New York, NY

[afrodite_smith]

I'm going to be attending CUNY in the fall and I'm living in Atlanta right now. The whole process of finding a NYC apartment is very daunting and I don't even know where to start. Is it worth it to try to get into the student housing at the grad center? What neighborhoods are close to the grad center but aren't super expensive? I've heard Easy Harlem is good. Is that true? Does anyone have any tips for apartment hunting in New York? Especially since I'll probably only be able to make one trip there before the session starts in the fall.

Thanks so much for any help anyone can give!

[PokePsych]

quite many people I've heard about start in the uni housing and then go house hunting in the meantime. 

[UndergradDad]

Question on grad housing. How safe is the area around Fordham for grad housing? Looking at their program but concerned about safety.

Any thoughts would be of help.

[Sigaba]

36 minutes ago, UndergradDad said:

Question on grad housing. How safe is the area around Fordham for grad housing? Looking at their program but concerned about safety.

Any thoughts would be of help.

FWIW, a number of posts in this thread center around safely living in the Bronx. https://forum.thegradcafe.com/search/?q=crime bronx&type=forums_topic&item=10928

https://www.neighborhoodscout.com/ny/bronx/crime

https://spotcrime.com/ny/bronx

[UndergradDad]

Perfect- thank you!

[isk20]

I was accepted to Columbia with guaranteed campus housing for 5 years, which sounds like a pretty good deal. How is the grad student housing/the environment of the Morningside Heights area in general? If I’m in lab late and need to walk home, is it safe? (Petite female, if that makes a difference)

[Clintarius]

On 1/25/2020 at 5:11 PM, isk20 said:

I was accepted to Columbia with guaranteed campus housing for 5 years, which sounds like a pretty good deal. How is the grad student housing/the environment of the Morningside Heights area in general? If I’m in lab late and need to walk home, is it safe? (Petite female, if that makes a difference)

Same question (although male) + is it feasible to find anything in NYC at a cost similar to that of Columbia housing?

[LOiseauRouge]

On 3/1/2012 at 10:52 AM, speak2me said:

 

 

 

New Jersey is an option. I live in Hoboken and the commute to the city is a breeze. When I went to NYU, my commute was about 15 minutes while my Queens/Brooklyn buddies took a 40+ minute train ride. Hoboken can be pricey as well, but you will have better luck. Jersey City or Union City has some decent neighborhoods as well. I've lived in Hoboken for almost 7 years and I absolutely love living here. If you have any questions about neighborhoods, I'd be more than happy to give you suggestions.

Hey, I know it's been years since you posted this, but any chance you could give me some Hoboken suggestions? I go to NYU but will be living with someone who studies at Stevens Institute for Technology in Hoboken so we were thinking about getting a place there.

[juilletmercredi]

On 2/26/2020 at 8:59 AM, Clintarius said:

I was accepted to Columbia with guaranteed campus housing for 5 years, which sounds like a pretty good deal. How is the grad student housing/the environment of the Morningside Heights area in general? If I’m in lab late and need to walk home, is it safe? (Petite female, if that makes a difference)

Same question (although male) + is it feasible to find anything in NYC at a cost similar to that of Columbia housing?

I know this question is a few months old, but still going to answer in case someone finds it useful. I went to Columbia for graduate school; for three years I lived in off-campus housing in Washington Heights and then for three years I lived in campus housing in Morningside Heights.

Morningside Heights is very much dominated by Columbia - there's a 10-block radius from 110th St to 120th St, between Broadway and Morningside Dr (and, to a certain extent, extending to Riverside Dr) that feels like Columbia's campus/neighborhood. I am a woman and I always joked that I've walked outside in Morningside Heights every one of the 24 hours of the day, and I never felt unsafe. Public Safety is very good, and I got to know some of the officers and infrastructure at Columbia and I always felt completely equipped to reach out if I needed help from campus police. I never had to, though (not for myself...I worked in student services.). Actually, because I worked in student services I actually had exposure to the sorts of incidents that happen around Columbia's campus, and there's virtually never any violent crime against Columbia affiliates. I walked home from lab (or the libraries) late all the time.

Living in grad student housing, IMO, is the way to go. You'd be hard-pressed to find an apartment anywhere in the city for the same price you can get it through Columbia, and if you can, it's likely further away than the grad student housing. I lived and attended school there from 2008-2014, so likely some things have changed, but for context: I split a 2-bedroom with one other person for $1850 a month on 172nd St. and Haven Ave., in Washington Heights, four blocks away from the Columbia University Medical Center and about a 20-minute subway ride to the main Columbia campus in Morningside Heights. (I was a dual PhD student - 50% public health at CUMC, 50% psychology at the main campus). We each paid $925, and it was a pretty decent-sized apartment by New York standards. Later, I moved into a Columbia graduate housing two-room studio (bedroom, bathroom, and another room that had the kitchen in it but also our desk) with my husband, who attended GS, on 119th and Amsterdam. I'd guess it was around 600 sqft? If that? We paid $1400/month for it. There is no way in hell you'd find a studio in Morningside Heights for that price. Both were in walking distance to a ton of restaurants, grocery stores, bars, and other amenities, and had two subway stops in close reach. 

