Loyola (LA) 2013 Forum

[Island Girl]

Great to hear! If things don't work out with Davis, it's LA for me. I'd still be pretty excited to attend Loyola. You might want to consider getting a windows laptop over a Mac. I heard you'd have to install bootcamp in a Mac for it to be usable during exams. It might not apply to Loyola but it never hurts to check. You don't want computer issues in the middle of a final.

[strike]My friend Garrett (who was on the student panel at Preview day) has had a Mac for all of law school and he says a little less than half of the students there use a Mac. He has never had any issues with exam software.

[/strike]

I talked with Garrett again today and he said that you indeed do have to use Bootcamp in order to use the SofTest exam software for finals. On top of that, it is the same software used on the CA bar exam as well. Totally lame. Even though bootcamp is free, when you add the whole extra step, I don't know if it's worth it.

The computer I am currently in favor of is the HP dm3t series... 4.2 lbs and 9 hrs of better life in addition to having a mostly brushed aluminum exterior that appears pretty durable and solid overall. It doesn't include a DVD drive, so you have to get an external one, but the way I see it, there is no way I would ever need a CD/DVD player at school anyways. It ends up being about $750.

Hey dalancas. I'm such a dufus for not checking this thread earlier and seeing that you've replied! haha. Don't want to leave people hanging. Thanks for the info on Bootcamp. That's certainly cemented my preference for windows. I'm thinking of getting a Sony Vaio. It looks durable and reliable and since I don't plan on changing laptops while I'm in law school, I think it'll be a good investment. It'll be my first time taking exams on a computer and I'd feel much better knowing I can count on the hardware. I also have a three year old desktop with updated memory, video card, etc. that will be staying in my apartment.

[dalancas]

Hey dalancas. I'm such a dufus for not checking this thread earlier and seeing that you've replied! haha. Don't want to leave people hanging. Thanks for the info on Bootcamp. That's certainly cemented my preference for windows. I'm thinking of getting a Sony Vaio. It looks durable and reliable and since I don't plan on changing laptops while I'm in law school, I think it'll be a good investment. It'll be my first time taking exams on a computer and I'd feel much better knowing I can count on the hardware. I also have a three year old desktop with updated memory, video card, etc. that will be staying in my apartment.

My thinking exactly. I went to a computer store the other day and looked at some of the laptops out there. Asus has some incredible stuff! They have a 14''/4.2lbs/12hour laptop out... its like ULV80 or something. The Sony Y series also looks pretty nice too! They don't list it at Loyola but Sony has a 7% discount on laptops if you find the education store on the Sony website! It's good for a hundred or so bucks off I think.

[Island Girl]

My thinking exactly. I went to a computer store the other day and looked at some of the laptops out there. Asus has some incredible stuff! They have a 14''/4.2lbs/12hour laptop out... its like ULV80 or something. The Sony Y series also looks pretty nice too! They don't list it at Loyola but Sony has a 7% discount on laptops if you find the education store on the Sony website! It's good for a hundred or so bucks off I think.

Wow! You're right. Those Asus laptops are really nice and they're pretty affordable too. Haha. I'll really have to do my homework before I decide on what to get. There's so many options out there. Thanks for the info on the discount btw.

[Duralex]

I am officially here now.

Regarding the tech stuff above....be warned: LLS (and LMU as a whole) is plagued by a well meaning but basically clueless IT department and a ramshackle infrastructure.

For the record, I have a macbook with SnowLeo and XP Pro (via bootcamp and VM-Ware) and expect it will be just fine.

If you have a relatively recent notebook, your tech money might be better invested in accessories (external monitor and keyboard for home use, laser printer) or complementary items (I'm considering an iPad or ebook reader.)

[Island Girl]

For those of you who are familiar with the LA area, any tips as to good and affordable places to live? Any info would be much appreciated!

[dalancas]

For those of you who are familiar with the LA area, any tips as to good and affordable places to live? Any info would be much appreciated!

