salix

So I've committed to UNM and will be looking for a place to start renting on July 1. Do any of you experienced folk know if I'll be able to find something when I visit around June 1? Is it going to be tough entering a lease in July rather than August? I'm also hoping to rent something more house-like and less apartment-complex-like if that changes things at all. Any insight would help, thanks.

gsam8998 - I'd ask the DGS to put you in contact with some of their current graduate students so you can get a better idea of what goes on within the school. They might be able to help you more than it seems we can.

I accepted my offer from the University of New Mexico last night. Making a decision is so freeing at this point...

This afternoon I called the DGS who missed my e-mail as it came in during their spring break. So it goes with e-mail sometimes. We had a nice exchange and she said someone would get back to me so that by the end of the week I should have a better idea of where I stand on the wait list. However, it sounds as if they won't be going very far into that wait list, so unless she calls me back and says I'm number one (very unlikely) I'm probably headed to New Mexico! I'm so relieved to be closer to a decision...

Did you call? I e-mailed the DGS appx two weeks ago and haven't heard back. Tried calling the asst. DGS last week, but her message says she's out of the office until mid-week this week. I don't have a good feeling about getting in, but I don't want to rule it out completely yet, either.

@deathinacan - I would still recommend west of the university as my favorite university-related area, but each area has something a little different. I like a neighborhood with an organic feeling in close proximity to local cafes/bars/groceries/etc. Regardless, you shouldn't have much trouble finding a place at least early in August if you come down with a car.

I lived in Tucson for four non-consecutive years and had no trouble finding housing in August or January. I lived in Barrio Viejo and Menlo Park. Neither are in areas that might typically be called "safe," but I never had a problem except the one time I forgot to lock my bike inside the walled, locked area of our apartment. Living west of the highway was a pain for bus transport (all westside buses require a downtown transfer if you want to continue east) and occasionally for biking (mental block), but no other issues. And it was nice to be close to the Tucson Mountains. If you don't have a car, which I didn't for the first nine months I lived there, I would live near a bus line, east of the highway. Somewhere within the 4th Avenue area would be especially nice, but rentals tend to be a little more expensive there. Dunbar/Spring is a pretty nice neighborhood that is within biking distance of the university, but with a little bit more of a neighborhood feel. (http://www.wp.dunbarspring.org/about-dunbarspring/) I would also rent a car when looking for housing because you can cover a lot more ground that way - the city is really spread out and August is a hot, yucky time to be walking around looking for a place to live. Tucson is awesome. Congratulations and enjoy it!

I moved to Miami three years ago so my partner could attend FIU for his MFA. I work at UM and we live in South Beach. He teaches mostly at FIU's MMC campus and takes classes at BBC. If anyone has specific questions about anything, feel free to PM me or ask away here. We had a scammy experience while apartment hunting and though are happy with where we ended up, it was not a good welcome to the city. We live in a studio. Yep, two of us in a studio for three years. We started paying $825 (July 2010) and are now paying $925/month. This seems typical for many of the people we know. Our friend lives alone in North Miami, near the BBC campus and pays $900 for a one bedroom in an apartment complex. We have some friends who choose to live in Hollywood and commute to the (FIU) BBC campus. They tend to pay about $800/person for rent. We wouldn't choose to live anywhere else in Miami, but recognize this causes a substantial amount of commuting. It is possible to get to UM from South Beach via public transport, but it takes anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour and a half, depending on how quickly you can run from the bus to the train and so on. I used to do this everyday, but haven't been as much lately. Miami is a car town, in my opinion. mormegil - there is a Target and a Publix (a main grocery chain here) very near the BBC campus. The problem is that because the campus is set in away from US 1, it would be quite a walk to get to either. Really, from the campus itself, there are pretty much no places to walk to.

I know some acceptances went out in January and one rejection has been posted since, but has anyone heard anything from UMN lately? I'd try to be more patient, but since both their website and the results page indicate they usually notify in February, I am going just a little crazy waiting.

I'm definitely thinking about it. I'm still waiting to hear about funding and to hear from two other schools. I love Albuquerque and would love to move back West (in Miami now).