University of Minnesota c/o 2019 Applicants

[Jonsi]

I would start looking in april or may for roommates among your classmates ( like on the facebook page) thats how many of us found people. Most apartments here look for about a 2 month notice for moving out, so a lot of what they will have available for an august move in will be posted in late may/early june.

Also try and live in st paul. the cities can have cheap housing near the undergrad east bank campus, but its just far. the less the commute the better I always say.....

Thanks for the info. Do some vet students live in Minneapolis? It seems like some neighborhoods in Minneapolis would be just as close as some neighborhoods in St. Paul. The vet school looks like it is equidistant between both downtowns. I am not from the area, so I'm not really sure about traffic and things, but was wondering if it would be reasonable to look for apartments in either city? I don't want to be too far from campus, but tend to like to live in a walkable more urban-feeling area.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[KCgophervet]

Thanks for the info. Do some vet students live in Minneapolis? It seems like some neighborhoods in Minneapolis would be just as close as some neighborhoods in St. Paul. The vet school looks like it is equidistant between both downtowns. I am not from the area, so I'm not really sure about traffic and things, but was wondering if it would be reasonable to look for apartments in either city? I don't want to be too far from campus, but tend to like to live in a walkable more urban-feeling area.

Current vet students live ALL OVER the metro area. Some with longer commutes (@LetItSnow) and some within easy biking distance (like me). I would definitely do some research into the area before you find a place (there are some rougher neighborhoods - such as North Minneapolis / though NE Minneapolis is generally pretty nice).

It also depends on what you're willing to put up with for a commute. If you are relying on taking I-94 as part of your commute I'd advise against it (but really, I'm a sucker and HATE driving in bumper-to-bumper traffic). Also recognize that what Google Maps tells you is a 20 minute drive can easily become an hour + drive on snowy winter days during rush hour.

 

[KCgophervet]

If anyone is interested in a 2BR apartment about 1.8 miles from campus that allows large dogs interested in moving in June 1st, PM me Due to my summer internship and my lease being up in August I'm trying to find someone to rent out my apartment early. And hey, there's nothing like finding a job in MN in the summer before vet school to start convincing people you may in fact deserve to be switched to IS tuition (note that this is just, like, my opinion man).

Very nice neighborhood, parks nearby, like a 10 minute walk to the Como Zoo (free zoo!).

 

[LetItSnow]

It's awfully nice to be near school, especially your first year or two. Year 1 you'll be going in to study anatomy and histology 'n stuff like that, so being able to whip over there for a couple hours in the evening is nice.

By year 3 you don't care anymore and you just want to leave for the day and not come back.

Year 4 goes so fast and you're so busy that commuting is the least of your concerns.

 

[catnips]

Does anyone know how much time UMN gives you to decide if you are pulled off the waitlist?

 

[Meng]

Hi! I'm unfamiliar with finding the credible housing resources. I just want to find the 2br apartment which is close to the vet med. Where should I get started? Can anyone give me a hint? Thanks!

 

[LetItSnow]

Does anyone know how much time UMN gives you to decide if you are pulled off the waitlist?

Drat. I wasn't waitlisted, so I'm not sure. Maybe another UMNer on SDN was waitlisted and would have a better idea. But I *THINK* (and take it with a really big grain of salt) that there are roughly three or so 'rounds' of offers. So probably you'll get 2-4 weeks to decide? I am pretty sure it's not as long as the the time between initial offers and the first deadline.

 

[LetItSnow]

Hi! I'm unfamiliar with finding the credible housing resources. I just want to find the 2br apartment which is close to the vet med. Where should I get started? Can anyone give me a hint? Thanks!

A good place to start would be to join your class's Facebook page if you're an accepted UMN c/o 2019 person. There's been some talk of housing there. And as summer goes on, people will talk about it more and will be looking for roommates and that sort of thing.

Might be worth setting up a visit during summer for a few days so you can drive around and check out places, too. Looks like you're in KS according to your profile .... so it shouldn't be too bad to drive up and visit?

