skim497

YAY. PM me if you're still interested in teaming up to try to find a house/apt/living space

Officially committed to Stony Brook today

So I just came back from Stony Brook, and I loved it! Also, I talked to multiple grad students (I actually even talked to my Uber driver about it lol) and it is definitely possible to find an affordable option. It's definitely not super easy to find a cheap place, but most grad students in the department live in Stony Brook (off-campus), or Port Jefferson paying under $1,000/mo (most people said they pay $700-$900/mo including utils). That being said, they all said that finding an affordable option that's around $700-$900/month would be much easier if you can find one or two people that you can room with. One of the grad students said there's a Stony Brook undergrad/grad housing group on Facebook, and some people in the department found roommates and living options there. Also, some people live in "basement apartments" and I asked what that meant cus it sounded very sketchy and wrong. They said some houses restructure their basements and make them look like apartments (kitchen, bathroom and everything). I had two concerns with this: 1. Will I get in any legal trouble if I decide to choose this option? and 2. What if people upstairs accidentally (or intentionally) come into my "basement apartment"? The answer to the first question' is no; if anyone gets in trouble it'd be the landlord. The second question shouldn't be a problem either, since they restructure the basement such that nobody can access the basement from inside the house (and vice versa, you can't enter the house from the basement). I don't know if this information is helpful enough. If you wanna know more, you're more than welcome to pm me. I really loved the visit and it's a great fit for me. I still have another visit to make in late March, but I'm almost certain that I'll choose Stony Brook over the other (mostly due to research interests). @thevphone @Arkhy @goatorsylvia I hope you guys find this helpful!

@thevphone That's awesome! And yeah please let me know when you make your final decision (I'll probably end up going to SBU unless I find any red flag during the visit)

@goatorsylvia What program did you get accepted to? I'll share more info I find from my visit next week for sure!

@thevphone Political Science! I really wouldn't mind having a roommate or two if that's what it takes to pursue my academic/career goals lol. But I would love to live in a pet-friendly apartment/house!

@Arkhy Awesome! For CS? Yeah it's really not clear yet, but once I come back from Stony Brook next week (visiting Mar 7th-8th) I'll share more information with you (if I find any useful info lol)!

@indigopierogy Thank you for your advice and suggestions! You're not scaring me away from Stony Brook lol. I'm visiting the school next week, and hopefully I'll get a better idea of the housing situations in Stony Brook/Long Island from current grad students there.

Hi all, I'm seriously considering Stony Brook as my next destination for the next 5 years (it's my top choice school and very reputable in my research field). I've been offered a full-tuition and a stipend package, but I've been hearing from multiple people that my stipend may not be sufficient considering the cost of living in Stony Brook? What's the general cost of living in Stony Brook area, and would it be possible for me to live without taking out loans (I wouldn't mind living with a roommate) if my monthly income before taxes is ~$1,600? I can provide more info if needed, and I'd really appreciate any feedback! Thank you so much in advance