I lived in the 8A unit of the Collegiate my sophomore year and I can honestly say without hesitation it was the best year of my life. Obviously not all of that has to do with the Collegiate, but it certainly helped. We had arguably the best unit in the building, with an enormous covered balcony overlooking Lake Mendota, 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.

We got a discounted price, but I would still pay the higher than average rent because it includes (or at least it did, Im not sure what it is now) internet, cable and you have washer and dryer in the unit which is awesome.

The staff is nice and friendly. I thought we were going to get our security deposit wiped out because of all the things we did to our place, but they barely took any out. We also signed a renewal on our lease without realizing that we wouldnt be getting the same discounted rate we originally had, and when we realized one our roommates couldn't pay that much the apartment manager was nice enough to break the lease.

I'm not sure what the parking situation was, as I didn't have a car, so I just left that at 3 stars because I don't think they have any parking (I could be wrong). I gave it 3 stars for noise only because of its close proximity to the KK bar on the corner of Lake and State St, which can get a little noisy at bar time.

I quoted the price at $2100 cause I think we were each gonna pay $700 when we signed the renewal. We originally paid $650 each, but that was a discounted price.

I cannot tell you how much fun we had in this apartment. It's got great location, great amenities and the balcony alone is worth the price. Being able to have friends over to party and look out over the lake, watch thunderstorms without getting wet and just to relax highlighted what I consider the best apartment I have ever lived in. If you can afford the rent (which is well worth it), and are fortunate to get one of the upper level units (8A, 8C, 7A, 7C I think are the ones all looking out over the neighboring building onto the lake) then do it!

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