This is a thread for those who will be attending UO this fall. Welcome! Here's a link to the Facebook group if you haven't joined yet:

UO Law Class of 2012

Sign me up! Go Ducks!

Great! Welcome!! Where are you planning on living next year? I actually talked to housing and they won't know until August about graduate housing placement.... I'm looking for an apartment because I can't afford to wait that long. Most of the apartments in Eugene start taking applications for fall leases around the end of May and beginning of June.

I have no clue whatsoever. I haven't been to Eugene in 10 years or so.

Any recommendations? Only requirement is that is must be pet friendly. Also, I might prefer a condo or town home over an apartment because I have a wife and am over living in apartments.

I have a cat, so I'm looking for pet-friendly apartments as well. Are you looking for something right on campus, or would you be willing to drive in? When I was in Eugene in UG, I lived over on Goodpasture Loop by VRC--very pet-friendly, and there are townhomes there as well as apartments (the Heron Club was the name of the complex, I believe). At the time, my roommates and I paid $900 total for a 3 bdrm, 2 1/2 bath townhome with pets (now I'm sure it's more expensive). Norkenzie Village has some good units as well--I've known a few people who have lived there and enjoyed it immensely.

I'm personally checking out 1 bdrm apts near campus--we have a mortgage in Portland, where my fiance's staying while I'm in school, so I don't want anything bigger than I absolutely need. I'm not thrilled about the prospect of paying two housing bills each month!

Anyone have thoughts on why Oregon doesn't seem to have placed anyone on the WL so far this year? I'm dying to hear something from Eugene. My application (162/3. went complete 3/17.

I know they review apps through May, so they probably just haven't gotten through those that were complete in March. I was complete in January, before they started reviewing apps at all, so I heard back fairly quickly. Glancing at LSN, there are very few decisions for those who sent their applications in later in the cycle. My guess is that they'll start waitlisting in May once they get through all of the applications once. Good luck! I hope you'll be joining us!

still so excited about getting in, and it's been hours! i agonized between choosing syracuse and pacific mcgeorge for days, and finally chose syracuse and overnighted my deposit yesterday. when i got my acceptance today, i called syracuse immediately, asked them to shred my check, and called my bank to cancel my check. oregon is the easy choice for me, and the one i'm happiest about, too.

so, i've never been to oregon, but i've been in love with the idea of moving there for a while now. i'm through with the east coast, and oregon seems like the perfect blend of everything i'm looking for. now i just have to figure out how to move from maryland to oregon. luckily, it's just me, and i don't have that much stuff, but i'd like to bring my bedroom furniture, instead of buying all new stuff. don't know how it's going to work out. how does one plan a cross-country move?

i actually have the time off to go to the school for the ASD, so i'm going to make it happen. somehow. looking forward to meeting everyone.

My application is in second review...U of O's version of waitlist.

I'm trying to figure out the same...U-Haul is expensive!

where will you be coming from?

i'm trying to convince my dad to put all of my stuff in his trailer and do a cross-country roadtrip.

I had a friend move from Oregon to Colorado, and she ended up buying new bedroom furniture because that was actually cheaper than paying to move everything. Granted, she got everything at Ikea, but moving charges are insane!

If anyone has questions about Oregon or Eugene, please let me know and I'll do my best to answer them. I grew up in Bend, went to UO for 3/4 of undergrad, and have been in Portland for about 5 years now, so I'm very familiar with the area.

I was looking into moving from LA to Chicago. U-Haul was asking for pretty close to $1500. Factoring in the cost of fuel (@ $0.50/mile) thats another grand down the drain.
It would be cheaper to buy a whole apartment worth of furniture (including a 42" flat screen tv!) on Craigslist.

From LA to Eugene wound't be as bad.

yeah, if my dad won't drive me out, i'll probably look at doing something like that. but i just bought all new furniture a year and a half ago and love it. i'll be sad if i have to give it up...but it'll be a small price to pay, i suppose.

i will have a ton of questions in the near future, i'm sure. i'm going to do some research now on eugene and oregon in general.

i'll be okay without a car, right? is the QOL in the area really as high as i am imagining it, minus the rain? and how is the COL so low? these are three questions i have right now, but it's okay if you don't have answers.

