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Gitaroo_Dude wrote:

brinicolec wrote:

Gitaroo_Dude wrote:Checking in.

Texas gave me the full $300 travel stipend, so I'm counting my lucky stars right now. Going to be attending the first event on the 3rd.

Welcome! Is the stipend need-based or more based on distance?

Also, are any of you doing that segway tour on Thursday? Lol.

It's "need based", but there must be a distance element to it too because I was a long shot for it otherwise. They ask for a lot of financial info.

And no, passed on the segway tour. Too much of chance I'll spaz out on one and fall into oncoming traffic.

I was briefly intrigued by the segway tour for a second and then asked myself, "Is that really something you NEED to do?!" and decided I'd probably be fine flying in on Thursday and attending all the stuff Friday.

vivirservirlembrar wrote:

brinicolec wrote:

Gitaroo_Dude wrote:Checking in.

Texas gave me the full $300 travel stipend, so I'm counting my lucky stars right now. Going to be attending the first event on the 3rd.

Welcome! Is the stipend need-based or more based on distance?

Also, are any of you doing that segway tour on Thursday? Lol.

I am! I'll be there for both days. UT is currently my top option (I'm waiting to hear back from most of the schools I applied to) so I figured I wanna get a good idea of how Austin and the school are since I've never visited.

Valid point. I would do this if I didn't just realize that I need to go to the earlier one and my job didn't release schedules two weeks ahead. I already have to get them to change it for Saturday, don't want to make it worse

I REALLY want to go to ASD I. I really wish I would have bought that insurance/refund plan for my plane ticket. ASD II sounds like it will be no where near as exciting since it's only half a day

I feel like I'm just going to spend more money and time going to the ASD in Indiana when I know I'm going to go to UT. I was just so excited when they accepted me and offered the full ride that I booked the travel accommodations two months in advance

vivirservirlembrar wrote:

brinicolec wrote:

Gitaroo_Dude wrote:Checking in.

Texas gave me the full $300 travel stipend, so I'm counting my lucky stars right now. Going to be attending the first event on the 3rd.

Welcome! Is the stipend need-based or more based on distance?

Also, are any of you doing that segway tour on Thursday? Lol.

I am! I'll be there for both days. UT is currently my top option (I'm waiting to hear back from most of the schools I applied to) so I figured I wanna get a good idea of how Austin and the school are since I've never visited.

Me too! And hoping my low level of coordination is enough. It couldn't be that hard right?

govlife wrote:

vivirservirlembrar wrote:

brinicolec wrote:

Gitaroo_Dude wrote:Checking in.

Texas gave me the full $300 travel stipend, so I'm counting my lucky stars right now. Going to be attending the first event on the 3rd.

Welcome! Is the stipend need-based or more based on distance?

Also, are any of you doing that segway tour on Thursday? Lol.

I am! I'll be there for both days. UT is currently my top option (I'm waiting to hear back from most of the schools I applied to) so I figured I wanna get a good idea of how Austin and the school are since I've never visited.

Me too! And hoping my low level of coordination is enough. It couldn't be that hard right?

With all the people capable of riding around on a hover board, I'm sure you'll be okay on a segway!

Torres1893 wrote:I REALLY want to go to ASD I. I really wish I would have bought that insurance/refund plan for my plane ticket. ASD II sounds like it will be no where near as exciting since it's only half a day

I feel like I'm just going to spend more money and time going to the ASD in Indiana when I know I'm going to go to UT. I was just so excited when they accepted me and offered the full ride that I booked the travel accommodations two months in advance

I'm going to visit UCLA for free because I jumped the gun/was overexcited but have since realized I won't go to Cali.... Smh. We're the worst lol.

But I think either way you'll be fine, especially since you know you want to be at UT!

brinicolec wrote:

vivirservirlembrar wrote:

brinicolec wrote:

Gitaroo_Dude wrote:Checking in.

Texas gave me the full $300 travel stipend, so I'm counting my lucky stars right now. Going to be attending the first event on the 3rd.

Welcome! Is the stipend need-based or more based on distance?

Also, are any of you doing that segway tour on Thursday? Lol.

