CUA Law Housing

AND THE FINAL BLOG POST FOR THE SUMMER OF 2007

The Office of Admissions and I are eagerly looking forward to welcoming the classes of 2010 and 2011.  We are putting the finished touches on the class roster, making sure all your files are complete and gearing up for your first day of mandatory orientation on August 13th. 

I’m going to spend the space on my last post helping you all tie up any loose ends.  First, if you are coming to CUA Law and do not have housing, PHONE ME AT THE ADMISSIONS OFFICE IMMEDIATELY!!!  The number is 202-319-5151.

Make sure the office has received your final undergraduate transcript.  Email me at 83strait@cua.edu to check, or call the office.  If you’re under age 26 on August 13th, get your immunization form filled out by a physician and sent to Health Services or plan on getting vaccinated on the 13th (yuck, no fun, do the paperwork!).  And if you’re a full time student, you’ll need to enroll or waive your health insurance at www.chickering.com.  You’ll waive it only if you have your own insurance. 

If you’re not a part of your incoming class’ Facebook.com group, email me at 83strait@cua.edu for instructions on joining.  This group is only for admitted students who plan on matriculating into CUA Law this fall.  We plan get-togethers and share resources and other information within this group.  If you’ve been out of school for a while or are a tad bit older, (like I was) Facebook is fairly user-friendly, so don’t be afraid to join.  If I can manage it, so can you!  Also, this online group facilitates one of my greatest pieces of advice:  getting to know a few other people in your incoming class.  I can’t even tell you how much this reduced my own stress in beginning law school.

And along the same lines as my last post….take advantage of the time you have before orientation.  Get your life in order as to minimize stress during your first year.  Get to know DC a little.  Find some great restaurants and hot spots where you’ll release stress with your peers.  Finish a great fiction novel…seriously, fiction…trust me on this one.  Basically, enjoy the final bits of your summer and we’ll see you on August 13th.  I can’t wait to meet you all!!!

Now that you're in DC...

Now that many of you have arrived in DC, I would recommend getting to know your new city.  The following are just a few ideas to help you take advantage of the time you have left before diving into law school.

My first recommendation is to get involved with Restaurant Week, August 6-12.  If you’re not from a larger city, you might not be aware of this fabulous opportunity.  Restaurant Week is a time when area eateries band together to offer prefix meals at a set fee.  This encourages folks to try restaurants around the greater DC area they’ve never experienced.  (Or if you’re like me, I do it for the chance to visit my favorite spots and try new meals.)  The menu is set and doesn’t include beverages.  Many of the restaurants have both lunch ($20.07) and dinner ($30.07) options.  For more information, log on to http://www.washington.org/restaurantwk. 

Second, it seems cheesy at first, but a trolley tour is a great way to see DC and its most popular spots.  There are several of them, but the best are the ones that give you all-day access and let you get on and off at stops.  I prefer the tours that go into more of the DC neighborhoods like Georgetown and the Embassy Row areas.  Another plus of doing this is it allows you to be a better tour guide when family and friends visit.

If you’re already in town, the Capitol City Fringe Festival is happening until July 29^th.  This is the second year of this festival which brings together emerging theater artists and DC area audiences.  For more information, please visit http://www.capfringe.org. 

Another arts opportunity for you is the nightly free event held at the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts.  The Kennedy Center has the Millennium Stage every day at 6 pm.  The type of performing art changes and they showcase everything from music to dance to theater.  Not only do you get a free performance, you’ll also be visiting a “living” memorial at the same time.  Visit their site and look up the Millennium Stage’s calendar at http://www.kennedy-center.org/programs/millennium. 

For a great time all around, visit RFK Stadium and the Nationals.  The stadium is conveniently located on the Orange and Blue Metro lines.  Their schedule is at http://washington.nationals.mlb.com/schedule/index.jsp?c_id=was. 

Finally, remember to take advantage of your time before school starts.  Log on to http://www.washington.org for more DC area events.  And don’t forget to ask friends and DC residents what their favorites are….there’s way too much going on in DC for me to list.

Crunch Time for Apartment Hunting

If you are attending CUA Law in the Fall of 2007 and have not found housing, you need to be investing a lot of energy into the search if you plan on moving at the beginning of August.  Furthermore, if you’re looking to move right before Orientation on August 13^th, your search should also be in full swing.  Being almost half way through July, there will be many young people searching for DC area housing right now.  Moreover, a lot of the July 1^st vacating notices, which relinquish the apartment on August 1^st, will already be taken by new tenants. 

If you’re easily able to visit the area, Washington DC’s Craigslist is a good source.  But as you may know, apartment searching on Craigslist is like speed-dating….you have to know what you’re looking for and not looking for, get to the point quickly when getting info on the place and be ready to pounce when a desirable apartment is available or risk losing it forever. So research properties quickly for location and safety.  Also, check back to the website often and don’t get stuck on just one or two properties unless you’ve checked with the landlord/manager and know they’re still available. 