 

[dovelover]

On the topic of housing, my friend and I are going to be looking for a roommate to rent a house with us if anyone would be interested. The place we are hoping to get looks awesome and is in a very desirable location. I just posted something on your class's facebook page, but thought I'd mention it in case anyone hasn't joined it yet...

 

[KCgophervet]

On the topic of housing, my friend and I are going to be looking for a roommate to rent a house with us if anyone would be interested. The place we are hoping to get looks awesome and is in a very desirable location. I just posted something on your class's facebook page, but thought I'd mention it in case anyone hasn't joined it yet...

Can confirm: the place does look awesome.

 

[LetItSnow]

Can confirm: the place does look awesome.

Yeah, but ... look who they'd have to live with ......

 

[dovelover]

Yeah, but ... look who they'd have to live with ......

 

[dovelover]

In love with the house I just saw (and the neighborhood it's in)... too bad I'm probably going to have to miss out on it because nobody wants to become my third roommate... (And because trying to guilt people into being my roommate is an A+ strategy for finding someone good to live with, after all... )

 

[LetItSnow]

In love with the house I just saw (and the neighborhood it's in)... too bad I'm probably going to have to miss out on it because nobody wants to become my third roommate... (And because trying to guilt people into being my roommate is an A+ strategy for finding someone good to live with, after all... )

Gotta be some incoming 2019er who will want a roommate. And I always hear that people like rooming with upperclassmen. Give it time.

 

[dovelover]

Gotta be some incoming 2019er who will want a roommate. And I always hear that people like rooming with upperclassmen. Give it time.

Yeah I know... I just can't risk applying for this place without a third roommate lined up because the deposit is a lot of money to have to forfeit if we can't find a third person in time to sign the lease and there's a lot of competition for it because of its great location, so I basically have no chance of getting it unless I apply today. Oh well, I'm probably better off waiting to find a place with a lease starting in August anyways so that I only have to pay rent in two places for one month instead of three, and can take the time to do a more careful roommate search.

 

[Meng]

Hi!! I'm confused by the technology requirement. Do we need to buy new computer? I know ISU and KSU use the Fujistu.....

 

[LetItSnow]

Hi!! I'm confused by the technology requirement. Do we need to buy new computer? I know ISU and KSU use the Fujistu.....

[Deleted]

So... I wrote a reply. Then I decided that with the new curriculum, I'm probably not a good person to answer the question. I'll leave it to one of the newer students, in case things have changed since I was a first year. Sorry.

 

[KCgophervet]

Hi!! I'm confused by the technology requirement. Do we need to buy new computer? I know ISU and KSU use the Fujistu.....

You'll want a laptop or tablet to bring to class - occasionally there are things you need to access on it. You'll need some sort of computer access minimally to access your email and notes for classes on - though you can print out hard copies and hand write notes during lecture if that's your style.

As far as I'm concerned the specific requirements they give you are pure BS. You don't need a CD/DVD drive (or at least not through second year except MAYBE to watch videos off one disc they assign randomly... but I never watched them and I haven't failed out yet). You don't need a certain screen size either. Maybe it helps a tiny bit with radiology, but honestly so long as you're not working off a glorified smart phone the smaller laptop screen sizes are just fine for that.

I regret buying a laptop that fit all of their requirements because it just landed me with a laptop that is too big to carry around comfortably with features I never actually use.

Those are my 2 cents, take from it what you will.

 

[dovelover]

Hi!! I'm confused by the technology requirement. Do we need to buy new computer? I know ISU and KSU use the Fujistu.....

I am in agreement with @kcoughli . Unless they changed something, all of the "requirements" are completely pointless and are really more like guidelines anyways... you know, kind of like required textbooks that nobody actually buys. Use whatever you're comfortable with. You definitely will need to bring your computer to class from time to time to work on in class assignments or for radiology labs, (but you can usually get away with mooching off of other people for these if you really have to), so really all you need to worry about is portability and reliability... because the last thing you need is for your computer full of notes to die on you the night before an exam.

