moving and housing

[dartdoc]

when should i think about moving and housing options?

 

 

[cephalexin]

Depends on when your program starts and where you are moving to, but it’s never too early to start perusing listings.

i have friends who started planning their move 5 months in advance, and I have friends who started planning 1 month in advanced.

If you give more information about what city and/or area you are moving to and when your program starts, I’m sure more people would be able to give advice.

[FutureEdPHD]

It depends on the housing market in the city you're moving to. I would suggest generally looking about 1 month or so in advance. 2 months would be the earliest though, unless you're looking at living in grad student housing. 

[dartdoc]

I'm gonna be out of the country -- that is why I am worried ? Also never found a house before it will be my first time adulting 

[cephalexin]

1 hour ago, dartdoc said:

I'm gonna be out of the country -- that is why I am worried ? Also never found a house before it will be my first time adulting 

Does your program or university have a housing office or some other equivalent? My international friends all were given connections to local land lords/apartment complexes by the school.

[dartdoc]

7 hours ago, cephalexin said:

Does your program or university have a housing office or some other equivalent? My international friends all were given connections to local land lords/apartment complexes by the school.

Ooh good idea!! I'll contact them   Thanks for the tip! 

 

[CHOCCOCO]

I have a question /concern. I’m female. Is it odd to refuse a male classmate to be my roommate? I would like only female roommates but a male classmate who I have yet to know asked to be a roommate...Is it harsh to say NO because he is a guy?

[cavalior7005]

@CHOCCOCO This is just my personal opinion - it's fine. While I don't believe all men act one way and all women act another, if you're not comfortable with a male living in your space, than you have every right to not room with one. Be kind in how you phrase the rejection and I think the other person should understand. 

That being said, I've lived with just women and I've lived with men and my roommate experience was 95% affected by who they are (as a person), not just their gender. Best of luck!

Edited May 2, 2019 by cavalior7005

[Sigaba]

21 hours ago, CHOCCOCO said:

I have a question /concern. I’m female. Is it odd to refuse a male classmate to be my roommate? I would like only female roommates but a male classmate who I have yet to know asked to be a roommate...Is it harsh to say NO because he is a guy?

IMO, if you're saying no because of assumptions of gendered behavior, you could say "no," and going forward take a look at your assumptions of gendered behavior.

FWIW, in my experience, the most positive experiences I've had with roommates were of the opposite gender (in a binary sense) in no small part because we were different genders.

(A "safer" reply would be to say that you're going to decline the opportunity because the person asking is someone you don't know well enough AND is a classmate. Then add that you're more comfortable living with members of your said gender. This way, you're providing three reasons, two of which have nothing to do with gender.)

MOO, "No" without any explanation at all is a perfectly acceptable reply. Men need to learn that women owe them zero explanations when it comes to most questions.

[DRMF]

I am an international student and I will be out of the US for the summer. My program starts in late Aug and, being my super prepared self, I've already signed a lease and will be booking a moving/box -shipping service soon. I know plenty of international students who are still looking for places though (my school's student housing lottery app was due 5/1, so they results are being released now). 

[DRMF]

On 5/2/2019 at 4:20 PM, CHOCCOCO said:

I have a question /concern. I’m female. Is it odd to refuse a male classmate to be my roommate? I would like only female roommates but a male classmate who I have yet to know asked to be a roommate...Is it harsh to say NO because he is a guy?

Of course you can refuse a roommate proposal for any reason; you just have to phrase it nicely and respectfully. Like others said, you might want to reflect on your own thinking/why you feel more comfortable living with females only, and decide for yourself if it is a healthy mindset for your own sake. Maybe you don't want to share a bathroom with a guy because you don't want to deal with the toilet seat being up - pretty small thing in general but if it's a significant factor for you, then it sure is a valid reason.

There are also plenty of cultures in the world in which living with someone of the opposite gender (who's not your family) is completely unimaginable. I lived with 2 girls and 1 guy for 2 years during college and throughout the entire time the guy told his parents he was living with 3 male roommates. If you're culturally accustomed to a certain kind of living conditions, I'd say it's a personal decision whether you want to break the habit/embrace a new possibility.

[historygeek]

FWIW: I'm a domestic student, but my roommate and I started looking at apartments fairly early (around March). We were told to check back in 90 days before our move-in date (08/01) and, by the 90 day mark (05/01), we had narrowed it down to two. We applied and were approved this weekend and signed the lease yesterday.

Depending on when you're looking to move, now could be a good time to start looking. Definitely see if your school has graduate housing and, if not, if they have a resource that you could find an apartment or roommate through.

[Katie B]

If you're not already actively looking, then I think you have some time, but I hope you're already actively saving for the move! I'm moving cross country and it's adding up to be much more than I anticipated already, the fees you don't think of like utilities set up, random deposits, higher than average security deposits, etc can kill your budget if you don't plan ahead. Luckily, I'm moving in with my partner and I planned for the worst in terms of cost, but I still feel the stress.

[Sigaba]

15 hours ago, KaylaJ said:

Budget gets higher if you demand lots of facilities. Before finding apartment fix your budget and find an apartment in only that budget for not getting budget stress.

As an alternative, an apartment hunter could make two lists. The first list would be of features a unit must have. The second list would be of amenities listed most preferable to least. This second list could also have price ranges one is willing to pay for each amenity.

This alternative approach would allow an apartment hunter to make an informed, calculated decision to stretch the budget for certain features like laundry facilities on one's floor or in one's unit, central HVAC, complimentary basic cable, a staffed front desk, and so on.