I am! I'll be there for both days. UT is currently my top option (I'm waiting to hear back from most of the schools I applied to) so I figured I wanna get a good idea of how Austin and the school are since I've never visited.

Valid point. I would do this if I didn't just realize that I need to go to the earlier one and my job didn't release schedules two weeks ahead. I already have to get them to change it for Saturday, don't want to make it worse

Aw that makes sense! My job this semester is super flexible (taking it a little easy before starting law school) so I figured if I'm paying to travel there might as well be there a while. I'm flying in on Wednesday and leaving Saturday. I hope I'm not the only one that will be there for a while haha

vivirservirlembrar wrote:

brinicolec wrote:

vivirservirlembrar wrote:

brinicolec wrote:

Gitaroo_Dude wrote:Checking in.

Texas gave me the full $300 travel stipend, so I'm counting my lucky stars right now. Going to be attending the first event on the 3rd.

Welcome! Is the stipend need-based or more based on distance?

Also, are any of you doing that segway tour on Thursday? Lol.

I am! I'll be there for both days. UT is currently my top option (I'm waiting to hear back from most of the schools I applied to) so I figured I wanna get a good idea of how Austin and the school are since I've never visited.

Valid point. I would do this if I didn't just realize that I need to go to the earlier one and my job didn't release schedules two weeks ahead. I already have to get them to change it for Saturday, don't want to make it worse

Aw that makes sense! My job this semester is super flexible (taking it a little easy before starting law school) so I figured if I'm paying to travel there might as well be there a while. I'm flying in on Wednesday and leaving Saturday. I hope I'm not the only one that will be there for a while haha

I'll be there from Wed-Sat too. I wanted a few extra days to binge on BBQ and check out some Austin spots I've been wanting to see.

Gitaroo_Dude wrote:

vivirservirlembrar wrote:

brinicolec wrote:

vivirservirlembrar wrote:

brinicolec wrote:

Gitaroo_Dude wrote:Checking in.

Texas gave me the full $300 travel stipend, so I'm counting my lucky stars right now. Going to be attending the first event on the 3rd.

Welcome! Is the stipend need-based or more based on distance?

Also, are any of you doing that segway tour on Thursday? Lol.

I am! I'll be there for both days. UT is currently my top option (I'm waiting to hear back from most of the schools I applied to) so I figured I wanna get a good idea of how Austin and the school are since I've never visited.

Valid point. I would do this if I didn't just realize that I need to go to the earlier one and my job didn't release schedules two weeks ahead. I already have to get them to change it for Saturday, don't want to make it worse

Aw that makes sense! My job this semester is super flexible (taking it a little easy before starting law school) so I figured if I'm paying to travel there might as well be there a while. I'm flying in on Wednesday and leaving Saturday. I hope I'm not the only one that will be there for a while haha

I'll be there from Wed-Sat too. I wanted a few extra days to binge on BBQ and check out some Austin spots I've been wanting to see.

I'll probably fly in Thursday and fly out Monday so I'm staying a little while, just during a different time frame lol. But I have a friend who lives in Austin so part of that is wanting to be able to hang out with her/have her show me around/we're gonna get drunk and watch a rivalry basketball game together.

Okay, yeah. Idk what it is but I'm getting positive vibes from UT. It's definitely gonna come down to money and how I feel about TX during ASD, but consider me at like 75% ready to commit lol

Edit: Does anyone know what schools are most likely to convince UT to bump up a scholly? Haven't gotten my scholly info yet, but trying to be proactive lol

Hey y'all just checking in! I'm like 98% I'm going to UT. I also did my undergrad in Austin and am still here working now so if anyone has questions about the city or housing or whatever even though I'm not a super long time local I might be able to help!

govlife wrote:

vivirservirlembrar wrote:

brinicolec wrote:

Gitaroo_Dude wrote:Checking in.

Texas gave me the full $300 travel stipend, so I'm counting my lucky stars right now. Going to be attending the first event on the 3rd.

Welcome! Is the stipend need-based or more based on distance?

Also, are any of you doing that segway tour on Thursday? Lol.

I am! I'll be there for both days. UT is currently my top option (I'm waiting to hear back from most of the schools I applied to) so I figured I wanna get a good idea of how Austin and the school are since I've never visited.

