Top Law Schools

So I have heard quite a bit about Regents & Shoreland but do any current Chicago students have opinions they'd like to hare on these other housing options?

Vue53
Hyde Park Luxury apartments (located just across the street from the Law School)
Hyde Park Tower
City Hyde Park
Twin Towers
Algonquin Apartments

Personally I wasn't impressed when I visited Regents. BUT I don't want to have a commute from hell if I choose somewhere that is nice to live in but in a bad location.

Ivy2015 wrote:So I have heard quite a bit about Regents & Shoreland but do any current Chicago students have opinions they'd like to hare on these other housing options?

Vue53
Hyde Park Luxury apartments (located just across the street from the Law School)
Hyde Park Tower
City Hyde Park
Twin Towers
Algonquin Apartments

Personally I wasn't impressed when I visited Regents. BUT I don't want to have a commute from hell if I choose somewhere that is nice to live in but in a bad location.

Algonquin is a cheaper alternative to regents. It is right across the street from regents so you get the same great bus location and neighborhood safety for a little less money. The apartments are definitely not as nice, but they are by no means run-down. I would definitely recommend Algonquin if you're trying to save a little money.

Any opinions on TLC properties? MAC seems a little overpriced and out of the way, but I am wondering if maybe there is a reason no one talks about TLC properties?

skimmilk wrote:Any opinions on TLC properties? MAC seems a little overpriced and out of the way, but I am wondering if maybe there is a reason no one talks about TLC properties?

Checking in!! I had the same exact question.

I have heard good things about the TLC management and they have a building right by the law school.

As far as orientation goes, they will require you to stay overnight. It's super super fun and you will make a lot of great friends. I think you will be able to find someone to watch your dog, I might even be able to (I'll be in Chi for the summer although may be busy with OCI).

wilfred wrote:
^This is the kind of attitude that has me excited for UChicago. My roommate and I are shooting for around September 1st. As for interests, what little free time I have will be spent in the gym and sitting on the shore of Lake Michigan, hopefully with a fishing rod in hand. What kinds of things are fun to do around Chicago other than the museums?? I'm sincerely hoping that other 1L's are down to clown and get into some interesting things

Definitely down to clown! There is tons of fun stuff to do around Chicago, too. I'm excited to get back there now because I moved away during my teens and didn't get to experience a lot of it. Food!! Music!! Comedy!! Sports!! I might be a little overenthusiastic but whatever.

Good to hear the advice on apartments. I put my info on the roommate spreadsheet on the facebook group and a couple people have emailed me about Algonquin apartments but tbh (outing myself as an extreme cheapskate here) it still seems kind of pricey to me. One person who emailed me did point out that for safety reasons it's good to be on the shuttle line so if $700+/month with a roommate is what is necessary to be in a safe living situation then it is what it is I guess.

It's really 700+? They must have upped the prices substantially. 700 a person is more like Regents. They also post prices that are higher than their real prices.

There are a ton of shuttles and a lot of good apartments on the shuttles that are less than that with a roommate, though. That is at the point where you would not pay much more to live by yourself.

https://d3qi0qp55mx5f5.cloudfront.net/s ... e_2015.pdf

This is the shuttle map.

Here is the live version. If you turn off the CTA buses, you can see the shuttles. Not all of them are on there right now because a lot of them are evening and nighttime only:

https://uchicago.transloc.com

I think the biggest advantage of the algonquin location is the 172, the world's greatest bus. It comes all the time (every few minutes for much of the day), you always get a seat, and it drops you off at Jimmy's, one of the grocery store/pharmacies, and the law school. It is incredibly convenient.

The little coffee shop over there is pretty great, too.

Thank you landshoes! The person who quoted the 1400 - 1500 to me already lives in Algonquin alone but that matches the prices on the website so maybe it's actually cheaper. Also the shuttle map is very helpful!!

kjm1992 wrote:

KMart wrote:

landshoes wrote:

zhenders wrote:

Hey! I have a question for you/any other current students who see this about orientation. I just noticed that there's like an overnight retreat portion and I'm concerned bc I have a dog that I obvs can't leave alone and I don't know anyone in Chicago to watch him. Do you know if we have to stay overnight?

Also, do you know generally what time each day orientation goes until? I found some schedules from previous years that seemed like they ended around 4:30/5ish but it seems like last year's might've been different and I can't find any schedule for that.