I am going to try to live within a half mile of a Metro station, or along the Olympic Boulevard express bus category. That way I don't have to drive to school every single day. That means either Koreatown, Hollywood or Pasadena for me. Everything on padmapper suggests I will be paying 700-800 per room. Check out the Google Street-view and Walkscore functions on http://www.Padmapper.com! I have been marking out different parts of town that I will be driving around and scoping in June. Supposedly we get access to the magical roommate finder after our 2nd deposit goes through. Hopefully I can find another dude to share a 2br/2ba somewhere.

[Duralex]

I know the newish Ralphs downtown is supposed to be nice. Haven't been there myself yet. But that's yet another indication that living in downtown itself is increasingly livable.

How close do you want to live? Are you bringing a car? I can't offer much more about living in downtown proper, or Koreatown. To the west, Culver City, the Miracle Mile and Pico-Robertson are the areas I'd be looking in first. Another option is to live through the pass in one of the Valley communities--Burbank or Studio City, I'd imagine. Silverlake and Echo Park aren't my scene but are pretty close to school and I think they're still popular with the hipster set.

You can get some really good deals in the Pico-Robertson area on duplexes, often in pretty cool (if funky) converted older LA Spanish Missionary style homes/buildings. Maybe look there first?

If you have anyone you can stay with for a week or two it helps to be able to look around some.

EDIT: This is in an iffy but manageable area, and looks like a good deal in that you get a full 1BR -- --LinkRemoved-- -- in better areas it's the same rate for a studio. The rental market here is tricky. Here's a representative listing for a nicer place near the Miracle Mile, about halfway between downtown and the west side and convenient to Hollywood/West Hollywood: --LinkRemoved-- . Half again as much, but has a lot of charm. Here's another single, also in the miracle mile, for ~$1k: --LinkRemoved-- / If you're like me, and tend to study at home, how your place feels may matter to you more. Also, if you're not going to have a car, you want to be more careful about the neighborhood.

Another option is to live in Adams near USC: --LinkRemoved-- . Lousy neighborhood, but it's been getting better, there are a fair number of students around, and a lot of houses/apartments (some renovated, some not.)

Gotta be something wrong with this place: --LinkRemoved-- . 3BR house in Silverlake for $900? Don't think so.

[Island Girl]

Hey thanks guys. Even you, Duralex. Truce?

I'm heading back to LA in June to check out places. My boyfriend's sister is a current Loyola student and she lives in a high-rise apartment structure in Downtown, right in the neighborhood of the courts, the Walt Disney building, etc. It's about a 5-10 minute drive to the school, literally across the freeway. There are several other high-rises there with surprisingly decent rent and amenities. I let her landlady know I was interested in a studio. I'm still very interested in finding cheaper places though. The more I save, the more I win. Padmapper's really useful for this purpose, Dalancas. Cool tool right there. Muchas gracias!

[Duralex]

If you can stay with your "un-sister-in-law" (LOL) for about a week and check out neighborhoods, that will make a world of difference. It's really, really hard to get a sense of LA's neighborhoods w/o being here. That should be good.

I ain't mad at 'cha, by the way. You can be mad at me if you want to, I was probably too hard on those kids. I was trying to warn against repeating mistakes the way I did, but my timing sucked.

[tortbook]

The fall calendar (http://reg.lls.edu/2010fall/documents/2 ... lendar.pdf) and tentative 1L schedule (http://reg.lls.edu/2010fall/documents/2 ... ourses.pdf) are out.

No Con law til the spring!

[dalancas]

The fall calendar (http://reg.lls.edu/2010fall/documents/2 ... lendar.pdf) and tentative 1L schedule (http://reg.lls.edu/2010fall/documents/2 ... ourses.pdf) are out.

No Con law til the spring!

Dude... this means that D1 and D4 will have 8 am classes... OH. NO.

This will certainly affect where I choose to live next year. I'd prefer not to have to be out the door before 7 am to make it to class.

[dreabee]

Are people already finding out what section they're in??

[dalancas]

Are people already finding out what section they're in??

Probably not... registration is not until July 12th. I am wondering though when we will get the second deposit form.

[bconly]

I am wondering though when we will get the second deposit form.