Me too! And hoping my low level of coordination is enough. It couldn't be that hard right?

I've down a Segway tour of the capitol grounds and downtown. It was really fun and pretty easy. Not sure if it was through the same tour group as the ASD zone, but I'd definitely reccomend!

Tx878 wrote:Hey y'all just checking in! I'm like 98% I'm going to UT. I also did my undergrad in Austin and am still here working now so if anyone has questions about the city or housing or whatever even though I'm not a super long time local I might be able to help!

I've been looking at housing recently and it looks like apartments seem to be bigger and cheaper the further you go from UT. I found one I'm interested in, but it's off i35 to the north near windsor park.

Is traffic really as bad as they say it is traveling north to south and vice versa?

So I had a crazy idea that I could attend ASD I and change my flight to leave out of austin Friday night rather than in Houston so I could attend the Indiana ASD on Saturday. The ticket price is nearly double

So I guess I'll see whoever goes to ASD II.

Torres1893 wrote:

Tx878 wrote:Hey y'all just checking in! I'm like 98% I'm going to UT. I also did my undergrad in Austin and am still here working now so if anyone has questions about the city or housing or whatever even though I'm not a super long time local I might be able to help!

I've been looking at housing recently and it looks like apartments seem to be bigger and cheaper the further you go from UT. I found one I'm interested in, but it's off i35 to the north near windsor park.

Is traffic really as bad as they say it is traveling north to south and vice versa?

It's pretty much as bad as they say. I'm trying to avoid going too far north or south at all costs. I live in the Hyde Park area right now so I'm not very far from the law school/downtown/my current job, but rent has been increasing like crazy. Windsor Park isn't super duper North though. You could probably take some random streets instead of I35 and get a shorter commute.
But you're very much correct about better apartments the further you get. Especially when it comes to being near campus but not in the undergrad area.

Tx878 wrote:

Torres1893 wrote:

Tx878 wrote:Hey y'all just checking in! I'm like 98% I'm going to UT. I also did my undergrad in Austin and am still here working now so if anyone has questions about the city or housing or whatever even though I'm not a super long time local I might be able to help!

I've been looking at housing recently and it looks like apartments seem to be bigger and cheaper the further you go from UT. I found one I'm interested in, but it's off i35 to the north near windsor park.

Is traffic really as bad as they say it is traveling north to south and vice versa?

It's pretty much as bad as they say. I'm trying to avoid going too far north or south at all costs. I live in the Hyde Park area right now so I'm not very far from the law school/downtown/my current job, but rent has been increasing like crazy. Windsor Park isn't super duper North though. You could probably take some random streets instead of I35 and get a shorter commute.
But you're very much correct about better apartments the further you get. Especially when it comes to being near campus but not in the undergrad area.

Yea I was looking at side streets and saw that red river street looks good to get straight to UT. Do you know if that street gets heavily congested?

I didn't even want to drive to school, I just wanted to ride a bike after going through traffic/parking in Houston to go to UH

Torres1893 wrote:

Tx878 wrote:

Torres1893 wrote:

Tx878 wrote:Hey y'all just checking in! I'm like 98% I'm going to UT. I also did my undergrad in Austin and am still here working now so if anyone has questions about the city or housing or whatever even though I'm not a super long time local I might be able to help!

I've been looking at housing recently and it looks like apartments seem to be bigger and cheaper the further you go from UT. I found one I'm interested in, but it's off i35 to the north near windsor park.

Is traffic really as bad as they say it is traveling north to south and vice versa?

It's pretty much as bad as they say. I'm trying to avoid going too far north or south at all costs. I live in the Hyde Park area right now so I'm not very far from the law school/downtown/my current job, but rent has been increasing like crazy. Windsor Park isn't super duper North though. You could probably take some random streets instead of I35 and get a shorter commute.
But you're very much correct about better apartments the further you get. Especially when it comes to being near campus but not in the undergrad area.

Yea I was looking at side streets and saw that red river street looks good to get straight to UT. Do you know if that street gets heavily congested?

I didn't even want to drive to school, I just wanted to ride a bike after going through traffic/parking in Houston to go to UH

I take red river to work. It's not bad at all. You'll wait at lights a little more during rush hour than the middle of the day, but it's really not usually congested per say. Nothing compared to some of what I've seen on side streets in Houston lol.

