Princeton, NJ

[Bleep_Bloop]

I'd like to apply for an apartment, but from what I've read on this thread, seems that chances are pretty slim for a first year. 

 

I was able to get an apartment in my first year without a problem, as was everyone else in my cohort that applied for one. You don't have too many options for the type of apartment (you probably won't get a studio or 1 BR in your first year unless you're married, and you have very slim chances of getting a pet-friendly unit), but as long as you're flexible and willing to live with a roommate then you should be able to get something. From my experience it's not that difficult to get an apartment in your first year, I don't know why this thread makes it sound impossible.

[gorki]

On 2/18/2015 at 10:19 AM, Bleep_Bloop said:

I was able to get an apartment in my first year without a problem, as was everyone else in my cohort that applied for one. You don't have too many options for the type of apartment (you probably won't get a studio or 1 BR in your first year unless you're married, and you have very slim chances of getting a pet-friendly unit), but as long as you're flexible and willing to live with a roommate then you should be able to get something. From my experience it's not that difficult to get an apartment in your first year, I don't know why this thread makes it sound impossible.

Same experience here, although situation might be slightly different next year without Stanworth and Butler and with Lakeside. In any case, you should be able to get into Lawrence assuming, as Bleep_Bloop said, that you are flexible on the type of apartment.

 

On 2/18/2015 at 9:56 AM, doomination said:

gorki: thanks so much for the help in this thread.

 

Do you happen to know if children of Princeton graduate alumni are considered "legacy" for the purpose of undergraduate admission?

 

I will be visiting Princeton this weekend, very excited.

 

I don't think there's an official answer on this, but someone on http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/princeton-university/914031-child-of-graduate-school-graduates-a-legacy.html says probably not.

Edited February 18, 2015 by gorki

[Bleep_Bloop]

On 2/18/2015 at 12:45 PM, gorki said:

I don't think there's an official answer on this, but someone on http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/princeton-university/914031-child-of-graduate-school-graduates-a-legacy.html says probably not.

 

This makes sense considering the huge divide between the grad school and the rest of the university. I can't speak to whether this divide is greater than at other universities because I did my undergrad at a liberal arts college and we didn't have grad students.

 

We have a lot of academic resources here, but the fact is that the university is designed for undergrads. Keep in mind that there are significantly more undergrads at Princeton than there are grad students, which is unusual for an ivy/major research university. Grad students get very little consideration from the administration outside the graduate school, but from my understanding that's sort of the mentality behind grad school in general. Undergrads are doted on because they're being provided a service (a very expensive one, at that), while we're here to do work. You'll never lack academic resources, but don't expect many benefits or any special treatment that the undergrads get (like legacy consideration in the future) because, well, we're not undergrads.

Edited February 18, 2015 by Bleep_Bloop

[bigrelief]

I'm a current grad student at Princeton, and I really can't speak to whether the "divide" between undergrad and graduate students is greater than at other schools.  It's certainly a part of the culture here that there is perceived to be ​such a divide, and you'll see snide jokey remarks about "sketchy" grad students etc in the student paper (this was the same at my undergrad institution, btw).  I don't know many graduate students who have had sustained social interactions with undergraduates, although I do know one who was encouraged to join an eating club (he declined).  Graduate students don't seem to join undergraduate clubs or activities--not sure if it's banned, discouraged, or there's simply no interest.  The Graduate College dorm is quite physically removed from the rest of campus, and this is often taken as a metaphor.  

 

Re: "legacies," my guess is that being the child of a graduate alum doesn't really count.  That said, there do seem to be attempts at encouraging a kind of graduate alumni community--they have a tent at the yearly Reunions event, at least.  

 

A final thought--I wonder if institutions like this, where there is not much of a town and the undergraduate social life seems to revolve entirely around specifically "college"-type parties and events, tend to foster a graduate/undergraduate divide because there are simply no neutral social spaces to meet one another.  I feel like I rarely see undergraduates at bars in town, and they certainly never darken the door of the Dbar except to write jokey-anthropological student paper articles.  I meet them in strictly academic settings, or--the few times I've been to an eating club--as an obvious interloper.  

 

Certainly I've never felt that any of this has hurt my academic life--the Graduate School itself is very responsive, and resources abound.  

 

ETA--Bleep_Bloop is right (below) that Lakeside has been a fiasco.  Not really sure why it ended up being delayed as much as it did, and communication was poor.  For me personally, the disaster has allowed me to stay in an apartment I love (scheduled for demolition, but in very good shape compared to some), so the impact has been minimal.  The housing bureaucracy can be difficult, but if you manage to speak to someone up top they are often much more helpful.

