Hi guys,
i see many discussions about budgets, and I am facing a similar problem as an enrolling student to a PhD program. I would really appreciate all of your help/ advice.
To introduce myself briefly, I am an international student who will be studying in the US for the first time, and this means many things:
1) Have hard time grasping the local situation/ making sense of things at the moment
2) Cannot work more than 20 hours due to my visa status, so even if I need money to work more in the campus, I cannot (the uni has already designated my 20 hour worth TA work)
3) Most importantly, I could not find other options for housing, especially the options outside the campus. Tried craigslist but failed due to many unresponsive landowners, and there weren't many houses/ apartments available (at least on craigslist) near my campus area anyway.
(I am a fully funded PhD student, but my stipend is clearly not enough considering the living expenses of the area. )
In the end, I decided to go for in-campus residences, at least just for the first year. The apartment that the school is offering seems to be clean, safe and decent, and I am pretty content with it. Since i do not have any sense of direction/ knowledge of the area, I feel secure about living inside the campus.
However, the school just updated the rate this year and it's ridiculously expensive--in fact, it is almost equivalent to 3/4 of the stipend that I will be receiving in my first year.
Now, I am prepared to lead a thrifty lifestyle. I don't eat a lot, I am ready to control my shopping habits, and I will bring most of the stuff from home (clothes, books, etc). I also have some money that I saved from doing many part-time jobs in the past, and I am ready to spend it if necessary.
But then, spending 3/4 on housing seems a bit too much. I can't grasp, as of now, the things i will need in the process of settling down and living a life as a Ph.D. student.
Am I making a terrible choice here? Should I try every other option (can't think of one now, but I may be able to find one until August) that is cheaper and affordable?
I feel really lost