question for MCW students

[kidgorgeous]

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Dear fellow students,
2 questions.
1. I will be starting my 1st year this august. What are the best places to get an affordable apartment. Also, during my interview visit I learned that most of the students were living in the duplexes. Does anyone have any advice on living in these duplexes rather than a big apartmnet complex?
2. I am thinking about buying a laptop this weekend. Is it better to get a laptop or a desktop? If anbody can give me a few suggestions on what kind of laptop I will need that will be great.
Thanks guys.
I will see you all this august.

 

[Krony]

Hey kidgorgeous -

I wish I could answer your question but I can't. I have a question for you, however. When I was at MCW for my interview I didn't hear anything about the "duplexes." Do you have any more info about the duplexes, or know of a web address where I might find more info? There's a good chance I'll be starting at MCW this fall as well, although I'm still waiting to hear back from one other school. (Incidentally, I might rather be at MCW even if I am accepted at this other program, but a lot of other factors are involved and that's a long story.)

For what it's worth I'll mention that the host student I stayed with had a desktop and seemed to get along fine, but now that I think about it I didn't really ask him if there is any specific program-related reason why a laptop might be preferable.

Thanks!

- Krony

 

[Scaps]

Hi there,

Congrats on your acceptance. I think you'll enjoy MCW. My friends and I are all having a good time. Except, I don't think anyone is looking forward to finals.

Anyway, I am a first year student at MCW and I would be happy to answer any of your questions about the school.

I know a lot of people that live in nearby duplexes. These are normally a good choice because they are very close to the school. My housemate and I only live about a 2 minute walk. It's nice. In fact, I live closer to the school than the student parking lot. The larger apartment complexes near the school are nice too. Except, most are about a 5-10 minute drive I would say. So it all depends whether or not you would like to walk to school or drive. Right now there are tons of flyers on all the bulletin boards advertising places for rent. Lots of duplexes and apartments. There are tons of options. Rent is very, very affordable too (in comparison to lots of other cities I have visited).

Let me know if you have any other ?'s about classes, housing, etc.

Take care.

 

[Krony]

Hey Scaps thanks for the invitation to ask questions...I think I'll take you up on it.

If I end up at MCW I'd love to live within two minutes to the med school. Do you live in an apartment complex, duplex, or is it some other arrangement? Would you mind posting or sending me a pm with the name of place where you live (if in fact it is in some type of setting where other units might be available) as well as the name of one of the complexes that are a 5-10 min. drive? If possible a phone number or e-mail address for the manager's office would far exceed the call of duty and be most helpful. I'm considering driving out (from CA) this summer and if I have a span of only three or four days to rent something I hope to make as many prior arrangements to view apartments as possible.

Because I'm an easily distractible fellow and quite a light sleeper I'll ask this question as well - do all or some of the apartments next to the med school lie (perhaps deceptively?) close to streets with heavy traffic, sirens, or near train tracks? I know that can be a difficult thing to assess just by looking at a map.

What do you and your friends enjoy most about MCW? Do you find that the schedule allows sufficient time to pursue extracurricular opportunities....spend time with family...etc?

With a class of 204 there is bound to be a wide variety of study habits - have you had a chance to develop a sense as to how competitive the class is, or, for example, what percentage of the class might fall into the "gunner" category? What does it take to be in the mid to upper percentages of the class? I'd like to be able to do well but at the same time I wouldn't be real excited about an environment that one might readily characterize as overtly "cutthroat."

Another random question:
What is an estimate as to how long it would take to commute in morning or evening traffic from the vicinity of the med school to Marquette University? (1801 W. Wisconsin)

You may be able to tell that you're just the person I've been waiting for. Feel free to answer as few or as many of these questions as in depth or as briefly as you like. Any comments
will be appreciated.

Good luck with your upcoming exams.