Edited February 19, 2015 by bigrelief

[Bleep_Bloop]

I'll only mention one example. The housing department has been notorious for ignoring the concerns of grad students with the whole Lakeside fiasco. When I applied for housing this time last year, it was said that Lakeside would be opening over summer 2014 and I was assigned an apartment there. Not long before moving, I was told that Lakeside was being delayed by 2 months and that I would have to live in a temporary apartment. For the inconvenience they offered a compensation that seemed reasonable. Since then they've been pushing Lakeside back every couple of months. First it was October, then the end of the semester, then March, and now they're telling us (tentatively) June. The temporary apartments are falling apart and our maintenance requests are being ignored. For example, I've had rodents getting into my garbage on the regular for weeks and have made 3 calls to the housing department about it, to no avail. In the meantime, they haven't adjusted the compensation package for an additional 6-7 months of delay, and I've been paying the equivalent of Lakeside rent for an old, rodent-infested, unmaintained apartment. There was a lot of noise about this at the beginning of the year, and some lame attempts at getting attention in the school newspaper went (largely) ignored.

http://dailyprincetonian.com/news/2014/10/delay-of-lakeside-project-creates-tension-between-housing-and-graduate-students/

 

In this one, there are some pretty nasty comments that show the divide between undergrad and grad culture here. A highlight: "Honestly, do you think grad students deserve equal treatment? This place exists for the undergrads and not a penny more than necessary will be spent on the graduate program. None of the trustees are grad alums. The extent anyone cares about the grad program is what the TA quality is."

http://dailyprincetonian.com/opinion/2014/09/a-call-for-greater-transparency-in-the-lakeside-graduate-housing-project/

[gorki]

Thanks for sharing. I am also a current graduate student, and was asking because while, as bigrelief said, the divide is a common saying, it seems exaggerated, and I haven't felt, in my short experience, as a second-class student. 

 

bigrelief: regarding undergraduate clubs and events, most of them are open to graduate students as well. 

 

bleep_bloop: don't take the comments section of the daily too seriously...

[Bleep_Bloop]

To reiterate: that example was intended to illustrate the divide on an administrative level (outside of the graduate school), not bemoan the undergrads. Most of the undergrads that I've interacted with have been great! Like I said, academically speaking Princeton has amazing resources for its grad students, but I've noticed in cases like the one I describe above that the administration certainly doesn't offer equal treatment to the undergrads and grad students (hence don't expect legacy status for your kids).

[kosmo]

Sorry if this question was asked before, but I couldn't find the relevant info. How do the New Graduate College and the Old Graduate College compare? I'm thinking of applying for a single.

Also, why are the studios at Lawrence so cheap? Any problems with them?

One more question - what happens after end of May? Are grad students allowed to live elsewhere in the summer or do they have to stick to the residency requirement? 

Edited February 27, 2015 by kosmo

[doomination]

I just visited Princeton last weekend, they showed us dorms at the new and old grad college. The old grad college seems to have a lot more rooms that require you to walk through someone else's room to get to. They seem to be comparable in price, and neither have air conditioning. 

 

The apartments are probably a lot cheaper than the dorms because they aren't as nice - but they are typical apartments. If you've lived in a flat near a college campus, it's probably very similar to Lawrence apartments.

 

I'm torn between wanting to live in the OGC and trying to get an apartment.. On the one hand, having a meal plan would be convenient for the first year course load. On the other hand, air conditioning...

[gorki]

One more question - what happens after end of May? Are grad students allowed to live elsewhere in the summer or do they have to stick to the residency requirement? 

https://hres.princeton.edu/my-housing/summer-housing

 

GC contracts are for 10 months, you can get a summer contract or you can decide not to (e.g. if you are away for an internship). Apartment contracts are for the whole year (July to the end of June), per https://hres.princeton.edu/graduates/my-housing/your-contract

Edited February 27, 2015 by gorki

[bigrelief]

To respond to kosmo's question about the "residency requirement"--  I think there is something in the official graduate school rules about having to live in the Princeton area the whole time, but my understanding is that this is enforced on a department to department basis, if at all.  In my department, living outside of the immediate area for part of the program is not unheard of, so long as you turn up when you're needed.  I certainly wouldn't worry about leaving during the summer.

[CHRISTLIANG]

I have got offers from UC Berkeley & Princeton. I am still suffering to make the decision. I have been to Berkeley one year ago, the season and the town is quite attracting to me, but I have no knowledge about Princeton. PLS give me some advice. THX )

[kosmo]

Thanks guys! Very helpful replies!  

[inner_outer]

Hi all,

How difficult is it for incoming students to get a room in an annex? This option seems very attractive to me, but I imagine that many other students feel the same way...

[kuz]

Hi all,

How difficult is it for incoming students to get a room in an annex? This option seems very attractive to me, but I imagine that many other students feel the same way...

Not impossible, but I wouldn't count on it. I lived in the GC in my first year and in an annex in my second year. (I'm in my third year now and supposed to be living in Lakeside, but instead stuck in Stanworth limbo, which actually isn't bad at all.) Most grad students in the annexes are later years, but there are always a significant number of first years. I have no idea how many actually apply for an annex though.