Tx878 wrote:Hey y'all just checking in! I'm like 98% I'm going to UT. I also did my undergrad in Austin and am still here working now so if anyone has questions about the city or housing or whatever even though I'm not a super long time local I might be able to help!

I've had a few people say they think Austin is one of the more liberal cities in the US. Agree or disagree?

Also, regarding housing: any apartments that are nice AND furnished? Other than that, no specific question just....plz help. Lol.

brinicolec wrote:

Tx878 wrote:Hey y'all just checking in! I'm like 98% I'm going to UT. I also did my undergrad in Austin and am still here working now so if anyone has questions about the city or housing or whatever even though I'm not a super long time local I might be able to help!

I've had a few people say they think Austin is one of the more liberal cities in the US. Agree or disagree?

Also, regarding housing: any apartments that are nice AND furnished? Other than that, no specific question just....plz help. Lol.

For the politics question: Austin definitely leans left. Our local politicians are pretty much all Dems and Travis County pretty much always goes blue during the larger elections. With that being said, it's still Texas. There is still plenty of conservatism. Austin does have a certain liberal attitude, but I honestly don't think it's super in your face. I can't speak for the law school of course, but during my undergrad, my professors were never very in your face liberal and the student body wasn't super liberal or super political either. I mean you get more of it that at a more conservative TX school like Baylor or TAMU but meh. Like the other large cities in Texas, Austin's definitely leans left and is different than the rest of the state but I honestly don't think it's as extreme as the reputation it gets.

Housing: Hm, I know of two furnished complexes in Hyde Park. Le Marquee (or something like that) and Century Plaza. I have no clue if they're nice or not though. Just googled it (looking at housing for myself right now because my current one just increased like mad) and found another furnished one called Longhorn Lofts. I think a lot of the apartments near campus are unfurnished except for those in West Campus which should be avoided at all costs. You might be able to find one though further out, though. I've just never looked specifically for one so I'm not super familiar.

Tx878 wrote:

brinicolec wrote:

Tx878 wrote:Hey y'all just checking in! I'm like 98% I'm going to UT. I also did my undergrad in Austin and am still here working now so if anyone has questions about the city or housing or whatever even though I'm not a super long time local I might be able to help!

I've had a few people say they think Austin is one of the more liberal cities in the US. Agree or disagree?

Also, regarding housing: any apartments that are nice AND furnished? Other than that, no specific question just....plz help. Lol.

For the politics question: Austin definitely leans left. Our local politicians are pretty much all Dems and Travis County pretty much always goes blue during the larger elections. With that being said, it's still Texas. There is still plenty of conservatism. Austin does have a certain liberal attitude, but I honestly don't think it's super in your face. I can't speak for the law school of course, but during my undergrad, my professors were never very in your face liberal and the student body wasn't too crazy either. Like the other large cities in Texas, Austin's definitely leans left and is different than the rest of the state but I honestly don't think it's as bad as the reputation it gets.

Housing: Hm, I know of two furnished complexes in Hyde Park. Le Marquee (or something like that) and Century Plaza. I have no clue if they're nice or not though. I think a lot of the apartments near campus are unfurnished except for those in West Campus which should be avoided at all costs. You might be able to find one though further out, though. I've just never looked for one so I'm not super familiar.

I didn't make it clear, but I'm actually a progressive liberal, so I just need to know I won't feel like a fish out of water as a liberal lol.

Regarding finding something out more, I'm really hoping to find something in walking distance (for me, probably a max 30 min walking, ideally less). Parking at UT seems like a tragedy that I don't want to face lol

brinicolec wrote:

Tx878 wrote:

brinicolec wrote:

Tx878 wrote:Hey y'all just checking in! I'm like 98% I'm going to UT. I also did my undergrad in Austin and am still here working now so if anyone has questions about the city or housing or whatever even though I'm not a super long time local I might be able to help!

I've had a few people say they think Austin is one of the more liberal cities in the US. Agree or disagree?

Also, regarding housing: any apartments that are nice AND furnished? Other than that, no specific question just....plz help. Lol.

