Factors to Consider When Choosing Living Arrangements in Law Schools

I wanted a school that guaranteed furnishing for at least the first year. I didn't know any potential roommates and dreaded looking for an apartment.

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ASK IF ON-CAMPUS HOUSING IS AVAILABLE

Find out if on-campus housing is even an option. Some schools, especially those in cities, don't offer housing for law school students. If your school has dormitories, ask the housing office the following series of questions:

• Do students share rooms? Can you get a single room? TIP: When deciding whether to share a room or live alone, balance the extra monetary cost of going solo against privacy concerns.
   
• Is the building secure?
   
• Do the apartments have kitchens?
   
• Is there a meal plan?
   
• Are there accommodations for married students?
   
• Are utilities included?
   
• What percentage of students live on-campus?
   
• And, most importantly, do you share your bathroom with just your roommate or with everyone (plus the cockroaches on the seventh floor)?

Having been out of school and living independently for three years, I approached a return to university housing with no small trepidation and dread. Make no pretenses, university apartments are merely glorified dorms in terms of the physical space (small rooms, dorm-issue furniture) and temperament (the gossip mill, pizza parties). It did take time to adjust to certain aspects of communal living-working out bathroom time and sharing kitchen space, not to mention dealing with "different" personalities! It may seem trite, but the upside of the experience outweighs any negative aspects. I've made the best friends I think I will ever have. The bonds you form as a One-L are made that much stronger when you pull an all-nighter with your roommate or go to the gym at midnight to blow off some steam. It becomes obvious to you that only those who have gone through the law school experience can understand what you are dealing with; why not surround yourself with those same people?

ASSESS YOUR LONG-TERM HOUSING GOALS

Once you determine that you could live in campus housing, assess your long-term goals. Ask if your school guarantees housing all three years. If you are planning to practice in the city where your school is located, you might want to invest in a house or apartment right from the start.

However, remember that most on-campus housing is subsidized by the school and may be a good place to start. If you are planning to spend your summer in another city, on-campus housing is sometimes the best option since you only pay rent during the school year and don't have to worry about subletting your apartment to a stranger.

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When I moved into my apartment, I had a roommate who was very congenial. At first, it looked like the beginning of a budding friendship. However, I quickly discovered that she was overly aware of her contributions to the apartment. For instance, if she felt she had made the requisite purchases of toilet paper, she would hide the remainder in her room. She kept a mental table of every contribution. If she felt someone else should clean the bathroom, she would never think to do it herself.

Although things were fine on the surface, there were underlying tensions. The moral is tit-for-tat makes no friends. -ALLISON STEINER, NEW YORK UNIVERSITY LAW SCHOOL

REMEMBER THAT YOU ARE NOT LIVING IN A FRATERNITY/SORORITY HOUSE ANYMORE

Law students come in all shapes, sizes, ages, and backgrounds. Many don't enroll straight from college, so expect that your roommate might have a life outside of school. Your roommate may not be looking for more drinking buddies, so observe basic rules of courtesy to prevent roommate tension. Keep the volume down on your stereo, and make sure your 15 fun-loving friends leave by midnight.

Don't expect an immaculate room simply because you're in professional school. The roommate who spends two hours briefing a case might not spend two minutes making her bed. However, this is law school, and you can get a jump start on your mediation class by negotiating early with your roommate over issues such as noise, cleaning, and the phone bill.

PLAN SOME TIME AWAY FROM YOUR ROOMMATE

The first year is like rabies; sooner or later, everyone will go a bit crazy. Your objective is to stay calm and unaffected by your roommate's paranoia. First-year roommates can be a great source of support. They are going through the same experience at the same time. And swapping horror stories about cold-calling reminds you that you're not the only one who thought that a brief was just a fashion statement by Calvin Klein.

Trust yourself. You made it through college; you know how to study. If your roommate panics because it's October and he hasn't begun to outline, say something comforting, then get some space. It's easy to assume that your roommate has a better idea of what to do. The truth is, he's as clueless as every other first-year.

Where do I begin? My roommate, a Three-L, has rubbed off on me in a bad way. We'll go to movies, well go out, well find any excuse to procrastinate- we even went to a high school football game 40 miles away. He hasn't gone to any of his classes; there was one class where he had a paper due, but he didn't know if it was due on Monday or Thursday. The moral: Find a roommate who goes to school; you'll get a lot more done that way. Don't move in with a roommate who is absolutely brilliant and never needs to study at all.

If your roommate is a second- or third-year, you will have the benefit of his perspective, his experience, and his outlines! These students are more relaxed than the first-years, and they will remind you that it is possible to do well without briefing every single case.

But remember that much of their attitude is rooted in confidence. After all, they survived. Chances are, you won't achieve their brand of hubris until you live through the experience yourself.

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