 

[LetItSnow]

You definitely will need to bring your computer to class from time to time to work on in class assignments or for radiology labs, (but you can usually get away with mooching off of other people for these if you really have to)

You still have to take your radiology exams in-class and on your own computer, right? Otherwise it doesn't sound like much has changed in the way of computer requirement. I pretty much ignored their recommendation and bought myself a new laptop (my other one was dying), and it's worked great for me.

 

[catnips]

OMG I JUST GOT IN!!!!!


Sorry I really just wasn't expecting this today!

 

[LetItSnow]

OMG I JUST GOT IN!!!!!

Congratulations!

 

[catnips]

Congratulations!

Thanks so much!
I remember you answering a lot of my questions here, so really, thank you so much!

 

[dovelover]

You still have to take your radiology exams in-class and on your own computer, right? Otherwise it doesn't sound like much has changed in the way of computer requirement. I pretty much ignored their recommendation and bought myself a new laptop (my other one was dying), and it's worked great for me.

Yes, you do need to take radiology exams in class on your computer. They tried online in class exams in a couple of other classes first year, but everybody complained so don't know if they're still doing that. So, if you have a giant heavy lap top and you are going to bike to school everyday and don't want to bring it, you'll be fine for basically all but a handful of days of the semester.

 

[dovelover]

OMG I JUST GOT IN!!!!!


Sorry I really just wasn't expecting this today!

Congrats! I forgot what day today was. Hope some other waitlisters start getting good news soon too!

 

[catnips]

Congrats! I forgot what day today was. Hope some other waitlisters start getting good news soon too!

Thank you so much! In UMN's website it actually said the first waitlist update would be around 24th so this was definitely a HUGE surprise!

 

[catnips]

Is Plymouth too far to live in? I am having hard time finding bully breed friendly housing and I found one in Plymouth but have no idea how far it is. Google maps says half an hour, which seems fine with me, but I wonder if it really is.

 

[LetItSnow]

Is Plymouth too far to live in? I am having hard time finding bully breed friendly housing and I found one in Plymouth but have no idea how far it is. Google maps says half an hour, which seems fine with me, but I wonder if it really is.

I live in Plymouth. One of my classmates lived out here. A student in the class behind me lives out here. I doubt any of us would recommend it unless you have a really compelling reason.

It is about 30 minutes. 35 to be safe. And up to an hour if traffic is really bad (rush hour, snowstorm, accident, etc.). For 8am class I used to leave around 7:10, which got me there with tons of time to spare. I could just eek into class if I left at 7:30. I'm an introvert who values my time alone in the car to be away from people, so for me the drive isn't bad. It's also a very simple, non-stoplight-laden drive (almost all highway/interstate - I-35 dumps you out within a few blocks of campus).

That said ... I would recommend looking for closer. It ends up being a lot of gas money, and a lot of time that you could use for doing something relaxing, studying, whatever. Also, it makes it harder to get yourself to evening events with classmates 'n stuff.

There is bus service and it's only $97/semester, but you will have to drive to a bus stop (a few miles), take a bus to downtown Minneapolis, catch a bus to UMN-Minneapolis, and then take a shuttle to St. Paul. I did it quite a bit and it really, really ate up time. Would be wonderful if there were a bus straight from the NW burbs to UMN-St. Paul campus.

The only reason I stayed out here is because I already had a house and didn't want to move my family. (Plymouth is a really nice place to live, though. Like, super nice.)

You should be able to find something closer .... I'm just not up on local ordinances regarding 'bully' breeds since it wasn't on my radar.

 

[catnips]

I live in Plymouth. One of my classmates lived out here. A student in the class behind me lives out here. I doubt any of us would recommend it unless you have a really compelling reason.

It is about 30 minutes. 35 to be safe. And up to an hour if traffic is really bad (rush hour, snowstorm, accident, etc.). For 8am class I used to leave around 7:10, which got me there with tons of time to spare. I could just eek into class if I left at 7:30. I'm an introvert who values my time alone in the car to be away from people, so for me the drive isn't bad. It's also a very simple, non-stoplight-laden drive (almost all highway/interstate - I-35 dumps you out within a few blocks of campus).

