Apartment!

Woooo!

We've signed a lease in a nice 2bd/2ba!!!!

That's a relief. Today's catching up with apartment related phone calls, recovering from very little sleep (early departures, all day apartment viewings, lots of discussion with the roomies, more studying, and sleeping on people's floors), studying and a baseball game tonight! :)

Oh, and just as a tip, looking for an apartment in a limited time span went much faster when we used this process:
1) Collect tons of places within your price range
2) Divide into geographic locations that you'll visit within a set amount of hours
3) CALL. Don't email. While a few places got back to us really quickly over email, most were delayed by 36 hours instead of 12 (what I thought they'd do). When making the appointments, tell them your price range and when you want to move in---that'll eliminate more.
4) Leave an hour for each appointment and 15 minutes for getting to and from places.
5) Ask lots of questions when you get there. That eliminated places really quickly for us---average utilities? How are utilities divided up (by building or unit or complex)? How's the internet done? Do you need renter's insurance? Pet rent/deposit? Laundry? Parking? Test things like water pressure, stoves, how easily closets and windows open---don't be shy! If the renter doesn't know the answers, you might not want to live there.
6) Drive by the complex at night and see what parking and the atmosphere is like. (That immediately eliminated a place we loved.)
7) Consider the surroundings: bus stops, shopping centers, groceries, parks, and banks.

Anyways, the process was painful. But now it's mostly over! Hooray!