Palo Alto, CA

[nm16]

On 2/2/2016 at 9:52 PM, doomination said:

if you get on campus housing, I have been told that it is fairly easy to have a cat. You can either just bring the cat, or you can be a bit more legit and get a doctor to say it is an emotional support animal.

 

I'd be far more hesitant trying to bring a cat to off-campus subsidized housing.

 Hey there!  Can you elaborate on this a tad bit more? The campus housing guides all say "no-smoking, no-pet housing" which is devastating.  Is it the same way for dogs, or just cats?  Feel free to PM me if it is easier.  Thanks so much!

[seaslugs]

I am also interested in any elaboration! 

[works_on_paper]

Whenever student housing says, "No pets," they mean NO PETS. No cats, no dogs, no reptiles, no rodents/ferrets, etc.

"Just bring the cat" is terrible advice; don't bring the cat at all unless you have explicit permission in your housing contract to do so.

Disabled students with service animals might get an exemption, but trying to smuggle a cat into student housing is a very bad idea. If you get caught (and the chances you will are very high), you'll face an immediate choice of either getting rid of the cat or (if you don't want to do that, and are made of money) moving out. Which would you choose, assuming you had 24 hours or less to make the decision and act on it? Is either one going to be acceptable and/or practical for you?

My current housemate used to work doing intake at an animal shelter near a major university. Multiple times throughout the academic year, she'd have to deal with sobbing, heartbroken girls (it was always girls) bringing their kittens or cats in to surrender because they'd been caught with them in their dorm rooms or student apartments. The cats had to go immediately, thus there was no time to find other homes for them, so to the shelter they went. Is that worth the risk, to you?

tl;dr: If you're smart enough to get into Stanford, don't do something stupid that puts your cat (and possibly your continued residence on-campus) at risk. Really--just don't.

[nm16]

26 minutes ago, works_on_paper said:

Whenever student housing says, "No pets," they mean NO PETS. No cats, no dogs, no reptiles, no rodents/ferrets, etc.

"Just bring the cat" is terrible advice; don't bring the cat at all unless you have explicit permission in your housing contract to do so.

Disabled students with service animals might get an exemption, but trying to smuggle a cat into student housing is a very bad idea. If you get caught (and the chances you will are very high), you'll face an immediate choice of either getting rid of the cat or (if you don't want to do that, and are made of money) moving out. Which would you choose, assuming you had 24 hours or less to make the decision and act on it? Is either one going to be acceptable and/or practical for you?

My current housemate used to work doing intake at an animal shelter near a major university. Multiple times throughout the academic year, she'd have to deal with sobbing, heartbroken girls (it was always girls) bringing their kittens or cats in to surrender because they'd been caught with them in their dorm rooms or student apartments. The cats had to go immediately, thus there was no time to find other homes for them, so to the shelter they went. Is that worth the risk, to you?

tl;dr: If you're smart enough to get into Stanford, don't do something stupid that puts your cat (and possibly your continued residence on-campus) at risk. Really--just don't.

^ To be clear, I also don't endorse sneaking in a pet where it is clearly outlawed! have also seen negative consequences due to that type of action haha. 

[doomination]

What I meant is, I have observed many people who bring their cat into grad student housing and nothing is done about it. Housing generally knows about it, but they don't necessarily care enough to crucify you for it.

 

This may not be true elsewhere, I am simply telling you what I have observed at stanford.

 

I think it is easy enough to get your cat registered as an "emotional support animal" at which point you would be within the rules and regulations of housing. Lots of people do this as well.

 

I don't know what you mean when you want elaboration. There are very few dogs on campus since they are higher maintenance than cats, and have tendency to show behavior that would bother neighbors (barking, making a mess, having to go outside to relieve themselves, others).

Edited February 17, 2016 by doomination

[nm16]

Good to know.  That's all I was interested in in terms of an elaboration -- just your observations.  As someone who has no idea what the norms of the on-campus community are like, I find it incredibly helpful.  It's also a stress relieving; it's been crazy trying to find affordable pet-friendly housing and to think about having to give up my pet/comrade/partner in crime!  Thanks, @doomination !

