englewood

I took two practice tests - one was an ETS practice test and the other was in a test prep book I found in my school's library. Both were pretty much in the neighborhood of my actual score, and I personally found the practice tests to be pretty well representative of the actual difficulty of the GRE.

I noticed that a few people have asked for information about Eagle Heights - I just moved into an apartment there this week. My two-bedroom apartment is about $770 a month, which is a good $100 cheaper than the next cheapest comparable apartment I looked at when I was seeking housing, and all utilities other than electricity are paid. Free internet access, free laundry, and a free parking spot for my car made the deal pretty attractive. The apartment I have isn't super large - it's probably only about 700 square feet, which is way smaller than most of the other places I looked. However, it's much cleaner and more well-maintained than I was expecting. The laundry and storage in the basement is a tad sketchy, but your mileage might vary. The community is large, but very secluded. It's situated on a peninsula that extends into Lake Mendota, and is surrounded by a nature preserve with lots of hiking/bike trails/gardens on the east and a quiet (but expensive) residential neighborhood on the west. The closest facility on campus to the apartments is the hospital, about a mile to the south, but the free 80 bus runs around the Eagle Heights complex all day. It's easy to catch a ride and be on central campus in about 15 minutes, but I come from a place where Walgreens was a block away, so this is a little jarring. My neighbors are really friendly and for the most part quiet, but they are all married with young children and bikes and toys litter the grounds. If you're young and unmarried like I am, it might be weird for you, but if you're looking for a place to raise a family, I get the feeling that this would be ideal. Childcare and preschool are available on-site, and there are lots of playgrounds. A lot of people here are international students, so it's very diverse. It's definitely not where the action is, but if you're looking for someplace quiet, friendly, and low-hassle, I think it would be appropriate. Just know that there's a waiting list - there is an online application to fill out, and I've heard that they prefer to reserve spots for foreign students. I'm pretty sure the only reason I was actually able to get an apartment there is because I spoke to the manager in person. Also, the manager told me that the faculty housing division (University Houses) are getting remodeled sometime in the next year, which means that everyone who lives there now will have to move out. A lot of those people will probably attempt to get spots in Eagle Heights, since they're in the same neighborhood. I gather that competition for an apartment here might get pretty fierce.