Waitlists for large apartment buildings is also common.  If you get on a waitlist, press the management office about how their specific waitlist works and how many people they take off the waitlist every month, as well as how many they’ve already taken off it this month, so you can form an idea of how certain the prospect is.  With any waitlist though, don’t put all your eggs in one basket.  Wait-listing at a property may backfire simply because the number of expected relinquishments does not pan out.  So keep up your search while you wait.

Finally, if you’re running into a brick wall, you may consider a short term lease or a sublet.  The drawback of this option is that your shorter term lease may end at a time of the year when your academic work is in high gear.  Adding a move on top of your first year class load is a stressor most people want to avoid.  Making certain the lease coincides with a holiday or breaks is optimal.

Don’t give up hope.  There are still plenty of living options available in the DC area….it may just take a little extra time and effort to find them.  And as always, feel free to phone or email me when you need help and sign up for your incoming class Facebook group for some extra moral support!

Beginning the Countdown

We are approximately one month from the time when most incoming students move to the DC area.  This is the point when your online search for housing ought to be in full swing.  If you are looking at a July move, your timetable should be moved up two to four weeks from the recommendations here.

Large sites like Apartments.com, Rent.com and others can start this process.  These also may have actual numbers of units available from large complexes for your expected move in date.  Gaining familiarity with the rental market and neighborhoods is what you should be focused on right now.

A site such as Craigslist may not have what you want quite yet.  Sites which help locate private listings will have a few opportunities for an August move in, but most will want a single month turn over at this time.

As you’re searching, don’t forget about tying up loose ends in the place you’re leaving.  Address changes, paying bills, gathering important records and documents, returning borrowed items and picking up your items which others have are just a few tasks to remember.  A moving checklist and timeline are available for students through a link on our Facebook group.

And as always, feel free to send me an email or call the office if you have any questions or concerns about moving, rentals or even your first year of law school!

Finding happy roommates…and keeping it that way!

Step One:  Interviewing Roommates

“Interviewing” sounds formal but you need to uncover basic traits and quirks of potential roommates.  Especially discovering or disclosing things like having pets, allergies, whether one smokes, guests such as boy/girlfriends who will frequent the place and basic cleaning habits/preferences are crucial.  Learning potential roommates’ social habits will matter if one is a shy bookworm and the other is “Van Wilder.”

Also, review the next section.  This may spark other important preferences.  Most importantly, be up front and honest regarding yourself and your own preferences…the others have to live with you, too!

Step Two:  Agreements Up Front

Basic things to discuss or set down in writing before moving in:

1. Room/Bathroom assignments- Different sized rooms or sharing bed and bathrooms may cause issues if not discussed beforehand.
2. Rent and fees- Discuss money amounts, especially if there’s not an equal share or if the lease doesn’t allow individual payment.  Also, how the security deposit is going to be handled is vital right off the bat.
3. Food- This may seem silly but deciding if food belongs to individuals or the community usually pops up. 
4. Cleaning and chores- Set expectations early and help everyone keep to their word.  Make a plan about buying cleaning supplies and other household necessities.
5. Utilities:  Who will set up and pay utilities, internet and phone service?
6. Guests- Guests of one roommate may irritate another and face it, it’s not the guest’s home.  So drawing boundaries is best done early.
7. Exam period- Don’t underestimate the added stress and needs during exams.  Discuss special expectations about noise, chores and guests during exam time.
8. Television and other amenities:  Set out at least bare guidelines to amenity usage, such as TV and laundry facilities, to avoid conflict.

Step Three:  Disputes (Optional and Avoidable)

Before disputes arise, discuss how you personally handle disagreements. This will give each of you insight into the personality of your new roommate.  But it will also allow you to discuss and be aware of expectations and priorities each of you consider when handling problems.

When disputes do happen, it is wise to sit down with all roommates and discuss solutions when no one is emotional about the issue.  Sometimes having an email ring with roommates allows for calmer discussions before they erupt into full blown disputes.

All of these hints may seem obvious if you’ve had roommates.  But keeping them in mind with every new roommate situation may save you a few headaches during your law school career.

The Apartment Hunt

Locating suitable housing in DC can be a challenge. Here are a few helpful tips.

First, begin with a game plan. Have a solid idea of the basic things you need. The type of housing, nearby transportation, maximum rent, needs of roommates, amenities such as parking, laundry and nearby stores are a few basics. My recommendation is to start with your desired rent range and a list of must-haves when searching.

Next, plan ahead. As some of you have already discovered, most DC area apartments have a 30 or 60 day turnover. This means many apartment complexes don’t know unit availability until just a month before it’s vacant. You should start an online search about 1 ½ to 2 months in advance. 

Then you need to schedule a visit to several properties at least a month out. Most people spend two to four days touring apartments. Many larger buildings and private owners will ask that you make appointments. Do so before your visit. Take along a checklist to help you keep track of the properties and to make certain you ask all of the essential questions. 

Last, be prepared to act fast. Some apartments may ask for a co-signor, especially considering many of you will be full-time students. Find and ask this person before your visit. Other common things you may need are: identification, your checkbook for deposits or application fees, a list of references, past rental information and work history. 

Apartment hunting may not be easy, but following these basics may take some of the frustration out of the process.

