UDM fall 2006???

[lexinash]

Does anyone happen to know anything about parking at the school?  I probably don't even want to know how much it will cost!   I'm still waiting to hear back from my aunts stepdaughter about decent suburbs to live in, and I will pass along the info.  I also work at a police department, and one of our new officers is from Detroit, so I can hopefully get advice from him as well. 

I won't be able to make it on May 18th...I'm in Florida and I can't off work.  Please share how everything went for those that do go! 

[Toogie]

Hey everyone,

I'm still deciding between Vermont's JD/DESS-DJCE with Cergy-Pontose or UDM's JD/LLB with Windsor. Hopefully I'll come up with the decision by the end of the week, it'd be great to meet some of you!

[corbabe]

Does anyone happen to know anything about parking at the school?  I probably don't even want to know how much it will cost!   I'm still waiting to hear back from my aunts stepdaughter about decent suburbs to live in, and I will pass along the info.  I also work at a police department, and one of our new officers is from Detroit, so I can hopefully get advice from him as well. 

I won't be able to make it on May 18th...I'm in Florida and I can't off work.  Please share how everything went for those that do go! 

I went to admitted students day on the 18th and was very impressed with the school.  They are definitly my top choice at the moment.  There is a parking lot right across the street but only 2L's and 3L's get to pack there.  1L's have to parkin private parkin glots.  There are many close by so it shouldnt be a problem.  That is what the faculty and students said.  However I think if you are a part time evening student you can park in the student lot, but only at night, so if you are there studying during the day you can't get to your spot until later int eh evening.  HTH

if anyone else has any more info about UDM i would love to hear it.  take it easy

[jjason]

So I'm here at UDM. Here is a list of suburbs I would recommend. I've been to all of them. Also, some comments about UDM. This is quick - so forgive any errors.

Royal Oak - has a lot of activity, especially in the central area (S. Main Street). Plenty of coffee shops (with free wireless), Barnes & Noble, Memphis Smoke - Swine Dining (it is SO good), plenty of parking, good looking people, great places to live. A little pricier than other 'burbs, but a great choice. Might be too distracting if you are easily distracted like me. (North of Detroit, 20 minutes)

Woodward Avenue runs throught it and off to Birmingham. Birmingham is another VERY nice area with a few places to rent. Woodward Avenue after you are out of Detroit is pretty cool. There are a few Coffee Beanery's (with free wi-fi) along Woodward. A lot of places to eat/hang out between 10 Mile and 14 Mile on Woodward Avenue.

Ferndale - Small, but cute. Is right off of I-75 and 9 Mile Road. Woodward Avenue runs right through it (Woodward runs North/South from Downtown, kinda alongside i-75. It's smaller, and not as busy as Royal Oak. A few gay establishments, coffee shops, shopping, dining, cheap. (North of Detroit, about 10-15 minutes)

Dearborn - Affluent neighborhood. Quiet. Has UM Dearborn and Henry Ford Estate is there. Easier to find a sublet there than an apartment, but I haven't tried. The drive is 15-20 minutes. Highway patrol is often hiding in the median/on the side of I-94. Don't speed. (West of Detroit, off of I-94)

Grosse Point - That entire area, Grosse Point, Eastpoint, etc., is VERY safe and very affluent. UDM dean lives in Grosse Point. You can get to it by driving on Jefferson Blvd. east/northeast from UDM. 20 minutes. You can also take i94.

St. Clair Shores - There are a few apartment complexes with units for rent. I found a room for rent with a great guy who owns a house there. It is past the Grosse Point area. You can get to it by taking Jefferson Blvd. all the way. Or you can save 5-10 minutes by taking I-94 all the way. St. Clair Shores is quiet. They have a little "downtown" area on 9 Mile and Little Mack (Little Mack, I think.) Shores theatre, a couple of coffee shops (with wireless), a few places to eat. A lot of residential homes. Right off of Lake Michigan.

