I'll be a new Toledo Law student this fall (Columbus: apartment, rent)

[Hey_Hey]

Originally Posted by alliejake

I went to MSU undergrad, East Lansing has a cute strip of shopping, dining, eating, bars, it's no chicago or NY but it was fun. I since have worked for a few years living in royal oak, mi (also cutesy, fun place to live) and am making decisions about what law school to attend this fall.

I went to toledo today to check it out. It's lucrative because the tuition is reasonable. I was horrified by what the living options are and ended up crying my eyes out at the thought of being stuck there. There is no cute strip of coffee shops, botiques, dinning to go to, and definitely nothing within walking distance. Near campus I saw some cheap student housing with a lot of fast food places, great. The nicer housing options near campus looked like residential suburban living with absolutely nothing to do and nowhere to go. I like to go out and do things! If I was married with children, then this would be a better place. (even then I don't know)

I checked out downtown, not even close to as terrifying as Detroit but it's also no gem. As a female I would not feel safe walking my dog around town. Last year I checked out the waterfront area downtown, that's nice in the summer, but not really somewhere I see myself going as a law student...

If I am wrong, correct me please! (I'd love to save on tuition by going to UT)!!

I am thinking worse case scenario I will live in Ann Arbor, MI and drive 40 some minutes to Toledo for class.

I'm just finishing up medical school, so I know what tuition costs are like. Looking back on it Toledo was a fairly inexpensive place to go to medical school relative to other schools ($150,000 in student loans is pretty average here and around the country). The moderate level of student loans is a major benefit that you won't realize until you are nearing graduation. Debt will affect your career choices and your quality of life.

The one difference I would caution about is that law schools, like B-schools, seem to be divided into tiers with pay and job security vastly different over the spectrum of schools. For medicine it really doesn't matter whether you graduated from Harvard or some relatively small school, so going with the cheapest school will typically improve your finances long-term. So I think rankings of the schools must come into play in addition to the tuition level. In my opinion, location should be a consideration only after the first two. It's only three years of your life, and there are some nice places to hang out in Toledo. Obviously it's not Ann Arbor in terms of coffee shops and book stores and other walkable retail, but it isn't miserable by any means.

As far as living in Toledo as a law student, I would not live close to the main campus. It's going to be cheap, but overpriced, student housing. I would recommend getting into South Toledo where most of the medical students live or West Toledo which has some nice areas as well. These areas have more of the young professional class, and they're safe areas as well. There are also several nice apartments along the Ottawa Hills/Toledo border on Bancroft that typically don't advertise in the big publications.

[nickw252]

Originally Posted by Hey_Hey

As far as living in Toledo as a law student, I would not live close to the main campus. It's going to be cheap, but overpriced, student housing. I would recommend getting into South Toledo where most of the medical students live or West Toledo which has some nice areas as well. These areas have more of the young professional class, and they're safe areas as well. There are also several nice apartments along the Ottawa Hills/Toledo border on Bancroft that typically don't advertise in the big publications.

Like I said in my original post - living in South and West Toledo is a mistake for a law student. South Toledo has very little to offer and it is a pretty far drive from the law school, especially in rush hour traffic. Keep in mind the Med School is a few miles south of the Law School. West Toledo is where I live, it's not great but not too bad BUT it's a drive to campus and a long drive to downtown. Law school is full of externships and legal job opportunities that are centralized downtown - it becomes a hassle having to drive that far downtown in traffic. Also, west Toledo has very little to do for younger people - there aren't great bars or coffee shops or anything, just your garden variety strip malls with Starbucks and Applebees. Downtown you have unique bars like the Blarney, Pizza Papallis, The Bronze Boar, Manhattans, etc. Also, the downtown residential districts are much safer than around campus and the affordable places in West and South Toledo.

Here are two places where I know residents that are very happy:

La Salle Apartments Apartments Toledo, OH - Apartments for Rent in Toledo Ohio

Commodore Perry Apartments Apartments Toledo, OH - Apartments for Rent in Toledo Ohio

There are some other smaller warehouse apartment buildings in the area, but I've never been in them and their names escape me. I'll post them if I remember.

If you have any more questions about Toledo, law school, or apartments or anything feel free to ask.

[nickw252]

Another suggestion I just remembered. Check craigslist.com - the Bartley Lofts (Link)is a recent conversion of luxury lofts with a rooftop pool and views of the baseball stadium but you have to buy them. I've seen on Cragislist that some owners rent them out. It would be an incredible place to live if you can afford it.

Another thing, there are tentative plans on the table to move the law school downtown. Nothing is set in stone but it could happen in the next few years. They had a building picked out (pre-renovation but with new windows) a few years back but it was bought and is currently being renovated into apartments and condos.

As was mentioned earlier - Toledo is no Ann Arbor - but the downtown area is coming along quite nicely and is the only part of town with any vibrance. It has gotten much better in my 3 years here and is still improving.

[scorpi06]

Thanks everyone. I'm still looking, but you have all given me a clearer path to follow.

[alliejake]

Thanks for the info. I am trying to picture it differently! Tuition is a huge factor in this, so I have a big decision to make. I checked out Ottawa hills but will dig deeper, the lofts sound cool and up my alley but worry me because I have a dog that I need to walk(safely)!

[luckyxstar11]

I'm in the same sitaution, but have looked at LaSalle apartments, even contacted them, but as a student, they will not let you rent from them. You also have to fit into their income bracket to rent from them, which as a full time student, I also don't fit into. So I would scratch the one out.

[nickw252]

Originally Posted by luckyxstar11

I'm in the same sitaution, but have looked at LaSalle apartments, even contacted them, but as a student, they will not let you rent from them. You also have to fit into their income bracket to rent from them, which as a full time student, I also don't fit into. So I would scratch the one out.

I think you're mistaken on that. I've looked at LaSalle Apartments and know lawyers and law students that live there. You may be thinking of Riverfront Apartments where there are income restrictions. I was a little disappointed by Riverfront because it looks very nice, right on the water.

[Hey_Hey]

Originally Posted by luckyxstar11

I'm in the same sitaution, but have looked at LaSalle apartments, even contacted them, but as a student, they will not let you rent from them. You also have to fit into their income bracket to rent from them, which as a full time student, I also don't fit into. So I would scratch the one out.

You will likely need to tell them that you'll be a law student, not an undergraduate. I ran into the same thing at a few places, but after telling them that I was a medical student and showing them that I would receive guarenteed student loans I became their favorite potential tenant.

[alliejake]

The Chelsea place in sylvania doesn't look too bad, what about that place?

[nickw252]

Originally Posted by alliejake

The Chelsea place in sylvania doesn't look too bad, what about that place?

Don't know anything about them but from looking at google maps it looks like it would be a pretty long drive to school, especially in traffic. I don't ever visit Sylvania because there isn't really anything to draw in young people.

Chelsea Place was mentioned in a Toledo Blade article not too long ago. Apparently it is about 66% empty!

toledoblade.com --