STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

bebegirl020 · BCBG

move out for law school?

HeatherLynn · Gucci

Since you already have a little student loan debt I would probably live at home, at least for a little while. That way you don't have to take out all of the money if you don't want to. Also, if you have any sort of job during that time you could use it against your current student loans. However, with the price of gas as high as it is (and no sight of relief) if maybe be close to a wash if you lived closer (depending on your vehicle). But, I definitely understand not wanting to live at home anymore!!

tri_sarah_tops · Marc Jacobs

How far is your commute, in mileage, and what kind of car do you drive? Also, how expensive would it be to live near the school, either alone or with a roommate? Given the cost of gas, etc, you may not save that much by living at home. Also, since you lived on your own during undergrad, living with the parents may drive you crazy. I know I couldn't have done it!

Farrah · Marc Jacobs

Skokie is so close to the city I would go for the Metra or do the Skokie Swift yellow line to the red line. You will be eligible for a U Pass through school which is only $56 a semester. It will also be most likely the same or a faster commute into the city based on our crazy traffic AND parking near JM is WAY expensive (I know, I work one block from there). Either way you are saving a ton of money by not driving and not having living expenses. One of my BF's buddies had over $200K in loans when he graduated from John Marshall. He lived in the city all three years BTW.

Alikat · Kate Spade

Personally I'd live at home because you will save in multiple things - rent, utilities, food, etc. You can move out later if it doesn't work out, but I think you should try and live at home for as long as possible. I know that living at home is not very fun - but I think you will thank yourself for it later in life.

Dizzy · Marc Jacobs

Student loan debt sucks, but a commute is time you just don't have in law school. I lived 12 minutes away from the school my first year, and it cost me big-time in terms of being left out of activities with people who lived within blocks of school, extra stress in the morning and being late to class because of things out of my control, like dump trucks blocking the road an crap like that (HUGELY frowned on by professors - they'd rather you just didn't go, and they'll mark you down for that too). Also, it was just ridiculous having to pile EVERYTHING you need into the car every morning, move your car throughout the day (depending on parking laws - I got a lot of tickets, which is a hidden expense) and then unload it at night. We had lockers, but the schlepping was insane anyway. Plus, there's always the danger of leaving the book you need at home or viceversa because you have TWELVE and they're all huge, and then folders for each class and sheesh.

This is giving me flashbacks. Breathe :)

Overall, I just think commuting is more trouble than it's worth because of the nature of law school. Law school is not like any other grad program, and a major pet peeve of mine has become people who were in happy, cooperative grad school programs with reasonably sane professors, who think their experience is at all comparable. It's not. In law school, do what everyone else is doing in every way possible, and do it with total commitment, or don't bother spending the money, because every aspect of your in-school behavior will have implications for your later job search.

wetbandit42 · Marc Jacobs

Dizzy wrote:

I lived 12 minutes away from the school my first year, and it cost me big-time in terms of being left out of activities with people who lived within blocks of school, extra stress in the morning and being late to class because of things out of my control, like dump trucks blocking the road an crap like that (HUGELY frowned on by professors - they'd rather you just didn't go, and they'll mark you down for that too).

I just wanted to say that I partially agree with Dizzy - a long commute is something you shouldn't be spending your precious time on. I go to Marquette and live relatively close, so my commute is only about 10 minutes and it's fine, although by the time I factor in parking and walking to school, plus being a few minutes early, it's probably more like a 35 minute process.

Also, I think being late depends on your professors. I had one prof. first semester who would stare you down if you were late and wait until you were seated until he began speaking again. However, most of my professors were cool with people being late a few times. If you're late all the time, that's one thing, but I think a lot of professors will excuse being late once in a while.

Also, I guess living close to school it depends on the school. I could imagine that lots of people who attend JM live relatively close to the school, but in Milwaukee it's completely different. Marquette is in a not-so-nice area, so most people commute to school. Just one thing to consider.

If I had to choose, I'd say live with your parents and reduce your debt load. If you don't like it, you can always move to an apartment after the first semester. I know a lot of people lived with their parents this year, and they all did fine academically.

wetbandit42 · Marc Jacobs

Btw, I'm in law school.

esquiress · Marc Jacobs

I lived at home all three years of law school and it saved me a ton in loans and I didn't miss out on any of the things Dizzy mentioned but I think that is because:

1) LA is a driving city so everyone was scattered everywhere.

2) We had lockers to put our books in.

3) I don't remember being late, except 3rd year and by then who really cares.

Dizzy · Marc Jacobs

Yeah, a school with a commuter culture could completely change my answer.

I went to law school in a small town with only two possible roads that allowed me to get to the school from my end of town (Yes it was bizarre). Almost everyone lived within walking distance of school, and the professors sort of kidded about expecting us to sleep there - in an "I'm not really kidding" kind of way. So the first month of school, I kept getting up earlier, and earlier and earlier to avoid dump trucks and people who drive twelve miles under the speed limit, and four way stops that back up for 20 minutes, and other weird traffic hazards I'd never dealt with before, only to completely have a meltdown the day BOTH ROADS FLOODED and I just sat in my car crying because I didn't want to go home and I couldn't go to class. Even so, I was only late three times in the first two months, but a professor commented on it in class, so I heard about it from everyone over and over and over for the next three years.

So um. You're not going to Indiana, right? Please don't go to Indiana. And good luck!

One more thing: My school had a culture where professor's targeted people, sort of to make an example of them and to make everyone else work harder. That's why I said, "Don't stick out!" It makes you a better target. If your culture doesn't have this old-school mentality, you don't need to worry about it nearly as much. I suspect that larger, more urban schools are a lot less sheltered and more likely to be sort of modern about things.

-- Edited by Dizzy at 00:56, 2008-07-01

jacL · Coach

Well, John Marshall is in the South Loop, right? So unless you live within walking distance, you are still going to have to rely on the bus and/or train to get to school. Depending on where you live, you can have a super quick commute or a long one that requires transfers, even if the distance traveled is the same (you know what I mean...it's early so I apologize if I am not making any sense). If you can choose your apartment with that in mind you may end up walking or with a really short commute but otherwise you may end up with a 35-minutes commute involving both a bus and a train, both of which may run late. I think you should seriously consider living at home, at least for the first semester and see how it works out.