probable emory law student curious about area (Atlanta, Decatur: estate, apartments)

[jbiz419]

hello all,

i will probably be attending emory university law school starting next fall (about 95% sure--just got offered a 3/4 tuition scholarship, which is above and beyond anything i've recieved elsewhere--thanks huge endowment!). having never visited atlanta, i am very curious about the area, where grad students generally live, what kind of access the school has to public transportation (basically, should i bring a car?), etc. if any of you all are emory grad or undergrad students, from dekalb county, or just familiar with the area in general, i'd greatly appreciate your input. thanks-

[cmtiger]

Congrats! I am an Emory Law alum - you are in for a great time (don't let the first year professors get you down!). I graduated a while ago - but in my day most grad students at Emory lived in newer apt complexes near the university. I know that there is one near the corner of Clairmont and North Decatur Roads. I can't recall the name though - it's just north of N. Decatur Rd. Also, there is one off of Briarcliff Road where it intersects North Decatur. I'd come down here and just drive around and see what appeals to you.

Good luck - and don't let Dr. Fyr get to you! (yes, it's pronounced Dr. "Fear")

[IntownHomes247]

I've lived in the "greater Emory area" my whole life and am happy to say it is by far the nicest area in all of Atlanta. Everywhere from Midtown and Virginia-Highland to Downtown Decatur and from Candler Park/Lake Claire to Victoria Estates/Lavista Park is extremely convenient to Emory University. Unless you never plan to leave the campus, though, you'll need a car -- that's just Atlanta. We're a car city.

Sadly, I have no info about on-campus house or student rentals, but there's an off-campus housing web site where you can scope out some available offerings:

Welcome to Emory Off-Campus Housing Finder

Congrats on the scholarship and welcome to Atlanta!

[jbiz419]

thanks to both of you for the response--

one thing i considered was living in emory-owned graduate housing for my 1L year and getting to know the area and some of my classmates, and then moving off-campus. i'll try to make a trip down as soon as i am 100% sure that i'll be attending and take a look at some of the apartments you suggested, however.

how is the atlanta metro? does the school have any access to it?

[IntownHomes247]

Originally Posted by jbiz419

thanks to both of you for the response--

one thing i considered was living in emory-owned graduate housing for my 1L year and getting to know the area and some of my classmates, and then moving off-campus. i'll try to make a trip down as soon as i am 100% sure that i'll be attending and take a look at some of the apartments you suggested, however.

how is the atlanta metro? does the school have any access to it?

You mean the subway? It's called MARTA here. There's no MARTA rail stop near Emory, but there is a shuttle bus that connects the University to a nearby station (I assume it's for students as well as employees, although the web site only talks about employees as far as I can tell). There is an extensive shuttle system on the University itself, but trust me, unless you want to spend a LOT of time on buses and trains, you'll need a car in Atlanta.

http://transportation.emory.edu/shuttles.html

http://www.cctma.com/

[netdragon]

Emory is in a nice area in N. Decatur near the Druid Hills area. Just be smart when travelling out of the general area of the university, especially if heading South.

[cmtiger]

Good idea to try the on campus housing jb. I actually forgot about that b/c the really nice stuff didn't exist when I was at Emory Law. The graduate housing is fabulous. You may decide you never want to leave if you stay there. There are times that I would consider living there myself!

Good luck!

[aries4118]

Hello! I was a grad student at Emory University about 8 years back. I definitely recommend living in the graduate housing. It was decent back then and is phenomenal now! However, I know that many Emory Law students live in the Post Briarcliff apartments. But, in my opinion, the Emory grad housing can't be beat. You'll feel less stressed and the apartments are furnished.

Funny thing...I'll also be starting law school in the fall. I will soon be making similar posts on the Boston Forum (Boston College Law) and Hampton Roads Forum (William and Mary Law). I'm split 50/50 on where I should go...but I'll have to know by April 15!

(Boston College has some awesome grad housing options; William and Mary has grad housing, but they are all 2, 3, and 4 bedroom combinations)

Good Luck to you.

[andydon]

Clairmont Campus graduate housing and Post Briarcliff are very popular. If you live at Clairmont you can just take the shuttle to the law school. There is a parking deck next to the law school, but you won't be able to park there until your second year. I lived elsewhere in Decatur my first year and had to drive to Clairmont and then take the shuttle to the law school.

Living near so many other law students has its positives and negatives. I personally preferred to live away from other law students - when your classmates are freaking out when first year finals roll around it is easier to stay calm if you don't live near them. Just my two cents.

A car is basically a must.

[VirtualM]

I'll echo the sentiments - bring your car. When I was a grad student at Emory (not law, a more useless liberal arts degree ), I had classmates who were on bikes and they had a really hard time getting around, although it can be done if you have lots of friends with cars. The student housing is nice, but my husband and I couldn't justify paying over $1000 a month for a one-bedroom place, especially moving to Atlanta without a source of income except my student job. Instead, we rented a tiny "vintage" apartment in Virginia-Highlands for about $550 a month. We loved living there and there are numerous places like it around Virginia Highlands and Little Five Points, which are all about 3 miles from campus and a really easy drive. Parking wasn't a problem - there are numerous parking decks on campus and you just have to be willing to walk a bit because you probably won't be parking right next to your building, or you can take a shuttle once you get to campus. There are a lot of options, come to the area and drive around to get a feel for it. It's how we found our apartment back a few years ago. I'm sure you can find something that works for you.