For the politics question: Austin definitely leans left. Our local politicians are pretty much all Dems and Travis County pretty much always goes blue during the larger elections. With that being said, it's still Texas. There is still plenty of conservatism. Austin does have a certain liberal attitude, but I honestly don't think it's super in your face. I can't speak for the law school of course, but during my undergrad, my professors were never very in your face liberal and the student body wasn't too crazy either. Like the other large cities in Texas, Austin's definitely leans left and is different than the rest of the state but I honestly don't think it's as bad as the reputation it gets.

Housing: Hm, I know of two furnished complexes in Hyde Park. Le Marquee (or something like that) and Century Plaza. I have no clue if they're nice or not though. I think a lot of the apartments near campus are unfurnished except for those in West Campus which should be avoided at all costs. You might be able to find one though further out, though. I've just never looked for one so I'm not super familiar.

I didn't make it clear, but I'm actually a progressive liberal, so I just need to know I won't feel like a fish out of water as a liberal lol.

Regarding finding something out more, I'm really hoping to find something in walking distance (for me, probably a max 30 min walking, ideally less). Parking at UT seems like a tragedy that I don't want to face lol

Yeah, I'm pretty liberal myself and feel very at home in Austin but not like...pressured to have any certain belief. Some people just act like Austin is this wild world of like radical liberalism and it's really not- I'll throw in the occasional vote for Repub or Libertarian if I don't like the Democrat and I think most people here are pretty much on the same page. It's laid back. I think there are certain more progressive beliefs that are very much agreed upon and supported by the city as a whole, like LGBT issues and stuff. Which is nice. A lot of the churches in my neighborhood fly pride flags, single stall restrooms are all gender neutral in the city, stuff like that. I think there's a certain level of progressive most people are but it's nice that there's some nuance and different beliefs thrown around.

Definitely just keep searching in Hyde Park! It's probably a 30 minute walk from my current place but there's definitely stuff closer and there's the UT shuttle bus. Parking SUCKS. The permits get scooped up really fast and the metered parking near campus is always a hot mess.

Tx878 wrote:

brinicolec wrote:

Tx878 wrote:

brinicolec wrote:

Tx878 wrote:Hey y'all just checking in! I'm like 98% I'm going to UT. I also did my undergrad in Austin and am still here working now so if anyone has questions about the city or housing or whatever even though I'm not a super long time local I might be able to help!

I've had a few people say they think Austin is one of the more liberal cities in the US. Agree or disagree?

Also, regarding housing: any apartments that are nice AND furnished? Other than that, no specific question just....plz help. Lol.

For the politics question: Austin definitely leans left. Our local politicians are pretty much all Dems and Travis County pretty much always goes blue during the larger elections. With that being said, it's still Texas. There is still plenty of conservatism. Austin does have a certain liberal attitude, but I honestly don't think it's super in your face. I can't speak for the law school of course, but during my undergrad, my professors were never very in your face liberal and the student body wasn't too crazy either. Like the other large cities in Texas, Austin's definitely leans left and is different than the rest of the state but I honestly don't think it's as bad as the reputation it gets.

Housing: Hm, I know of two furnished complexes in Hyde Park. Le Marquee (or something like that) and Century Plaza. I have no clue if they're nice or not though. I think a lot of the apartments near campus are unfurnished except for those in West Campus which should be avoided at all costs. You might be able to find one though further out, though. I've just never looked for one so I'm not super familiar.

I didn't make it clear, but I'm actually a progressive liberal, so I just need to know I won't feel like a fish out of water as a liberal lol.

Regarding finding something out more, I'm really hoping to find something in walking distance (for me, probably a max 30 min walking, ideally less). Parking at UT seems like a tragedy that I don't want to face lol

Yeah, I'm pretty liberal myself and feel very at home in Austin but not like...pressured to have any certain belief. Some people just act like Austin is this wild world of like radical liberalism and it's really not- I'll throw in the occasional vote for Repub or Libertarian if I don't like the Democrat and I think most people here are pretty much on the same page. It's laid back. I think there are certain more progressive beliefs that are very much agreed upon and supported by the city as a whole, like LGBT issues and stuff. Which is nice. A lot of the churches in my neighborhood fly pride flags, single stall restrooms are all gender neutral in the city, stuff like that. I think there's a certain level of progressive most people are but it's nice that there's some nuance and different beliefs thrown around.