Same... have you guys gotten any formal confirmation that they received your first deposit?? Other than them cashing the check?

[savesthedayajb]

Are people already finding out what section they're in??

Probably not... registration is not until July 12th. I am wondering though when we will get the second deposit form.

Got it last night.

I am wondering though when we will get the second deposit form.

Same... have you guys gotten any formal confirmation that they received your first deposit?? Other than them cashing the check?

They sent me an email acknowledging it about a week after I sent it in.

[Duralex]

The fall calendar (http://reg.lls.edu/2010fall/documents/2 ... lendar.pdf) and tentative 1L schedule (http://reg.lls.edu/2010fall/documents/2 ... ourses.pdf) are out.

No Con law til the spring!

Dude... this means that D1 and D4 will have 8 am classes... OH. NO.

This will certainly affect where I choose to live next year. I'd prefer not to have to be out the door before 7 am to make it to class.

I'd rather be out of the door by 7 and avoid both rush hours by having my schedule end early. I'm an early riser and a morning person, and dealing with rush hours on the 10 & 405 sucks.

But whatever it is, it is.

[Island Girl]

^I hope I don't get too early of a class. I wouldn't be able to function well.

On a different note, does anyone know when the 2nd seat deposit is due? Do we receive a second Seat Deposit Form in the mail? Thanks!

[dreabee]

2nd seat deposit is due June 15th -- I just got the form in the mail yesterday

[bconly]

For me I think it was due June 4th?? better check the form when it comes in the mail. Anyways, I just sent in my second deposit so I should be all set and ready to rumble.

[Island Girl]

For me I think it was due June 4th?? better check the form when it comes in the mail. Anyways, I just sent in my second deposit so I should be all set and ready to rumble.

2nd seat deposit is due June 15th -- I just got the form in the mail yesterday

Thanks!

[dalancas]

Hey everyone,
I took a short drive up to LA on Saturday. BTW the drive was miserable... I am not sure what makes it take 45 minutes to get to LA from Orange at mid-day on a Saturday but it was rather depressing. We scouted out the various neighborhoods that I had been looking at. Here is a summary of what I learned/can conclude.

Keep in mind that I pretty much confined this search to areas with easy public transit options to LLS. This means:
a) Bus #28 down Olympic Boulevard (straight shot to LLS)
b) Purple Line Subway through mid-Wilshire (to 7/Flower shuttle stop)
c) Red Line through Hollywood (to 7/Flower shuttle stop)

1. Immediate area of Loyola Law School + Macarthur Park area
Besides a few nicer apartments up the hill that go for around $1,000/month for a 2br/2ba (out of the price range for having my own room), the neighborhood around the school is definitely not somewhere you'd want to live. However, there appear to be some newly renovated apartments across the street from the parking lot. I will have to investigate the price/quality of them, because location-wise, they can't be beat. Having visitors over, is a completely other matter altogether.

2. Driving down Olympic Boulevard/Koreatown
This area is also not the greatest, at least until you reach Olympic and Western. There are like metal bars over every window. Maybe they are holdovers from the riots, but they can also be indicators of the fact that there might be people to keep out. Looking up a few of the neighborhoods (north) of Olympic at Normandie, a bunch of them seem pretty nice. However, it is definitely the case that the further you go from Olympic Boulevard, the nicer things become. However, it seems like there are nice townhouses once you reach Crenshaw or La Brea. It sort of turns into a much more residential neighborhood.

3. South of Wilshire Boulevard (between Vermont/Normandie and Wilton)
This is north of Olympic Boulevard and in many cases splitting the distance between Olympic and Wilshire. This area seems to have that wonderful Koreatown flair without the iron bars. There are a lot of small houses, but also a few apartment complexes here to boot. Most of these apartment complexes are along 7th street. A couple of them are: Windsor Court and Fedroa Woods.