Safety Concerns When Looking for Housing in the DC Area

DC, like any big city, has crime.  I know…big shock.  But when you come to DC from a more secure area, you can easily become the victim of crime if you don’t know what to watch out for.  Specifically when looking for housing, try to find first hand information about an area’s safety and crime.  You can also access monthly crime statistics from the DC Police Department for a specific radius around an area where you’re looking to live.  Log on to:  http://crimemap.dc.gov/presentation/intro.asp.  This site also has general safety tips at:  http://mpdc.dc.gov/mpdc/cwp/view,a,1237,q,542013,mpdcNav_GID,1523,mpdcNav,%7C.asp.

Also, don’t visit the area just during the day.  Plan to drive through the neighborhood in the evening.  Many areas appear quiet and quaint in the daylight hours but become a much different area after dark.  If you visit the city and are looking on foot, take a cab, rental car or have a friend with a car drive you around the property. 

Day or night, questionable things I look for are:

Lots of graffiti

People aimlessly loitering or harassing passersby

Run down, boarded up properties

Burned out street lights and neglected road maintenance

Extra heavy duty bars on doors and windows

Old trash and litter lying around

Severely unkempt yards

Vandalism

Some neighborhoods may have a couple of these things in small amounts and be fine places to live.  That’s where first hand opinions and recommendations can help you make decisions.  But no matter how safe an area is, crime can still happen.  My first piece of advice is that you do not make foolish decisions about your travels.  This means traveling with others when you’re in new or questionable areas, do not travel in dark, desolate areas late at night and if you do have to travel alone, make sure someone knows when you’re supposed to arrive and will check up on you.  Second, carry yourself with confidence….don’t look like a victim.  Last, if you are in a situation that makes you feel uncomfortable…leave or find help.  You’d rather be safe than sorry so listen to your instincts. 

Washington DC’s Metro Transit System

Washington DC has a great Metro system.  The official name is the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.  Their website is www.wmata.com.  It’s composed of the Metrorail and the Metrobus systems.  Locals usually refer to the trains as “the Metro” and the bus system is just referred to as “buses” or by their specific route, like “the H2” or “the G8.”

Catholic University’s Law School is located just about 150 yards from the Brookland Metro Station, which is on the Red line.  Several bus lines also make stops at the Brookland station and around the campus. 

It may seem like common sense, but trains and buses all go two directions.  Some trains have separate platforms, depending on which way you are going, but others use the same platform.  Bus stops on streets usually have stops for the opposite directions on different sides of the street.  Both trains and buses are distinguished by the end point. 

When in the Metro system, never be afraid to ask a Metro employee questions.  And when you anticipate traveling late at night, check the “last train times” at the entrance booth when you get on the Metro.  Unlike other cities, the Metro does close at night. 

Two helpful areas on Metro’s website are the Trip Planner and the “Find service near location” features.  Trip Planner works like a mapquest for the Metro.  The “Find service near location” tool is located under “Maps and Stations” link on the left hand side of the home page.  It will allow you to enter a location only and find nearby services. 

If you have any other questions regarding navigating the Metro system, send me an email.  Again, my email is 83strait@cua.edu.

Hello and Welcome!

Hello and Welcome!!! As my first post, I would like to introduce myself. My name is Danielle Strait. I will be a second year law student when you arrive in the Fall. I entered law school after I'd been out of school for a couple years. It has been exciting, frustrating, stressful and fun all at the same time. Anxiety was the overriding emotion I was dealing with last summer when I was in your position. When will I move? Where will I live? Will school be too much of a challenge since I've been out of school for a few years? What will my classmates be like? How competitive is it really?

Honestly, my biggest mistake last summer was reading a book which some people consider a rite of passage for incoming law students. This book describes the first year of a student at a big name school. It was filled with doom-and-gloom and stressed me out! Within four chapters, I came to my senses and put it down. I reminded myself that I was already accepted to this school, they must have seen something in me and I was ready for the challenge.

This mindset has played out well. First semester was a whirlwind of figuring out my schedule and my professors’ expectations. The first few weeks is likened to learning a new language. Always remember, there are a couple hundred others who are learning that language along with you.

You can survive first year. It has been challenging but rewarding in so many ways. And I'm here to help you transition into living here and making your summer, hopefully, a little smoother.

Having said this, we will be updating this blog weekly or bi-weekly with major issues you may face finding housing and living in DC. Also, I encourage you to join the Unofficial Facebook group. Something similar was done with my class and getting to know a few classmates before school starts can make all the difference. Facebook will allow you to network with students facing the same concerns and possibly find classmates who will be in the trenches with you next fall. Email me at 83strait@cua.edu to get linked to our Facebook group or to learn more about Facebook.com.

So, keep checking back here. Hopefully, you will find helpful information and realize many others are facing, and have faced, the same worries you have.

Welcome to the CUA Law Housing Blog!

We're very excited to introduce you to Danielle Strait, this year's Student Housing Coordinator!  Danielle will be here to answer your questions, address concerns, and most importantly, help you in the task of finding local housing for your first year of law school!