Tennessee Class of 2014 Forum

[ran12]

Thanks for the help

[cmraider]

Well, from what I gather, a good deal of the women in grad and law school live in West Hills. You're right, though, a majority live in the Fort.

There may be a lot of students who live there. I honestly don't know. I just know what the area is like and its proximity to UT. West Hills is a fairly affluent area, so I would suspect the COL is high there. West Hills isn't that close to UT either. I'd say, depending on where you live, you're at least a 15 minute drive from campus, probably more. And that's not accounting for the traffic on Cumberland Ave., which is awful year-round. When UT is on summer and winter break the traffic decreases slightly, but it's still annoying.

But I didn't go to UT and have a relatively small sample size as far as measuring these things. There could very well be an area of West Hills which caters to UT grad students.

[jeeptiger09]

Most of the people in my class live somewhere West, not necessarily as far out as West Hills. There are definitely a lot of people in places right off Northshore, Kingston Pike, Papermill, Middlebrook and Weisgarber.

Also, South Knox isn't bad, but crossing the river is a huge pain with the Henley Street Bridge shut down. If you live by the Medical Center in the Retreat, the Orchard, Quarry Trail or the Woodlands, it's not as bad because you take Alcoa Highway to get to the law school, but most of those places tend to be louder and more undergrad-oriented.

Some people live downtown in lofts or apartments, and they're great. But the thing about living downtown is that it's way more expensive than living anywhere else.

Wouldn't live anywhere in East Knox; North isn't bad, it just depends on how long you want your commute to be.

Let me know if you have questions in general about the students, facility, town, etc. and I'll do my best to answer.

[sammykeb]

This might not be the most important question in the world, but I'm nonetheless curious: how much interaction is there between law students and other grad students and undergraduates? Is there mingling? Or are the law students basically in their own snowglobe?

[jeeptiger09]

It really depends. A lot of UT Law students are UT undergrads so many of those people still have friends in Knoxville, live in houses or apartments with others, etc. Other than that, I don't think that there is a lot of interaction between grad students, but it may just be me. The most interaction is probably with the MBA students, since many people here do JD/MBA. In the fall, we did a tailgate with the MBA kids and it was a lot of fun.

[sammykeb]

Thanks for the reply. I noticed spring break this year falls on March 10-14, which just so happens to be the week when I can visit. Is the College of Law dead during spring break? I realize I might not get the full idea of the school by visiting during the break, but I'm wondering if I should come that week anyway or postpone my visit.

Thanks again!

[ran12]

Anyone looking to rent a house. I've been looking at places and seems like there are some pretty good deals. In general places that are 3br 2.5ba around 1000/month or less about 10-15min from campus. I'm looking for 1 roommate b/c if it's a 3br I kind of want to use the the 3rd for an office.

[Clemson11]

Has anyone had the opportunity to tour "Volunteer Hall" or talked with anyone who had the experience of living there when they were 1L's? Generally I wouldn't even ponder living in a communal undergrad type housing, but when I toured campus they looked really nice from the outside and the website says they put you in a law school community on the top floors. I don't know, there is something about being 23 and still sharing a bathroom w a roommate But, the location seems unbeatable and if it really is calm and the facilities are generally nice, it may be worth it. Let me know if you have heard anything, or considering other places to live.

[priya325]

i just got a letter saying i was waitlisted.. does anyone know when they will make their final decisions? Also, are there any girls looking for a roommate for the fall?

[enida10]

i just got a letter saying i was waitlisted.. does anyone know when they will make their final decisions? Also, are there any girls looking for a roommate for the fall?

If you're waitlisted, you're just waiting for room to become avaliable at the law school. I think I've heard you could be waiting all the way up to August to hear back for a waitlist.

But, I'm interested in entertaining the idea of a roommate in the fall. Right now I'm looking at The Towers at Morgan Hill. Fully furnished, 9 blocks from the law building, all utilities paid and some wicked on-site amenities. I'd like a non-partier roommate if I did get one. Spliting a 2 BR is cheaper than a one BR.

Finally, this is for the Knoxvillians/old UT students. I'm thinking of buying a motorized bike/moped for law school. I've heard parking is a nightmare for cars on UT campus. Is this a good way to get around that? Is it much easier to find a motorcycle space than a car space?

[jeeptiger09]

There are plenty of ways to get around this.

First of all, most 1L classes will be at 9:00 or 10:00 in the morning, meaning you'll be getting here by 9:30. I can't guarantee that you'll have a spot if you get here by then, but I personally have always found spots before 9:30. 10:00 is a completely different story, but getting here early (which I found to be very helpful, especially if you can get stuff done in the morning before classes) is key to parking on campus.

2L and 3L year will be more of a problem because your classes won't necessarily be as early, but that's a 2012 problem.

As far as motorized scooters/mopeds, I have no idea--not many people here use them. And to be honest, it's probably going to be cold enough in the winter where you'll want to have access to a car. Might be something to think about.

Hope that helps.