[liquidmountains]

Can anyone speak to the chances of getting a one bedroom apartment, without a roommate, as an in-coming student? I don't really care which building it's in, or even how nice the building is, I just really, really want to live alone, and I own a whole apartment's worth of furniture. If you all think it's unlikely, what do you think I could do increase the odds? 

[Bleep_Bloop]

Can anyone speak to the chances of getting a one bedroom apartment, without a roommate, as an in-coming student? I don't really care which building it's in, or even how nice the building is, I just really, really want to live alone, and I own a whole apartment's worth of furniture. If you all think it's unlikely, what do you think I could do increase the odds? 

 

You can try, but I wouldn't count on getting a one bedroom... Others can chime in here, but to my knowledge couples/married students get priority for one bedrooms. The only first years I know who managed to land one bedrooms are married. There's just a lot of competition for them and most of the units are built to have multiple occupants, especially in Lakeside. You might be able to land a studio? Honestly, if you want an apartment through the university you're not going to be able to be picky. 

[inner_outer]

@kuz how is it living in the GC? I love the department but the idea of returning to dorm life leaves me a bit anxious - I've been out on my own for several years now and I don't want to feel like an undergraduate again

[liquidmountains]

Thanks for the insight Bleep_Bloop, I am keeping my fingers crossed... I applied well in advance of the deadline and said in my comment that I had trouble sharing space with others, which isn't true, but I thought maybe they'll put me in a one-bedroom or studio for the sake of my fellow students

 

Any thoughts on off-campus housing? I've heard it's often more expensive and a car is another set of expenses I'd prefer to avoid. After many years of living on my own in a large city its kind of infantilizing to feel like my housing is so dependent on the whims of an institution.

[inner_outer]

Current students: does anyone live in lawrenceville nj? Is it a reasonable place for students to live? I found a houseshare for $675 there with utilities included and I'm tempted to take it....

[kosmo]

Question about safety - how safe is the campus and the areas surrounding it? Any particular streets or neighbourhoods to avoid? 

 

Thanks!

[LifeNotLived]

I am rather confused by the room draw application. I only want to select room options where I will live alone--that means a studio, or a 1 bedroom 1 bathroom apartment or a 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom apartment, with the second bedroom not occupied. I am not sure if I select "1 bedroom" as a housing preference that I won't be placed with a roommate in a second room. 

 

Can anyone shed some light on this for me? What options should I put if I want to live by myself? And yes, I know my chances of getting a studio or a 1 bedroom apartment by myself, are slim/non-existent, but if it doesn't work out, I am going to live off campus, so this is just to see if I get lucky. 

[gorki]

Yeah the "1 bedroom" all have one bedroom and one kitchen+living room. You can see the floor plans on the websites of Lakeside and Lawrence. If you select two bedrooms, you'll only occupy one bedroom, and (most likely) you will have a roommate living in the second bedroom. Good luck!

[Bleep_Bloop]

On 4/7/2015 at 8:39 AM, LifeNotLived said:

I am rather confused by the room draw application. I only want to select room options where I will live alone--that means a studio, or a 1 bedroom 1 bathroom apartment or a 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom apartment, with the second bedroom not occupied. I am not sure if I select "1 bedroom" as a housing preference that I won't be placed with a roommate in a second room. 

 

Living in a 2 bedroom alone isn't possible, they just don't have capacity for that...between the GC and the apartments there's only enough units to house about 70% of the enrolled graduate student body, assuming they're all filled to max capacity. If you select a 2 bedroom and don't list a roommate you want to live with, they'll automatically pair you with someone. To my knowledge, the only situations in which you can get a 2 bedroom to yourself is if your roommate moves out mid-semester or something, but they still have the right to assign you a random roommate at any time. If you ask for a 1 bedroom (and you beat the odds) then you won't need to worry about living with someone. If you don't get it at first, you can still call James Poole (the graduate housing director) and make a case for it. I actually know a first year who muscled her way into a 1 bedroom in lawrence that way.

 

On 4/7/2015 at 7:34 AM, kosmo said:

Question about safety - how safe is the campus and the areas surrounding it? Any particular streets or neighbourhoods to avoid? 

 

Thanks!

 

 

Fortunately safety isn't much of a concern on campus or in town. I live in a university apartment that's a 20 minute walk from campus, walking through the "downtown" area of palmer square/witherspoon , and I don't feel uncomfortable at all walking home from the library or the bars late at night. A friend once joked that he's more afraid of getting mauled by a bear when walking back to the GC late at night than he is of getting mugged. The only thefts I've heard of have been from people leaving their latops or cell phones unattended, or leaving their bikes unlocked.

 

Edit: That said, if you ever feel uncomfortable walking home late at night, there's a free on-demand bus service until 1 or 2 am.

[inner_outer]

Do incoming graduate students participate in room draw, or are the rooms assigned to them? I just want to make sure I don't get a "walk through" room -- sounds as if someone could go through your room at any time...