DePaul with scholarship or Kent full price

[ohioan]

So, what were your thoughts?

The biggest gripe I have are those desk/chairs.  It's seems petty, but if I'm taking a 3-4 hour exam that will determine the fate of my life, I'd like to at least be sitting at a desk and chair made for adults.

We could be good friends if we both end up there. Overall, I was satisfied with the ASD. I thought Dean Weissenberger was too emphatic on the "we have never discriminated" statement because how can you promote diversity without some measure of discrimination? All in all it was good. Did you go to the IP desert reception? I am the one who was asking questions about the curve by the way...to which I never got a concrete answer!

[contrarian]

So, what were your thoughts?

The biggest gripe I have are those desk/chairs.  It's seems petty, but if I'm taking a 3-4 hour exam that will determine the fate of my life, I'd like to at least be sitting at a desk and chair made for adults.

We could be good friends if we both end up there. Overall, I was satisfied with the ASD. I thought Dean Weissenberger was too emphatic on the "we have never discriminated" statement because how can you promote diversity without some measure of discrimination? All in all it was good. Did you go to the IP desert reception? I am the one who was asking questions about the curve by the way...to which I never got a concrete answer!

Hah!  I actually thought that might have been you, probably because of the discussions here.  Yeah, I thought he tapped dance around that issue as well.  Sure after first semester 30% make the grades, but what about the ones who didn't make it the first time and raise their GPA, at the expense of those who made it the first time but not the second - that's got to be a pretty significant section of people who end up not maintaining the scholarship the full 3-4 years (and a figure I am damn sure they know and count on when planning their budgets).

The other thing that bothered me was that he preemptively addressed the Catholicism issue, and even sort of negged Loyola because of it.  I'm not exactly a big fan of any kind of religion, and I'll admit I was a bit put off by seeing it's presence when I was there.  The spin about the philosophy of St. Vincent de Paul was admirable, but it's still a religious institution at heart.  Another thing that I have issue with is, as my understanding since they are a religious organization, they gain favorable tax status that an organization like Kent and JMLS wouldn't, like paying real-estate taxes on buildings, which got me to wondering how much of those benefits they have over other schools, if any, have helped them gain an advantage (those four downtown buildings can't come cheap in real-estate taxes).

I was at the IP reception, and learned a few things from one of the students there about the patent bar.  I'm much less interested in IP than IT related issues however, and I've been keen that they seem to have a bit to offer in this area of the law than Kent.  I've even tentatively scheduled to take off work for two days to attend their symposium in October.

I think I remember you said you were going to attend the day program.  If you were going evenings and commuted on the BNSF we could set up a study group.  I'm hoping to find a few others to form a study group with. 

Though, I'm not signing until after Kent's admitted student days and I get confirmation of student loans.

[ohioan]

I am planning to attend Kent's ASD too. I too am looking to commute via the BNSF. But, I wonder if I will miss important functions or not be able to participate in a study group because of it. Am looking for apartments along the other routes that go into Union Station. Are you fairly familiar with the BNSF suburbs?

[contrarian]

I am planning to attend Kent's ASD too. I too am looking to commute via the BNSF. But, I wonder if I will miss important functions or not be able to participate in a study group because of it. Am looking for apartments along the other routes that go into Union Station. Are you fairly familiar with the BNSF suburbs?

I live off of, and take, the BNSF now.  I'd say you're pretty safe picking a place to live near the train anywhere from the Riverside stop on westward.  I can't speak about any particular apartment complexes (and there's actually been a good handful of apartment/condo complexes built recently right off the station stops to cater to commuters), but all of the areas are generally middle-class suburbia.  Also, the Halstead stop has a lot of recently built apartments nearby for the UIC crowd, but you will probably pay city prices there.

One thing that does suck is that most of these stations have very limited parking.  Naperville & Rt 59 have 2-5 year waiting lists for the permit spots, and Lisle is 5-7 years.  There are daily paid spots, but that can also fill up quickly in the morning.  So make sure you have transportation nearby, or it's within walking distance (and by walking distance, consider if you'll want to walk daily to-and-fro in a snow storm at -10 from Dec-Feb). 

And of course don't forget to factor in the commuting time, which can also work to your advantage to use the time for reading (or sleeping or catching up on tivo'd videos transferred to an iPod).  Given both school's classes end before 9:00, you can get the 9:40 train and be home at a fairly reasonable hour.   

You can also look north along the red line.  If I had the option (and less stuff, no pet, and no mortgage) I'd get a studio or one-bedroom in a hipper part of the north side along the lake like Lincoln Park, someplace relatively close to the red line.  What you lose in real-estate you make up for in hot 20-something women.