zactak

Avocados, guacamole and ranch dressing

I would definitely recommend being able to get your advisor or a fellow classmate who is already there to tour the apartment for you prior to signing any lease. I would also recommend finding out any information you can online about the complex, especially if you can find any tenant reviews. I was lucky enough to have a few days to visit the area I am moving to for grad school before I signed a lease. I researched a lot beforehand, and I found a management company that I thought was going to be perfect for me. I scoped out several of their properties ahead of time. When I got to the area I was looking in, I noticed the exterior of these apartments looked very rundown. I wound up not even touring any of their apartments. There was another apartment that looked great that I toured and enjoyed, but the manager was really rude, and I wouldn't have known that unless I toured the property. The apartment I finally settled on wasn't originally my first choice, but I wound up going with them, because the location was the best, and the staff were absolutely phenomenal. Hopefully you're able to find a place! Good luck

As mdivgirl pointed out, the road we each take to graduate school is different. I don't think it is uncommon for a program to require their students to take additional classes in order to meet prerequisites for the program. I also agree with fuzzylogician that it is important to have some courses under your belt prior to attending graduate school to make sure you like the program and don't realize you don't like your field of study. For me, my grad program, which I start this fall, requires an introduction to linguistics course, which I don't have. They recommended I take the class prior to beginning the program, but I don't have the money laying around in order to do that. I am taking 12 hours my first semester, one course is going to be an undergraduate class to meet the intro to linguistics requirement.

I had a similar situation happen to me when I had my interview for Hofstra. At the end of the conversation, the department head stated that he would be recommending me for admission, and that I would be getting additional information from the admissions department, as well as getting in touch with a student mentor. I got my official acceptance letter about a month later. I received it first through my admissions portal, followed by an official letter being sent through the mail. Congratulations! I bet you can't wait until you get the official word!

Hi, I am going to graduate school at Hofstra this fall, and I briefly looked into looking at apartments in Queens. From what I understand, apartment hunting within the five boroughs of NYC is extremely competitive. While I chose to move to Long Island instead of Queens, I thought about the different variables in getting an apartment. I knew my income wouldn't be enough to qualify and I was irresponsible in my early 20s, so I have poor credit too. I am lucky enough to have my dad cosign for me, and when it came time for me to apply for an apartment, I provided proof of my financial aid, because I took out a grad plus loan to help cover rent. I was able to get approved for an apartment on Long Island with my dad, and the financial aid, but beforehand, i thought about my other options. I think if you're able to, being able to offer a few months of rent upfront, or maybe offering a little more on the security deposit. I'm not entirely sure I would pay the entire year up front, but I'd at least try to start with offering three months. I'm unsure how reputable third party guarantors are, but I do know there are other companies out there who may be beneficial to you. Researching sites, or even the gradcafe to see if anyone has used any could be good for you. Good luck with your search!

My dad is an accountant and set me up with a budget spreadsheet that I've been using for over three years now. I really like it, and it can easily be adjusted to your needs. I personally budget every two weeks along with my pay dates. I loaded mine onto a Google Sheet, so I am able to pull it up on my phone, and keep track of it along with a check register that I created. Empty Budget.xlsx

I just wanted to reiterate this. I'm not originally from Pittsburgh, but I've been here for five years. I'm leaving this fall for graduate school, but when I am done I will probably look to move back, because Pittsburgh is a great city with a lot to offer.

As thetemp pointed out, the area you have highlighted should be a decent area. Regent Square is a nice area. I have a few friends that live there. If you choose to look in that area, you want to avoid being north of Penn Avenue. Also, there's a gray road that looks like it says Pennwood Ave. It's close to where you have the 8 circled. You want to stay west of that road. If you can, I would also Google the apartment, or management company to see if you can find out any information about if they are a good company, or not. Also, if you choose to not try to move into the apartment you have starred, but want to live in that area, be careful as there is a management company that advertises their apartments as being in Regent Square, but the majority of them are in Wilkinsburg.

Congratulations on your acceptance to Pitt. I live in Pittsburgh, but I didn't go to Pitt. Some areas I would recommend looking into are Squirrel Hill, Lawrenceville and Shadyside. They're all in older, desirable areas of the city, but they all have a lot of character and are relatively safe. They are more pricey, though. I lived in Squirrel Hill for a year and I loved it. I'd guess it's about 15ish minutes from Pitt. There's a lot of culture in Squirrel Hill. It has a very large Jewish community, which really adds to its character, and you can find almost any type of food you want. It also has a few parks in the area. Lawrenceville is more of a hipster area. I'm not a hipster, but I still enjoyed venturing over there on occasion. All three of these communities are relatively close to the Pitt campus, and give you easy access to other parts of the city. They each bring their own character and uniqueness. In regards to Pittsburgh as a general area, I would try to find a place to live either east or north of the city. Avoid having to commute to Pitt from a tunnel (Ft. Pitt, Liberty and Squirrel Hill tunnels). These areas bottleneck very easily, and traffic can be a nightmare, especially when the tunnels are closed or restricted. I'd also avoid living in Oakland - where Pitt is, on the North Side, North Shore, East Liberty, and Wilkinsburg. I currently live in Wexford, which is about 25 or so minutes from Pitt. It's a great area, but really a run of the mill suburb. Hopefully some of this information helps. I hope you find a place easily. I'm moving to New York for grad school, and I know it can be very overwhelming. Good luck!

Congratulations on your academic achievements so far! In regards to Golden Key, I wouldn't recommend joining the group. There's membership dues in order to join, and as Pink Fuzzy Bunny pointed out, it's just a waste of money. I am a member, and I haven't gotten any use out of it, expect for putting it on my resume. I'm not sure if having it on my resume will make any difference. Your GPA speaks for itself, as Pink Fuzzy Bunny said.

Hello everyone. I am 33 and will be starting graduate school this fall. I actually just graduated with my bachelor's degree a couple of months ago. Life got in the way a bit, but I feel now is the time to achieve my academic goals, or I might never get it done. This is actually going to be a rather big step for me, because I am relocating to New York from Pittsburgh. When I went up there for the graduate open house, I met with a student in my program and asked him how old most of the students are. He said most were in their early 20's, with one girl that is 28. It kind of concerns me a little bit, but I'm not going to let it bother me too much.

I found out I was accepted while I was at work. I checked my cell phone and saw I had an email letting me know a comment had been added to my application. I think I paced around the office for a few minutes before a coworker shouted at me to just check it already. A brief celebration ensued, then it was difficult for me to concentrate the rest of the day.