I moved from Oregon to Washington DC last summer and am not looking forward to going back. I drove solo across the country, taking only what I could fit in my volvo. I've been living low, trying not to accumulate much stuff out here, and what I have was cheap, so I'll just be leaving it all here, buying more again when I get back to Eugene. Biggest problem with that direction of move is, last I checked, the nearest IKEA is up in Portland. Still probably the best bet. Yes, moving is very expensive.

I grew up in Eugene, but left for college. Been back for brief periods since. I, too can answer some questions, if you need them. A car would be useful, and not much of a hassle to have, but not necessary.

I don't know how high the quality of life you are imagining is, but it's pretty high, as long as you don't get seasonal affective disorder, which is common there. Very laid back, people are friendly. It's beautiful. I like it there!

I've always loved Eugene, so I think QOL is great there. There are a lot of activities nearby, too; it's a great place to go hiking or biking, and the mountains and coast are each about an hour to an hour and a half away. There are also some fun (albeit alternative) activities like the Street Fair and the Oregon Country Fair (though that happens in July, so you may be gone for the summer then). Plenty of good concerts come through town, and the Hult Center showcases symphonies, operas, and ballets, if you enjoy those.

My brother is raising his kids in Eugene, and is really happy with the school system and the family-friendly environment, so it's good for that if you ultimately settle there. Oh, and the rain really isn't too horrible--it's consistent, but isn't heavy at all, so it's quite bearable.

It's definitely feasible to go without a car, especially if you live on-campus. The public transit system has been completely overhauled in the last few years, too, so it's a useful resource if you need to get around town. I didn't have a car my first year in undergrad, and I was completely fine, even before the transit system was upgraded.

COL is generally low in Oregon, but Eugene is particularly cheap compared to Portland because the city is still pretty small. Although it's the second largest city in Oregon, it only has about 150,000 people v. Portland's metro area population of 2 million, and the population is centered primarily around the university. Also, the majority of areas outside Eugene are rural (Veneta, Junction City, Cottage Grove), so you don't have a big suburban population to push prices up.

I hope that helps! Let me know if you think of anything else you'd like to ask.

Oh, and yes, the nearest Ikea is in Portland, though there is a TJ Maxx home store in Eugene, as well as what seems like a dozen Wal-Marts. There are also a few other affordable options. I'm personally buying my stuff at Ikea and bringing it down in my fiance's truck.

You might look into a truck "container" type of move. Essentially, you hire a moving company to park a tractor trailer in front of your house, then you load up all or a portion of it and it arrives at your destination several days later. Usually much cheaper than a U-Haul.

thanks for the advice about moving and the info about the area, everyone! it's much appreciated!



i just booked my ticket to come out for the ASD. i'll get there friday afternoon and leave very early on tuesday morning. haven't booked a hotel yet.

who wants to hang out? or maybe split a room for a night or two to cut costs?

Suggestion: don't book the Hilton; you'll hear the train all night! The Phoenix Inn near campus is great, and there are a couple of more affordable options, too. I'd be up for hanging out after the ASD. There's a bar nearby (Villard St. Pub) that has good food and decent drinks, if you wanted to get a group together. I think my fiance and I are heading back to Portland that evening, so we won't stay too late, but we'd like to meet everyone!

That's not a bad idea. Did you know of any companies that do this?

PODS does. Here's a link: http://www.pods.com/. Bizjunkie may have a couple of other places in mind, too.

I'll look into PODS...I wonder if they ship motorcycles as well...

pods is mad expensive!

ugh, i don't think there will be a cheap option.


but definitely let's form a group and hang out on friday after the event. that place sounds great. i'll post something on facebook (wearing an orange sweater and holding a cat in my pic--pretty sure i already figured out who you are kimber1028). can't wait to meet my future classmates!

Yeah--I'm pretty obvious. My username under the UO forum is the same as here, lol. I added you on Facebook! Your cat is adorable, BTW.

This only rumor, but I heard that to start a moving company in Oregon, you need a license that is granted by a committee of people who own the existing companies. One can guess what this cartel means for everyone else.