Definitely just keep searching in Hyde Park! It's probably a 30 minute walk from my current place but there's definitely stuff closer and there's the UT shuttle bus. Parking SUCKS. The permits get scooped up really fast and the metered parking near campus is always a hot mess.

Yeah. My main things are race issues (especially since I'm a minority), LGBTQ rights, & gender equality lol. That seems to be in line with what most people are saying. I feel like it's just hard to get beyond the Texas as a red state thing in my mind/my dad's mind especially.

Have you heard anything about Sabina? I was googling and came across it yesterday and it looks really nice!

brinicolec wrote:

Tx878 wrote:

brinicolec wrote:

Tx878 wrote:

brinicolec wrote:

Tx878 wrote:Hey y'all just checking in! I'm like 98% I'm going to UT. I also did my undergrad in Austin and am still here working now so if anyone has questions about the city or housing or whatever even though I'm not a super long time local I might be able to help!

I've had a few people say they think Austin is one of the more liberal cities in the US. Agree or disagree?

Also, regarding housing: any apartments that are nice AND furnished? Other than that, no specific question just....plz help. Lol.

For the politics question: Austin definitely leans left. Our local politicians are pretty much all Dems and Travis County pretty much always goes blue during the larger elections. With that being said, it's still Texas. There is still plenty of conservatism. Austin does have a certain liberal attitude, but I honestly don't think it's super in your face. I can't speak for the law school of course, but during my undergrad, my professors were never very in your face liberal and the student body wasn't too crazy either. Like the other large cities in Texas, Austin's definitely leans left and is different than the rest of the state but I honestly don't think it's as bad as the reputation it gets.

Housing: Hm, I know of two furnished complexes in Hyde Park. Le Marquee (or something like that) and Century Plaza. I have no clue if they're nice or not though. I think a lot of the apartments near campus are unfurnished except for those in West Campus which should be avoided at all costs. You might be able to find one though further out, though. I've just never looked for one so I'm not super familiar.

I didn't make it clear, but I'm actually a progressive liberal, so I just need to know I won't feel like a fish out of water as a liberal lol.

Regarding finding something out more, I'm really hoping to find something in walking distance (for me, probably a max 30 min walking, ideally less). Parking at UT seems like a tragedy that I don't want to face lol

Yeah, I'm pretty liberal myself and feel very at home in Austin but not like...pressured to have any certain belief. Some people just act like Austin is this wild world of like radical liberalism and it's really not- I'll throw in the occasional vote for Repub or Libertarian if I don't like the Democrat and I think most people here are pretty much on the same page. It's laid back. I think there are certain more progressive beliefs that are very much agreed upon and supported by the city as a whole, like LGBT issues and stuff. Which is nice. A lot of the churches in my neighborhood fly pride flags, single stall restrooms are all gender neutral in the city, stuff like that. I think there's a certain level of progressive most people are but it's nice that there's some nuance and different beliefs thrown around.

Definitely just keep searching in Hyde Park! It's probably a 30 minute walk from my current place but there's definitely stuff closer and there's the UT shuttle bus. Parking SUCKS. The permits get scooped up really fast and the metered parking near campus is always a hot mess.

Yeah. My main things are race issues (especially since I'm a minority), LGBTQ rights, & gender equality lol. That seems to be in line with what most people are saying. I feel like it's just hard to get beyond the Texas as a red state thing in my mind/my dad's mind especially.

Have you heard anything about Sabina? I was googling and came across it yesterday and it looks really nice!

Yeah, I'd say race issues, LGBT issues and gender issues are definitely the core issues that the city as a whole is very focused on. That's the stuff that really rallies the city. I think you'd be a fish out of water for SURE if you weren't supportive of those rights. When you get into some of the economic stuff and issues less at the forefront currently, I'd say there's probably more differing views, but when it comes to those big social issues and kind of just like core beliefs about equality, the city is progressive. I totally understand what you mean about the red state stuff. But Austin's definitely much different.

