrote:

GMasters5 wrote:

kellyfrost wrote:Ideally, you should find a friend with benefits (casual hook up buddy) to live with while you are in law school.

This arrangement has numerous positive qualities and advantages that you wouldn't have if you live alone or with a traditional roommate.

Bad idea, not the FWB part but living with an FWB. This may be a personal thing, but I feel like this has could have big disadvantages. I'd rather not live with someone I'm hooking up with but have a rather ambiguous relationship with.

I understand what you are saying and where you are coming from.

I've just had really good experiences for years with this, unlike the one time I had a roommate.

Really? I've just never heard good experiences from living with a FWB. So far, my roommates have been mostly random and cool, except for one guy but even then it wasn't too bad.

Maybe I've just been lucky, but I've never had a bad experience. I usually try to make the suggestion for the FWB-Roommate arrangement simultaneously to when we start discussing the need for a new place to live, moving, or looking for a roommate. Obviously, not everyone is interested in such an arrangement, but being cool, very open and upfront about it is extremely helpful I've found. There are a lot of women looking for the same type arrangement. Being on the same page in terms of this type of living situation is of upmost importance.

Thanks for the input, everyone. I'm not interested in living with a FWB because that seems like it could get real weird real quick once it ended and finding a roommate is hard enough without having attractiveness requirements!

i had a very terrible roommate during college who played video games all the time. repetition of gaming music drove me crazy.

a compromising alternative is to seek a roommate who is quiet and loves to study, so that rent is shared. a lousy roommate is a three-year nightmare to a law student.

jsquared wrote:Thanks for the input, everyone. I'm not interested in living with a FWB because that seems like it could get real weird real quick once it ended and finding a roommate is hard enough without having attractiveness requirements!

find them online and that should be easy.

how.abt a chinese roommate? most chinese are industrious and will be happy to live with a diligent white.guy

I preferred living alone my 1L year. I just found a place I could afford within my budget. I did a lot of studying in the library anyways, so I was not home that much. Once I made friends, I had a roommate later in school. It takes a while to get to know someone with your same study habits that doesn't drive you nuts.

ThisWillDo23 wrote:This is really going to depend on the kind of person you are. There's not really a correct answer here. Personally, I would much rather shell out the extra cash to have my own place. I'm pretty introverted and an incredibly light sleeper so no matter how quiet and accommodating my roommates are, I still feel a lot better in my own studio/1BR. I seem to be the minority here though; a lot of people really like having a roommate, especially one who is quiet and respectful.

If you don't mind living with people, want to save some money, and can find a good roommate, then there is nothing wrong with living with someone. Your own comfort (including financial) should weigh heaviest on your decision here.

Totally agree. But ya everyone's different.

grand inquisitor wrote:get a dog and no roommate. a dog is a roommate who is mentally incapable of acting passive-aggressively.

So were some of my UG roomies. Except they were mentally capable of drinking Jack Daniels and blaring their conquest of zombies throughout the apartment (and complex).

KeYe88 wrote: how.abt a chinese roommate? most chinese are industrious and will be happy to live with a diligent white.guy

....Do you read what you write???

Not sure I would risk having a roommate from hell during 1L year.