4. North of Wilshire Boulevard (same cross-streets)
This is the prime cut of the area. Between Wilshire, Western and Normandie/Vermont and 3rd street, it is basically all great apartment complexes. A lot of them look newly remodeled, and almost all have underground parking garages that are gated off. There are trees lining the street and the whole neighborhood is very livable. Most importantly, all of these apartment complexes are within a half-mile or so of the subway stops at Western/Vermont/Normandie. A few of my favorite streets include Ardmore, Hobart, Kingsly, Catalina and Barendo. Looking at the listings for those complexes, their rents hover around $1600/month for a 2x2.

5. Moving up Vermont Avenue from Wilshire
This street parallels the Red Line Subway to Hollywood. Traveling up this street did not really yield any prospects of living places. Not a lot of housing here, really. Off to the side, there are a lot of rent-control properties and not a lot of turnover. Things don't really change until you hit Hollywood Boulevard.

6. Hollywood (area between Hollywood Boulevard and Franklin)
There are lots of nice places around the area, but everything is really crowded, and to be honest, a real pain to drive around in. Here are a lot of smaller duplexes for the most part until you get to just past Hollywood and Highland. There are a few complexes near Hollywood and La Brea (near the High School too). They seem to be priced a little higher than the Wilshire area, but there is a lot going on here. Most of these complexes push into the mid-1600's.

[S de Garmeaux]

For those of you who are familiar with the LA area, any tips as to good and affordable places to live? Any info would be much appreciated!

I am going to try to live within a half mile of a Metro station, or along the Olympic Boulevard express bus category. That way I don't have to drive to school every single day. That means either Koreatown, Hollywood or Pasadena for me. Everything on padmapper suggests I will be paying 700-800 per room. Check out the Google Street-view and Walkscore functions on http://www.Padmapper.com! I have been marking out different parts of town that I will be driving around and scoping in June. Supposedly we get access to the magical roommate finder after our 2nd deposit goes through. Hopefully I can find another dude to share a 2br/2ba somewhere.

do you have any idea why padmapper is blacked out in Redondo, Hermosa, and Manhattan?

[Duralex]

It works for me.

MB is really expensive, btw.

I know it's still too early for most people to be renting places, but I thought I'd keep some representative listings going:

Saw an ad for these decent looking Midwilshire 1BRs (wood floors, balcony) @$1k/mo. Typical L.A. -- rennovated mid-century construction:
--LinkRemoved--

Suspiciously cheap 2BR ($1000/mo) right off of Olympic (near Hancock park), should be good for catching the bus to LLS:
--LinkRemoved--

2BR in a kinda sketchy but mostly OK neighborhood, proximate to the 10 & LaBrea @ $940/mo:
--LinkRemoved--

Interesting sounding 2BR (house?) in West Hollywood @ $1052/mo:
--LinkRemoved--

Seeing a lot of hard-to-believe deals in WH and Silverlake/Echo Park lately. Maybe landlords are getting tired of seeing nicer properties/properties in more desirable neighborhoods going vacant.

Studio in K-town near LLS in an townhouse style complex @$750:
--LinkRemoved--

[bconly]

It works for me.

MB is really expensive, btw.

I know it's still too early for most people to be renting places, but I thought I'd keep some representative listings going:

Saw an ad for these decent looking Midwilshire 1BRs (wood floors, balcony) @$1k/mo. Typical L.A. -- rennovated mid-century construction:
--LinkRemoved--

Suspiciously cheap 2BR ($1000/mo) right off of Olympic (near Hancock park), should be good for catching the bus to LLS:
--LinkRemoved--

2BR in a kinda sketchy but mostly OK neighborhood, proximate to the 10 & LaBrea @ $940/mo:
--LinkRemoved--

Interesting sounding 2BR (house?) in West Hollywood @ $1052/mo:
--LinkRemoved--

Seeing a lot of hard-to-believe deals in WH and Silverlake/Echo Park lately. Maybe landlords are getting tired of seeing nicer properties/properties in more desirable neighborhoods going vacant.

Studio in K-town near LLS in an townhouse style complex @$750:
--LinkRemoved--

Sometimes those suspiciously cheap listings are actually the price per bedroom.

[Duralex]

That makes a hell of a lot more sense. Although AFAIK all of the above seem to be normal unit rentals.