University of Minnesota

[kdilks]

Yeah, the department is a good place to look as well.

I've found a place through craigslist, so that can work as well (though you should make sure you're not dealing with scammers). You should ask yourself what's important for you. Things you might want:

- living close to campus, or alternatively, living close to bus lines (remember, you can only safely cycle about 8 months of the year from what I've heard, the other 4 months there's too much snow)

- a safe neighbourhood (for example, I've heard negative things about Whittier)

- airconditioning (it can get pretty hot in summer)

- a cheap place to live - and that will mean sharing with others. How many people is okay for you? What are you used to? And what type of person are you, do you want to party at home or do you want a quite place to study? Living with undergraduates could mean having partying housemates...

Anyway, it's good to think about these questions and then you can find something that's good for you. It's difficult that as international students some of us can't go and check out the places ourselves - but maybe somebody else could do that for you. Good luck with your hunt!

Whittier isn't really a bad/unsafe neighborhood. It fits in with all the nice neighborhoods between Uptown and Downtown, but for whatever reason the city has it officially grouped with the neighborhoods on the opposite side of 35W where crime is more of an issue, which throws off the statistics some. Cedar-Riverside, Seward, Phillips, and North Minneapolis are far unsafer.

[dickchng]

Hello to all.. Greetings from Malaysia! I'm new here

I've been admitted into CSE for Fall 2011 last May..but I must've been blind when I read the admission letter they sent.

I overlooked the deadline for applying on-campus housing, thinking that the housing requirement is applied together when I keyed in the entry. Now I'm kinda in a panic mode, cause I just applied for the on-campus housing today.

[which also explains why the sudden join date today, after googling around]

What are the chances of my housing application approved? I think I might have to start looking for off-campus housing option now

[Ennue]

Welcome dickchng, and congratulations on your admission!

I'm not sure about on-campus housing - I looked for off-campus housing for various reasons (one of which was the obligatory mealplan). I do know that there is not a lot of on-campus graduate student housing available, and it is awarded on a first-come-first-served basis, so I think your chances of getting on-campus housing now aren't too good (but as I said, I don't know a lot about it!).

I would advise you to apply for the temporary housing for international students so you will at least have a bed when you arrive, and look for off-campus housing. I know other people are still looking too. Maybe your advisor can help, or you could google - I found my housing on craigslist. There might be some options there.

Good luck!

[dickchng]

Hi Ennue. Thanks! Got really excited when I received the admission letter!

I guess the obligatory mealplan is one big downer, especially when it comes with a big price tag too. But for me, it was mainly the new environment and weather that made me decide to get an on-campus accommodation as I'm afraid I might not be able to get used to the place that quickly. US is pretty far from my place afterall.

Was checking out craigslist too..did you find your house/roommates from there too? How much is considered the norm rate /month in MN anyway? Really appreciate it

[Ennue]

Yeah, the price tag is large for the meal plan and I plan on actually cooking with vegetables and stuff - I've read about the portion sizes and the amount of fat/sugar in US food and I know that is something I'll need to watch out for as much as possible

I found some people looking for a new housemate on craigslist - so they already live at the apartment, but one of them was moving out. It's ideal, because I don't need to sign the lease while I'm still in Europe, there's no credit check (I can't show that I've paid back debts/credit in the past, because I've never had any), etc. And they can let me in and show me around when I get there.

Regarding prices, that's really difficult because it depends on what you want. A room in an apartment, an efficiency/studio, an apartment to yourself, near campus or further from campus, etc. I think a room in an apartment is usually around 500-600 dollars, but I'm not sure.

Good luck!

[dickchng]

I'm bad with cooking :/ But when it comes to food 'd figure the ones I have in Malaysia is way higher in terms of fat/sugar content so not really in my concern list!

Oh that's really nice! When are you planning to fly over?

I'm not really sure what I want too. What I have in mind is just a cosy bedroom, fully furnished. Shared or not isn't really a problem. Just hope that I can get a roommate that is easy to get along with Thanks for the information still!

I guess it's just because me being an international student, would want to stay on campus due to the fact I won't get a car, and it's easier to go around between classes

[eklavya]

I guess it's just because me being an international student, would want to stay on campus due to the fact I won't get a car, and it's easier to go around between classes

the area is very renowned for having an awesome public transportation system. that's why i am moving a little away from campus. check out the following links to get an idea on the bus and metro routes:

http://www.metrotransit.org/

http://www1.umn.edu/pts/bus/connectors.html