That said ... I would recommend looking for closer. It ends up being a lot of gas money, and a lot of time that you could use for doing something relaxing, studying, whatever. Also, it makes it harder to get yourself to evening events with classmates 'n stuff.

There is bus service and it's only $97/semester, but you will have to drive to a bus stop (a few miles), take a bus to downtown Minneapolis, catch a bus to UMN-Minneapolis, and then take a shuttle to St. Paul. I did it quite a bit and it really, really ate up time. Would be wonderful if there were a bus straight from the NW burbs to UMN-St. Paul campus.

The only reason I stayed out here is because I already had a house and didn't want to move my family. (Plymouth is a really nice place to live, though. Like, super nice.)

You should be able to find something closer .... I'm just not up on local ordinances regarding 'bully' breeds since it wasn't on my radar.

Thanks so much! I will look for closer. I was just so disappointed at all the "no"s I was getting to my pitbull so I decided to widen my search and found the place in Plymouth. The apartment in Plymouth seemed cheaper than the ones near the school too, but then of course there is gas money. Sigh. But if there is a shuttle to St. Paul, it would make sense to look near UMN-Minneapolis, around downtown Minneapolis? Is there any dangerous areas I should refrain from? The city seemed very safe in general.

Again, thank you soo much, you are helping tons!

 

[KCgophervet]

Is Plymouth too far to live in? I am having hard time finding bully breed friendly housing and I found one in Plymouth but have no idea how far it is. Google maps says half an hour, which seems fine with me, but I wonder if it really is.

I know LIS already covered this pretty well, but I've done a few months stints in New Hope (just south of Plymouth) and it was straight up hell for me (that being said, I might end up back here starting next fall so what can you do). Just because it says 30 minutes does not make it 30 minutes. Going to school I had to leave before 7am. If I left after 7 (like, minutes after) this magical horrible thing called rush hour started and would increase my transit time and my frustration level to ridiculous levels. I'm also not a morning person, so having to wake up so much earlier really killed me (especially on late study nights). The ride home was typically worse, because we'd get out at all hours of the afternoon but since my route home took me right past downtown Minneapolis it meant there was always traffic to contend with. So typically I'd be arriving to school tired and frustrated, and getting home frustrated and annoyed and having wasted a good 1-2 hours on commuting.

I never did try the bus system though, mostly because it would have meant waking up even earlier to make it there.

I highly recommend finding places closer to school. Even trying renting a house - and if your pittie is a mix with something maybe go by the mix? Seems sketchy I know, but when I told my current apartment about my lab-shepherd mix the woman looked at me and goes "we'll just call him a lab-mix, technically we don't allow GSD's here" which I found hilarious because my upstairs neighbor for sure has a pure bred GSD... but whatever.

 

[KCgophervet]

Thanks so much! I will look for closer. I was just so disappointed at all the "no"s I was getting to my pitbull so I decided to widen my search and found the place in Plymouth. The apartment in Plymouth seemed cheaper than the ones near the school too, but then of course there is gas money. Sigh. But if there is a shuttle to St. Paul, it would make sense to look near UMN-Minneapolis, around downtown Minneapolis? Is there any dangerous areas I should refrain from? The city seemed very safe in general.

Again, thank you soo much, you are helping tons!

Oh okay yes living near the Minneapolis campus would make the commute much nicer for you, though there are some sketchy things that happen around there (we get emails about any police reports near UMN so while not super frequent, not entirely absent from crime either). I would avoid North Minneapolis as a rule. NE Minneapolis is generally pretty decent. Also I think you can look up crime stats online somewhere... not sure what the site is but I bet you could Google it.

 

[catnips]

I know LIS already covered this pretty well, but I've done a few months stints in New Hope (just south of Plymouth) and it was straight up hell for me (that being said, I might end up back here starting next fall so what can you do). Just because it says 30 minutes does not make it 30 minutes. Going to school I had to leave before 7am. If I left after 7 (like, minutes after) this magical horrible thing called rush hour started and would increase my transit time and my frustration level to ridiculous levels. I'm also not a morning person, so having to wake up so much earlier really killed me (especially on late study nights). The ride home was typically worse, because we'd get out at all hours of the afternoon but since my route home took me right past downtown Minneapolis it meant there was always traffic to contend with. So typically I'd be arriving to school tired and frustrated, and getting home frustrated and annoyed and having wasted a good 1-2 hours on commuting.