Warren - Not that great. Stay off of Gratiot on the east side of Detroit. 11 Mile Road runs through Warren. It's okay. Some areas are iffy, but not all. Driving through it, you see "for rent" signs just about everywhere.

UDM Law School - I've talked with a few people in Metro Detroit and all have said (without knowing I was a student there) University of Detroit "is a great school. My so-and-so got a (BA/Masters/went to law school) there. It has a good reputation in Michigan. UDM Law is a great regional law school. No, it's not a "nationally" recognized school, but it is a good school. Many people go on to good careers in Michigan and the surrounding states. I've met people in my class from all over the nation. California, Washington, New York, Ohio, Florida. They have an extensive list of feeder schools.

The faculty at UDM - They are so, so nice. The administrative faculty is helpful. The Registrars office is full of smiley people, ready to help. Many of the students are friendly and it doesn't SEEM that anyone has a mean bone in their body or any ill-will towards the success of another student. I have run into a few completely ANNOYING people there, but that's applicable anywhere. There is a lot of diversity. And I don't mean "oh, we're diverse because we have people from all over." I mean diverse racially/ethnically, young, old, gay, straight, black, green, white, orange, yellow - you name it, they are there.

Too bad the library is old and the building is old. It is very clean though! It just needs some TLC. WIth their funding, you'll see improvements here and there. Their moot courtroom is new. Some classrooms look great. But for the most part, I look around (i.e., their huge "cafeteria-like room") and see missing ceiling tiles, or tiles that need replaced, a broken "No Smoking Sign" that someone should just take off the wall and replace it with a new one. Paper towel dispenser in the bathroom that someone should just tighten on the wall, they need to hire a window washer for the building windows, maybe blast clean the brick on the buildings, replace a door here and there.

If anyone tells you, "hey. they have a chain-linked fence around their building." That's a lie. (I read that somewhere on here.) They don't! The McNichols campus does. Chain fences equipped with those turnstiles you see on the border of California and Tijuana. But the Rennaisance campus is located in a fine area. Greektown is fun and safe, and is nearby.

I obviously have nothing to do tonight. Any questions, just ask!

[Toogie]

Wow great post, if I participate in the jd/llb program I've been accepted to I'll be living in Windsor anyway since that's where most of my classes will be, but it's great to hear about the living areas down there. Grosse Point eh? Our future neighborhood when we become attorneys maybe? LOL.

[jjason]

Hey angc2383. I am joma from LSN. Good catch! Gawd, I agree with you about how BORING it is around here. I'm from California (LA and San Francisco) and miss public transportation and night life. But if you look around, there are some interesting things going on. But I guess it's a good thing that the place is boring. There's nothing else to do but read your casebooks. HA!

In response to your questions... I used a few different online sources. I found some of the places from driving around. I moved here early so I had time to do that. I found my roommate on roommates.com. There are a few sites like that, like roommatelocator.com, roommatesusa.com (that one was less helpful).. I also used craigslist a bit, although people don't use it as much in Detroit. I took a lot of time doing this. I went into chatrooms and talked with people about the 'burbs. After hearing about them, I hit the pavement and checked them out.

Jefferson Blvd. is the street on the opposite side of the UDM building from where you enter. If you take it down, all the way, you will hit those suburbs like Grosse Point, East Point, Saint Clair Shores. It's odd, Jefferson is rough as you're leaving Detroit, then ALL OF A SUDDEN, it is beautiful. Nice homes, green grass, trees... Sad but a reality here. You also can take I-375 to I-75N to I-94 East to get to those places.

[Toogie]

Hey guys, thanks for all the info about the school and it's location. 3 stories sounds kinda small, I'm glad that everyone seems very friendly though. Unfortunately I'll only be taking one class at UDM, the majority of my classes will be at Windsor for 1L of the jd/llb program.

[corbabe]

just sent my second seat deposit in.  most likely will be atteding this fall!!!!!!!

[jjason]

just sent my second seat deposit in.  most likely will be atteding this fall!!!!!!!

Yay!

[corbabe]

does anyone know what the curve is like at UDM?