Rosiebe

I've had some good and bad experiences looking for housing as an international student (though admittedly, only in Europe so I'm not sure how applicable it will be for you). Sometimes you get lucky and find exactly what you need through a facebook group, but this leaves you quite vulnerable to scammers, etc. I've also lived in student dorms - this is probably the easiest to organise but depending on availability/how you prefer to live, it's not always an ideal option. Try to really do your research before you go so you have a reasonable budget in mind and I would say as a rule never transfer money before you go, unless you do it through a secure service. The last time I moved, I used a website called HousingAnywhere (www.housinganywhere.com) - kind of like airbnb for people who want to rent to international students. That way, you can secure the room far in advance but the landlord doesn't get paid til you move in helping you get round the scammer issue. You do have to pay a service fee though which is something to take into account.