Thanks for the advice, I understand that university housing is less than ideal, but I thought that it could be the best solution in my case. Indeed, I won't be able to visit apartments until June, and I don't feel like picking one I haven't seen. But then it's true that I won't be able to see the apartment I'm offered by university housing either, provided I'm even offered one, which, as you said, is very hypothetical. There's also the fact that I thought that first year graduate students like me would most likely go through university housing to find a place to live, so I would be around people who are in the same situation, lost and confused that is I guess I'll still check craiglist and see if I can find something better than university. What about the other students in my situation, first year students that is, what are your plans regarding the housing issue?