I never did try the bus system though, mostly because it would have meant waking up even earlier to make it there.

I highly recommend finding places closer to school. Even trying renting a house - and if your pittie is a mix with something maybe go by the mix? Seems sketchy I know, but when I told my current apartment about my lab-shepherd mix the woman looked at me and goes "we'll just call him a lab-mix, technically we don't allow GSD's here" which I found hilarious because my upstairs neighbor for sure has a pure bred GSD... but whatever.

Ahh yea, that does sound pretty far. I'm not a morning person myself. I am not too confident in my driving either (my city had great public transportation so just never got to practice it much) so I think I'll have to pass the Plymouth apartment.

I always say "pitbull mix" to make it sound better because she is definitely mixed, but she still looks too much like a pitbull. She really is so sweet, it's my cat they should be worrying about . I gave up on apartments and started looking into houses now, they seem more lenient with dogs.

Thanks a lot!

 

[LetItSnow]

I know LIS already covered this pretty well, but I've done a few months stints in New Hope (just south of Plymouth)

New Hope is actually east of Plymouth, meaning that it's every so slightly <closer> to vet school. So if kcoughli disliked that commute, that should tell you something.

(Kcoughli, how is it possible you had to leave before 7am when I'm further away and could leave later? What route did you take? I do Hwy 169 north to I-694 east to I-35 south to Cleveland onto campus..... Did it all four years and other than snowstorms or bad accidents or something I was never late leaving by 7:15.)

 

[KCgophervet]

New Hope is actually east of Plymouth, meaning that it's every so slightly <closer> to vet school. So if kcoughli disliked that commute, that should tell you something.

(Kcoughli, how is it possible you had to leave before 7am when I'm further away and could leave later? What route did you take? I do Hwy 169 north to I-694 east to I-35 south to Cleveland onto campus..... Did it all four years and other than snowstorms or bad accidents or something I was never late leaving by 7:15.)

So i was living at the very southern border of new hope right off 169. I'd take that south to 394. Didn't occur to me to take 694 because technically it's a longer drive. So taking 394 to 94 was ripe with traffic and often caused delays

 

[LetItSnow]

So i was living at the very southern border of new hope right off 169. I'd take that south to 394. Didn't occur to me to take 694 because technically it's a longer drive. So taking 394 to 94 was ripe with traffic and often caused delays

Yeah.... I go the other route because it tends to be more predictable. I've never trusted 394 ... and I've never figured out whether it's better to get off in Minneapolis and take, like, Hennepin/Larpenteur or to follow 394 all the way across to 280 or something. I like the simplicity of the 694 route. If you end up back out in New Hope (I'm just half a mile west of 169 off Rockford), try the 694 route... you'll probably like it better.

 

[yumekon]

Does anyone have any good resources for scholarships? Is there such a thing for vet school? Is it even worth it? haha. I've been trying to look but I'm OOS and from CA and everything I've come across is state specific. :/

 

[LetItSnow]

Does anyone have any good resources for scholarships? Is there such a thing for vet school? Is it even worth it? haha. I've been trying to look but I'm OOS and from CA and everything I've come across is state specific. :/

There are some, but you have to do a bit of hunting. Most tend to be in the $500-$2000 range, with some going up to the $5000 range. It's mostly on you to search around for them (I suggest google.). There is a website at UMN CVM (I can't remember if you have to have internal access or if it's a public page) that lists many, along with their application dates. Every year there is a group of them from the MVMF (MN Vet Med Found) that the school will let you know about.

I think it's definitely worth it. It takes little time to apply - most of them ask similar questions so once you've done one application you've done most of the work. But the thousands I got for the few hours of work is a really great ROI.