When I was living there 5-6 years ago, the prices in Inwood and Washington Heights were rising but were pretty much the only neighborhoods left in Manhattan where you could expect to find prices comparable to Columbia's graduate housing (perhaps with the exception of some parts of Harlem, like East Harlem and Hamilton Heights). Otherwise, you were kind of stuck either going into the Bronx (which very few Columbia students do) or into Brooklyn (which more do, but you have to go pretty far out into Brooklyn to get something affordable these days. Which is baffling in and of itself - my mom grew up in Brooklyn in the 60s and 70s, and she's baffled that anyone wants to live there now, lol). There are also some further neighborhoods in Queens that might be more affordable...but they're going to be relatively deep into Queens.

[tallgradstudent]

*if* I end up in New York for the 2021 Fall, would anyone be interested in renting with me, or even just help look together for safe/quality apartments in the city? I guess it depends if I end up at Columbia or NYU. Let me know! We can definitely chat first too, so we can check if itll be a good fit. FYI I have cats, they're so friendly and sweet. 

[Sylvanana]

On 1/25/2021 at 9:28 PM, tallgradstudent said:

*if* I end up in New York for the 2021 Fall, would anyone be interested in renting with me, or even just help look together for safe/quality apartments in the city? I guess it depends if I end up at Columbia or NYU. Let me know! We can definitely chat first too, so we can check if itll be a good fit. FYI I have cats, they're so friendly and sweet. 

Hey I’m interested! I’m new to the forum and got accepted for a 2 year masters program. I’m also still deciding between Columbia and another school (decision not out yet) but Columbia is definitely among my top 2 choices. Maybe we can chat first?

[best cranberry]

Hello friends, I’m thinking about going to NYU in the fall for a PhD program. Does anyone know anything about coliving spaces and what they’re like? 
 

Also @tallgradstudentand @Sylvanana I’d be interested in scoping out housing too

Edited February 23, 2021 by LondonN

[aae322]

On 2/23/2021 at 10:21 PM, LondonN said:

Hello friends, I’m thinking about going to NYU in the fall for a PhD program. Does anyone know anything about coliving spaces and what they’re like? 
 

Also @tallgradstudentand @Sylvanana I’d be interested in scoping out housing too

hey @LondonN, if your program is under the maccracken fellowship you could apply for the maccracken housing program (subsidized housing for first year PhD students in stuytown) which is a pretty good deal for year 1  i'm planning to start at nyu in the fall as well

[best cranberry]

3 hours ago, aae322 said:

hey @LondonN, if your program is under the maccracken fellowship you could apply for the maccracken housing program (subsidized housing for first year PhD students in stuytown) which is a pretty good deal for year 1  i'm planning to start at nyu in the fall as well

Hey @aae322 ? thanks! I’ve actually decided to go to university of Maryland instead, but best of luck! I used to work in the Washington Square Park area. You’re going to love it ?

[poliscihopeful2021]

7 hours ago, aae322 said:

hey @LondonN, if your program is under the maccracken fellowship you could apply for the maccracken housing program (subsidized housing for first year PhD students in stuytown) which is a pretty good deal for year 1  i'm planning to start at nyu in the fall as well

Hi @aae322 I'm also planning to start at NYU's PhD program in the fall. We should chat over DMs! Pretty excited and nervous about the move to NYC.

[tallgradstudent]

Anyone have advice on where to live for Columbia School of Social Work? 

[Padma]

Anyone looking for roommates? at NYC for fall 21? Weill cornell, NYU, Columbia etc etc grads. 

[Bodwiser]

Looking to connect with people who are relocating to New York this fall, especially those from India.

Thanks!

[Dr.EJM]

I'd be curious about joining people for a coffee or something if it ends up happening. I've thought about these before but never done it. 

(I'm not new to the city so maybe helpful, possibly less excitement brought by me ?)

[staxdo_21]

I am potentially moving to NYC to attend Hunter this year, and am looking for older rooms (35 -45 yo). I will be working at least part-time during the program so will be busy but hope to find friendly roommates. I am also an artist and am trying to figure out if I'll have time to make any artwork at all during the program but I hope to as I am probably attending part-time for now. 

[sugarplz]

Hey all,

I noticed that this thread hasn't been updated lately, but still wanted to give it a try. I will be attending CUNY Graduate Center in Fall 2023, and looking for apartments right now, studio or roommates. Any resources, suggestions, etc, would be deeply appreciated! Thanks!