I haven't heard anything about it, actually, but it's one that I'm looking at. It does look nice. My only hesitation is it's so close to I35. Whenever I drive by it, I'm like damn, that's close to the interstate. I'm sure that doesn't bother everyone, I just have a weird aversion to it. It's in a good location though.

Tx878 wrote:

brinicolec wrote:

Tx878 wrote:

brinicolec wrote:

Tx878 wrote:

brinicolec wrote:

Tx878 wrote:Hey y'all just checking in! I'm like 98% I'm going to UT. I also did my undergrad in Austin and am still here working now so if anyone has questions about the city or housing or whatever even though I'm not a super long time local I might be able to help!

I've had a few people say they think Austin is one of the more liberal cities in the US. Agree or disagree?

Also, regarding housing: any apartments that are nice AND furnished? Other than that, no specific question just....plz help. Lol.

For the politics question: Austin definitely leans left. Our local politicians are pretty much all Dems and Travis County pretty much always goes blue during the larger elections. With that being said, it's still Texas. There is still plenty of conservatism. Austin does have a certain liberal attitude, but I honestly don't think it's super in your face. I can't speak for the law school of course, but during my undergrad, my professors were never very in your face liberal and the student body wasn't too crazy either. Like the other large cities in Texas, Austin's definitely leans left and is different than the rest of the state but I honestly don't think it's as bad as the reputation it gets.

Housing: Hm, I know of two furnished complexes in Hyde Park. Le Marquee (or something like that) and Century Plaza. I have no clue if they're nice or not though. I think a lot of the apartments near campus are unfurnished except for those in West Campus which should be avoided at all costs. You might be able to find one though further out, though. I've just never looked for one so I'm not super familiar.

I didn't make it clear, but I'm actually a progressive liberal, so I just need to know I won't feel like a fish out of water as a liberal lol.

Regarding finding something out more, I'm really hoping to find something in walking distance (for me, probably a max 30 min walking, ideally less). Parking at UT seems like a tragedy that I don't want to face lol

Yeah, I'm pretty liberal myself and feel very at home in Austin but not like...pressured to have any certain belief. Some people just act like Austin is this wild world of like radical liberalism and it's really not- I'll throw in the occasional vote for Repub or Libertarian if I don't like the Democrat and I think most people here are pretty much on the same page. It's laid back. I think there are certain more progressive beliefs that are very much agreed upon and supported by the city as a whole, like LGBT issues and stuff. Which is nice. A lot of the churches in my neighborhood fly pride flags, single stall restrooms are all gender neutral in the city, stuff like that. I think there's a certain level of progressive most people are but it's nice that there's some nuance and different beliefs thrown around.

Definitely just keep searching in Hyde Park! It's probably a 30 minute walk from my current place but there's definitely stuff closer and there's the UT shuttle bus. Parking SUCKS. The permits get scooped up really fast and the metered parking near campus is always a hot mess.

Yeah. My main things are race issues (especially since I'm a minority), LGBTQ rights, & gender equality lol. That seems to be in line with what most people are saying. I feel like it's just hard to get beyond the Texas as a red state thing in my mind/my dad's mind especially.

Have you heard anything about Sabina? I was googling and came across it yesterday and it looks really nice!

Yeah, I'd say race issues, LGBT issues and gender issues are definitely the core issues that the city as a whole is very focused on. That's the stuff that really rallies the city. I think you'd be a fish out of water for SURE if you weren't supportive of those rights. When you get into some of the economic stuff and issues less at the forefront currently, I'd say there's probably more differing views, but when it comes to those big social issues and kind of just like core beliefs about equality, the city is progressive. I totally understand what you mean about the red state stuff. But Austin's definitely much different.

I haven't heard anything about it, actually, but it's one that I'm looking at. It does look nice. My only hesitation is it's so close to I35. Whenever I drive by it, I'm like damn, that's close to the interstate. I'm sure that doesn't bother everyone, I just have a weird aversion to it. It's in a good location though.

How do places like Houston and Dallas compare?

& is Sabina walking distance? I thiiiiink I put it in google maps and it was, but I could be confusing it with another. I don't mind hearing traffic and stuff like that so the proximity to the highway isn't a big dealbreaker for me

Does anybody have more details on ASD I vs ASD II other than ASD II is a half day?