 

[yumekon]

There are some, but you have to do a bit of hunting. Most tend to be in the $500-$2000 range, with some going up to the $5000 range. It's mostly on you to search around for them (I suggest google.). There is a website at UMN CVM (I can't remember if you have to have internal access or if it's a public page) that lists many, along with their application dates. Every year there is a group of them from the MVMF (MN Vet Med Found) that the school will let you know about.

I think it's definitely worth it. It takes little time to apply - most of them ask similar questions so once you've done one application you've done most of the work. But the thousands I got for the few hours of work is a really great ROI.

Thank you for all the resource ideas and the note about the ROI. I was starting to think I was wasting my time, now I feel more encouraged to keep digging haha!

 

[LetItSnow]

Thank you for all the resource ideas and the note about the ROI. I was starting to think I was wasting my time, now I feel more encouraged to keep digging haha!

One downside is that it seemed like a LOT of them were for upperclasspeeps. A lot of third and fourth year things. Not as many first and second.

 

[calmae]

I can't remember but do they choose certain freshman to give scholarships to? Like ones that you don't even apply for or anything? And if they do, when are you usually notified about that?

 

[LetItSnow]

I can't remember but do they choose certain freshman to give scholarships to? Like ones that you don't even apply for or anything? And if they do, when are you usually notified about that?

I really can't remember, sorry. Maybe one of the other UMN students here can.....

 

[calmae]

Absolutely any suggestions on lowering my debt load will be greatly appreciated! it's something I am really worried about..

 

[KCgophervet]

I can't remember but do they choose certain freshman to give scholarships to? Like ones that you don't even apply for or anything? And if they do, when are you usually notified about that?

If they do, I wasn't one selected.

I did a crap job of looking/applying for scholarships last year (my first year) mostly because I was so focused on classes and other things. However, this year I applied for every scholarship I came across and ended up with almost $8,000 in scholarship money. It never hurts to throw scholarship applications everywhere. Free money is the best money

Now, making sure that gets distributed properly is an entirely separate story...

 

[thatsallfolks97]

I don't think that they randomly give out a scholarship to 1st years. At least if they did, I never heard about it this year. There were a couple that first years could apply for but they were for specific areas of vet med like dairy and camelid medicine. Most scholarships that I found are for upperclassmen.

 

[yumekon]

If they do, I wasn't one selected.

I did a crap job of looking/applying for scholarships last year (my first year) mostly because I was so focused on classes and other things. However, this year I applied for every scholarship I came across and ended up with almost $8,000 in scholarship money. It never hurts to throw scholarship applications everywhere. Free money is the best money

Now, making sure that gets distributed properly is an entirely separate story...

Oh WOW! That is really impressive. Did you just find all/most of those on google?

 

[KCgophervet]

Oh WOW! That is really impressive. Did you just find all/most of those on google?

So that was from 4 different scholarships. One was a big one that I got through MVMF and was advertised through the school, one was a lab animal specific one that I found (but I think an email also went around via the school), one was through AVMF-Zoetis (again, emailed from the school), and the last one is just one through my mom's work (basically if she's still working there and I'm not failing school, I get it for 4 years).

So Googling might come up with more options, but really I just used the school as a resource.

 

[mnlakes]

Hello! I am the parent of an accepted class of 2019 student and I have some questions I was hoping some of you may have the answers to. I hope it is ok that I post here and that I am not intruding- if not, feel free to boot me out

We are just starting the process of trying to find housing and although we are from MN, we do not know much about living in the downtown area. What areas are best to live in? Should we look as close to the school as possible or is it better/safer to be a few miles away in a more residential area? How busy does Larpenteur Street get? Is it loud living down by U of MN Transit Way? Do most people rent the same place for all 4 years? Are there places that rent month to month or are all a 12 month lease- so even though a place is only needed for 9 months, you have to pay for all 12? I would assume that lots of people would want to go home during the summer and may have jobs elsewhere, so what is done with the house then if people go home but you still have a 12 month lease? How much housing is available? If we wait until June or July, will there be plenty of housing available to choose from?

Also, are there any supplies that are needed that I can be looking for now? A stethoscope? White coats? Books? Any tips on things that are helpful to have? Smart pens maybe? I'd like to start looking for a few things to get to help out.