I've heard good things about this service: http://hydebarkchicago.com/services/

There's similar dog walking/pet sitting services in Hyde Park as well, so I wouldn't be too worried about it.

skimmilk wrote:Any opinions on TLC properties? MAC seems a little overpriced and out of the way, but I am wondering if maybe there is a reason no one talks about TLC properties?

I currently live in a TLC building (Madison Park). I would recommend it! I've heard a lot of complaints about dealing with MAC, but have been relatively happy with TLC. Madison Park is a more affordable option compared to Regents/Algonquin/Shoreland (I currently pay about $1020 for a one bedroom). It's not as updated as regents, and the apartments are smaller. But the location is great (right on the 172 bus line, 6/15 bus lines to get up to the loop, and near the 53rd street shops). Let me know if you have any other questions!

Also, if any of you end up going with a TLC building, let me know. They have a $500 referral fee. I'm not resigning my lease because I'm moving in with roommates, but I'm sure I can find a current tenant who will split it with you.

Ivy2015 wrote: Vue53

For anyone wondering about Vue53, I inquired with the management company and it sounds like their leases won't start until 9/12. I want to experience a bit of Chicago summer/ not be rushed to settle in, so I had to cross that one off the shortlist.

lebongenre wrote:

Ivy2015 wrote: Vue53

For anyone wondering about Vue53, I inquired with the management company and it sounds like their leases won't start until 9/12. I want to experience a bit of Chicago summer/ not be rushed to settle in, so I had to cross that one off the shortlist.

good to know!

can any current students here comment on the feasibility of getting a campus parking permit? $90 per month for the Ellis Garage sounds reasonable to me, but I would like to hold off on applying until August once I know more about where I'll be living. is this, like getting grad housing, a naiive 0L pipe dream? the fact that there's a parking waitlist on the website is not promising. thanks in advance y'all.

--Grad housing is totally gettable! Plenty of people in my class have it. Apply and see what happens.
--Parking permits are a pipe dream, though.

what on earth is a glass menagerie photo?! and how are we supposed to submit one to fulfill the checklist?

annaliesman wrote:what on earth is a glass menagerie photo?! and how are we supposed to submit one to fulfill the checklist?

What checklist! Did people get something in the mail?

Oh, flashbacks...the Glass Menagerie is like a yearbook but they produce it before school starts. It has a small black and white picture of everyone in the school. It's handy for learning names and faces. Professors use the same photos, in color, for seating charts. That way they know who they're calling on.

Send a photo of your face that wouldn't embarrass you if a professor or potential employer saw it. It doesn't need to be a professional photo, but it should be inoffensive and it should look like you.

You don't need to wear a suit, but I'd probably go with a photo where you're wearing a plausibly business casual top. I don't think it matters that much as long as it's not, idk, fetish wear, but business casual will 100% be fine and fit in with the other photos.

Maybe LinkedIn profile photo is the best analogy.

archipm wrote:

annaliesman wrote:what on earth is a glass menagerie photo?! and how are we supposed to submit one to fulfill the checklist?

What checklist! Did people get something in the mail?

the checklist on the bottom of the status checker! 'list' is currently just the photo and final transcript if you have one haha

Very unlikely, but I definitely recall meeting a fellow admitted student at one of the events who is (was?) currently working at UChicago. If they (or anyone else working there for that matter) is monitoring this thread, my SO is looking at an open position there and I know that there's an employee referral program, although it looks like it isn't referral bonus eligible PM me and I'd love to connect you with her so she can explain why she'd be pretty perfectly suited for the role.

Any opinions on law preview classes? I know UChicago emailed us a few weeks ago about them. Are they helpful or a waste of time?

landshoes wrote:--Grad housing is totally gettable! Plenty of people in my class have it. Apply and see what happens.
--Parking permits are a pipe dream, though.

Hm, what do people who live in the grad housing and have cars do then? Should I avoid the grad housing if I plan to have a car?

Not sure, I don't have a car -- I actually think this might be something to ask the grad housing office because I realized that the grad housing might have parking lots that are specific to them.

I do know multiple people who live in grad housing and have a car. Not sure what they do with it, but it seems to work out well for them.

landshoes wrote:Not sure, I don't have a car -- I actually think this might be something to ask the grad housing office because I realized that the grad housing might have parking lots that are specific to them.

I do know multiple people who live in grad housing and have a car. Not sure what they do with it, but it seems to work out well for them.

Thanks.

skimmilk wrote:Any opinions on law preview classes? I know UChicago emailed us a few weeks ago about them. Are they helpful or a waste of time?

Don't; enjoy summer.