Thanks,
Krony

 

[Scaps]

Hey Krony,

I?ll try to answer as many of your questions as I can. Right now I am living in a duplex with another first-year student. We like our place and it?s location so we?re just going to stay in the same spot next year. It?s a duplex and the owner lives on the other side. It?s a sweet deal because the owner is gone for most of the weekends too! So we can have friends over without worrying about making too much noise. The rent for our place is $695. Most of the 2-bedroom duplexes near school are around this price range. If you want to pay a little less you might have to live farther from the school. Generally, I think most pay around the area of $300-350/person/month for rent.

I would be happy to snag a few phone numbers of some of the larger apartment complexes around the school. I?ll check around this week and gather some info for you.

Yeah, there is a lot of road noise near my place. It doesn?t bother me though. Some friends of mine live right near some train tracks. And then, the Flight for Life helicopters are always flying too out of the hospital. I don?t know, I haven?t ever heard of anyone complaining about noises (except for when the snow plows were running!).

What do most of my friends enjoy most about the school? Hmm... That?s a good question I suppose. Well, I think we all like the facilities. I am a big fan of the block exams. Sometimes it?s like studying for mini-finals all the time, but it gives you a chance to relax for a short period right after you finish a block of tests. Most of us like the area the school is in. It?s a pleasant suburb of Milwaukee. There are lots of activities for the students here, parties, dances, sports stuff, etc... For the most part, I really have enjoyed the teaching here. Our library is a nice place to study too. The Big-Sib program is cool.

About our schedule... Well, I would say that we have quite a bit of free time. I think we have sufficient time for extracurricular stuff at least. That?s just my opinion though. I am sure there are others that think our schedule is far too busy/crazy.

I would guess a trip from the school to Marquette would take about 15 minutes without significant traffic. I don?t have much experience with morning or evening commutes so I wouldn?t know what the trip would be like with a lot of traffic.

I don?t think my class is very competitive at all. Everyone is very nice. Our Coop system (class notes) works really well too. If you put in a decent amount of effort, you would have no problem doing well here. Just try not to fall too far behind! It makes studying for block exams very difficult and extremely stressful.

Well, I hope this was helpful. Take care.

 

[Krony]

Scaps you've been most helpful. Thank you. MCW seems like a great place - I hope everything comes togother so that it will work for me to be there this fall.

 

[Krony]

Scaps you've been most helpful. Thank you. MCW seems like a great place - I hope everything comes togother so that it will work for me to be there this fall.

 

[litgirl]

Hi, I will also be heading to MCW this fall. I'm from California and so housing info would be really helpful. I don't even know how to start looking. I'm just driving out in my junker at the end of July and hoping to find something for august. How do out of state students find housing?

Thanks for the help.

See you guys in the fall.

🙂

 

[Scaps]

Hi Litgirl and Krony,

I drove out to MCW from Washington last summer. It was a fun and scenic drive! I dropped into Yellowstone for a day and got to see Mount Rushmore too. Anyway, here is a little information I gathered that you and your future classmates might find useful as a starting point. I hope it helps. If you want to send me your email address in a private message, I could email you pictures of flyers located on the school bulletin boards advertising various duplexes currently for rent around the school.

Here is some information regarding some of the apartment complexes that are nearby the school. Plug the addresses into Mapquest or Yahoo Maps to figure out the driving distances. I know of fellow students living in almost all of these places. Let me know if you have any other questions. Also, if you want, I could email you the snapshots I have of the advertisements for the following places. The snapshots I have include a lot more details about things such as parking, air conditioning, etc....

First try this website: www.aptshowcase.com

Mayfair Manor ? (414) 771-2057
11040 West Meinecke Avenue
Wauwatosa, WI 53226
(probably about a 5-10 minute drive ? very affordable ? around $600/month for a 2 bedroom)
www.aptshowcase.com/apts/mayfairma

Arvada Place ? Brand New: Opening June 1st ? looks VERY nice
262-782-9220
10900 W. Bluemound Road
Wauwatosa, WI 53226
www.aptshowcase.com/apts/arvada

Tosa Village ? probably about a 5 minute drive ? right near downtown Wauwatosa
1244 N 68th St.
Wauwatosa
414-258-8672
(around $670 for a 2-bedroom)

The Reserve: Luxury Apts. (if you got a lot of cash)
6100 W. State St,
Wauwatosa
414-475-7700

Good luck and take care.