Thank you for your time!

 

[KCgophervet]

Hello! I am the parent of an accepted class of 2019 student and I have some questions I was hoping some of you may have the answers to. I hope it is ok that I post here and that I am not intruding- if not, feel free to boot me out

Of course it's okay for you to post here - but I would recommend your son/daughter to poke around here as well It's full of useful information and resources

We are just starting the process of trying to find housing and although we are from MN, we do not know much about living in the downtown area. What areas are best to live in? Should we look as close to the school as possible or is it better/safer to be a few miles away in a more residential area?

First I wouldn't recommend living downtown, unless you're using that term to just mean in the Cities in general. My recommendation would be to live as close to school as possible - the vet school is on the Saint Paul campus and is basically in the middle of a residential area (with fields from the ag school and paddocks for the horses etc as well). That being said, I hate commuting in traffic and so that's high on my priority list. If your priority is to save money, and you don't really care about a longer commute to/from school, then by all means look a bit further out and see what's out there. The cities also have crime rates for different neighborhoods listed online, so a bit of Googling will let you know how "safe" certain neighborhoods are. There are also quite a few current and incoming vet students looking for roommate situations - on the c/o 2019 Facebook group and possibly earlier in this thread there's more information about looking into those options.

How busy does Larpenteur Street get? Is it loud living down by U of MN Transit Way?

Can't comment too much here since I don't live near those places. Larpenteur can get fairly busy but it's never too crazy in my experience (except during state fair). I can say that I live right next to some train tracks and I hardly ever even notice the trains anymore.

Do most people rent the same place for all 4 years?

I think it would be great but it doesn't always work out that way. Situations change and 4 years is a long time. I've lived in my current place for 2 years but I'm moving out in June (still trying to figure out where I'll be in September)

Are there places that rent month to month or are all a 12 month lease- so even though a place is only needed for 9 months, you have to pay for all 12? I would assume that lots of people would want to go home during the summer and may have jobs elsewhere, so what is done with the house then if people go home but you still have a 12 month lease?

lHonestly I don't think lots of people go "home" during the summer. A lot of people get summer jobs in the area, already have homes and work in the area, or what have you. But essentially its the same situation that you'd do in undergrad - you either stay in town at your place and work during the summer, pay rent even though you don't live there during the summer, or find a subleaser (assuming your landlord/company allows that). There are a million and a half places to rent from in the cities and they all have their own terms, so basically you just have to find it and figure out what their rules are.

How much housing is available? If we wait until June or July, will there be plenty of housing available to choose from?

There is always housing available, it just depends on how strict your requirements are. Sometimes it's easier to wait to start looking because places typically advertise when they have places open. For instance, right now I'm trying to find a place for September and it's nearly impossible because people are looking to rent NOW. I also have a lot of requirements: a place that I can afford, that's relatively close to school, and will allow my pets.

Also, are there any supplies that are needed that I can be looking for now? A stethoscope? White coats? Books? Any tips on things that are helpful to have? Smart pens maybe? I'd like to start looking for a few things to get to help out.

Your son/daughter will get a list of items they need to get before school starts, so I would hang on until then. I would just say that don't bother following the technical requirements they give you for the laptop - so long as it runs and you can open PDF's & Powerpoints on it you'll be fine. I wasted a lot of extra money getting one that fit their asinine requirements and now I have a huge laptop that I hate lugging around.

Hope that helps

 

[mnlakes]

Thank you very much for all the information!

 

[LetItSnow]

Thank you very much for all the information!

Kcoughli pretty much covered things, but I'd really suggest your son/daughter join the FB page for his/her class, like she said.

The best thing you can buy your son/daughter isn't a stethoscope or smart pen or .... any other fancy schmancy school/medical device. The best thing you can buy them is a big huge gift card for Starbucks. Or Caribou. Or whatever it is they like. And then send regular packages of comfort food. A nice engraved stethoscope does make a pretty good matriculation gift, but which one people like is pretty personal, so you should check with them before just picking one.