Accepted! Now, can I head home before rush hour?

[taplinb]

Got my acceptance and a school T-shirt. The shirt clinches it.

If I can get assigned to Lawyering earlier in the day, is there any reason I could not head out by mid-afternoon on most days and beat rush hour? The Fall 2006 schedule shows that Civ Pro, Contracts, and Torts were all done before 3 pm. The only big downside of St. Thomas in my mind would be fighting i94 traffic from Minneapolis to Saint Paul, or crawling down University Ave or Summit, to make dinner with family. We live south of Saint Paul, across the High Bridge. If I can beat eastbound traffic and study at a West Side coffeehouse, that's moot.

Yah, I know 1Ls face a boatload of work, but we do have libraries in St. Paul. I could even sometimes pretend to be a Mitchell student and sneak into their library, use their books. With four sections, they may never notice. I could also sometimes get back to Minneapolis after our 3-year-old is asleep. It's just that evening rush hour.

[johns259]

Congrats.

[cheeseisdelicious]

I have friends who commute from farther away than you would be who really don't have problems. Another option would be parking at the undergrad UST campus and taking the shuttle bus - it's free with a student ID.

[taplinb]

Thank you cheesie for the note on distance. It matters, though. I have taken the city bus, the St. Thomas shuttle - which is very nice, and the highway home from St. Thomas. In each case, it takes me at least half an hour more during rush hour than getting home from William Mitchell (only 2.5 miles, with no highway or downtown).

Not to whine. I realize that most law students, especially non-trads, have to deal with traffic. I'm just trying to offset some of the time it will take to help raise our preschool son while the competition sits in the library.

One thing I like about St. Thomas is its proximity to Minneapolis firms and courts. That could prove very handy when I'm a second and/or third year. Park once for both school and part-time work in the skyway. That would sure beat a mid-day commute to 2L/3L work from William Mitchell plus fighting for parking. I also like the proximity of St. Thomas to both the YMCA and YWCA, making a morning workout convenient. There aren't any full-featured health clubs within walking distance of William Mitchell.

-Brad

[cheeseisdelicious]

You're welcome. Let me know if you have more questions. I really don't know much about Mitchell but I can tell you what you want to know about St. Thomas.