 

[elperro]

More housing options:

Here are a few
different
phone #'s you can call about some apartments.

* Mayfair Manor (a lot of students live there, it is about 5-10 min
from
school 1.5 miles, it is a big complex with a lot of buildings)
contact Lisa
at (414) 771-2057 a 2 bedroom is $600.00.

* 4-plex at 219 N. Hawley Rd. they are remodeling a lot of things in
the
apartments here, cable is included, it is very close as well and by a
freeway which makes it easy to get around. 2 bedroom for $550.00.
(414)
963-0402.

We know people who live in those first 2. The rest of these we got
off the
board at the medical school so I don't know as much info about them.
They are all under $700.00 for a 2 bedroom.

*(414)778-1811

*2 bedroom 1.5 bath, 414-443-0653 or 414-688-1216

*Tosa Village Apartment 2 bed and 2 bath ( I heard these are close
and nice)
414-607-9929 or 414-412-9930

*2 Bedroom 1400 Sq ft lower $650.00 (this one looks nice depending on
where
it is) Call Rob 414-456-9698 or Sue 414-678-9833.

If none of these work let me know soon and I can get more. Make sure
the
address is higher than 60th St. (example- 2356 N 51st St isn't in
the best
neighborhood).

 

[Krony]

You guys are awesome.

 

[litgirl]

I think i'm in love with my new classmates. Hey who needs a roomate? I like cheap!

 

[Skywalker]

I will be attending MCW this fall.. and I'm currently trying to figure out where to live.
You guys have been so helpful.

 

[kidgorgeous]

Thank you. You guys are simply amazing. I am coming from Seattle, Washington. Is anybody from this area starting in fall? Also, do any of these places that you guys mentioned have one bedroom apartments? I was thinking of living by myself till I get used to the atmosphere of medical school. Do you guys have any information about buying a laptop? does that help you in medical school or can you get by without this huge expense.
Thanks again guys.
Your responses were much needed and most appreciated.
Kid.

 

[litgirl]

Hello guys,

I was wondering if many people worked part-time at MCW and if so what types of jobs they do.
I was wondering also if there are sites to find roomates at MCW. I would love to live alone but I'm very money concious, freakin' scared about the huge debt for out of state students.

Thanks,

V

 

[Scaps]

Hello again MCW people,

Kid: I am pretty sure that some of those apartment complexes have some one-bedroom offerings. Almost all of my friends have a roommate though because it?s a lot cheaper that way (in most cases). There are some flyers around the school advertising one-bedroom places that are part of either duplexes or 4 apartment buildings. Hey, I am actually from Seattle too and I?ll be back in Seattle doing some research stuff for the summer. There are 3 girls in my class from Washington too. Two are my good buddies actually because we went to same undergrad. Ha ha, maybe all the Washington MCW people should have a BBQ this summer or something. About the computer, most people I know have one. I have a notebook computer but I rarely ever use it. I am at the school almost every single day so I just use the computers at school for email and such. You have 24-hour access to the big computer lab here. Several of the programs you?ll use during your first year are only available on the computers in the lab. You don?t need to type any papers either during your first year, except for a small handful of simple one-page papers for this short PBL class you?ll have as part of the Clinical Continuum. I normally just type them at the school.

Litgirl: I have only heard of maybe one or two people that have part-time jobs. For instance, I heard of one person that works as a bartender some weekends. Most people are soooo busy that it would be impossible to fit that kind of responsibility into their schedules. I don?t think there are any sites for finding a roommate. During the summer the school periodically mails out a list of people looking for roommates. In order to get on the list you?ll have to fill out this housing questionnaire. The questionnaires are then put into a folder here at the school that people can look through.

I hope this info helped. Take care everyone.