[Port Lake]

Does anyone know what's happening with Escondido Village? I'd be coming to Stanford with my husband, and those apartments seem to be the most affordable. I've seen this, though, and would much rather not live by a construction site. Does anyone know if they're going through with this, and what sort of impact it'll have on EV more generally?

My other top choices are in the midwest, so, have to say, bit of a sticker shock compared to those places when I saw Palo Alto prices.

[doomination]

A few of the low rises are being torn down and replaced with high rises to accommodate more students. I believe I have heard that it will be done in a couple of years. EV is pretty big, so I don't think it will affect things all that much.

 

That being said, housing is a lottery. Not everyone gets on campus (including me). If you get a good roll in the lottery, everything should work out. Otherwise, you're going to be facing the off campus housing market.

[seaslugs]

If you get a bad roll, don't you get a subsidized off-campus apartment? I heard these are actually very nice.

[doomination]

yeah, for a year -- then you're on your own. You can't renew it.

 

My off campus subsidized place is absurdly nice (and absurdly expensive). But I get kicked out in August, and that's it.

[seaslugs]

Yes, but don't you then go back to the lottery? Or are you out of the system for good?

[doomination]

You can go back into the lottery, but you will no longer have first year priority.

 

I don't want to come off as too critical -- I'm not super salty about my situation. R&DE has been building a lot of on campus housing to remedy the situation, so it will only get better with time. The housing market here is tough, but not impossible. I still have some hope of moving on campus during the spring, but it's tenuous.

 

Luckily there are several others in my department in my position, so we may just be getting a big 6-7 bedroom house together.

Edited March 10, 2016 by doomination

[doomination]

To whomever it may concern, Stanford sent an email out yesterday saying they are essentially re-vamping the way student housing works.

 

In a sentence, doctoral off campus subsidized housing will become renewable (ie, you can stay there for successive years without entering the lottery) until the massive escondido village housing project is completed, at which point you will be able to live on campus much more easily.

 

If anyone wants more details, feel free to PM me and I can forward relevant parts of the email (it is pretty lengthy).

[AnotherKantFan]

Hi all,

I may end up at Stanford from August onwards, too. I was wondering whether on-campus graduate housing is guaranteed (as long as you apply by the deadline before your 1st year), or if it's also a lottery if one gets it at all. 

[shookienewman]

On 4/6/2016 at 10:41 AM, AnotherKantFan said:

Hi all,

I may end up at Stanford from August onwards, too. I was wondering whether on-campus graduate housing is guaranteed (as long as you apply by the deadline before your 1st year), or if it's also a lottery if one gets it at all. 

From what I understood, first year graduate students are guaranteed housing for the first year only. They aren't guaranteed their preferences, but they are guaranteed a spot somewhere.

[AnotherKantFan]

3 minutes ago, shookienewman said:

From what I understood, first year graduate students are guaranteed housing for the first year only. They aren't guaranteed their preferences, but they are guaranteed a spot somewhere.

Great news, thanks! And presumably (or so I've heard) the housing keeps being guaranteed unless one decides to leave campus (then it's difficult to come back in)? Just making sure it's not just that it's only guaranteed for the 1st year.

Edited April 8, 2016 by AnotherKantFan

[doomination]

it will depend if you're a phd or masters student.

 

If phd, then so long as you don't leave your assignment, you can renew for 5 years (even if it is in subsidized off campus).

 

If masters, then you're SOL after the first year

[Wine&Cheese]

Does anyone have insight into the different housing options? From what I've gathered, it's important to list as many options as possible, on-campus apartments are better than off-campus, and Escondido Village is the place to be. Any other advice before I make my ranking?

[seaslugs]

Anyone know how couples without children housing works? How do they check that your partner is there 50% of the time?

[doomination]

wine&cheese, you'll have to define what you mean by "better" - they are closer, yes, but the off campus apartments are generally nicer by about every other metric.

 

Seaslugs, from what i've gathered, I don't think they ever really check. It might be helpful if your partner was there when you pick up your keys, but after that I don't think they ever check.

[Wine&Cheese]

On 5/25/2016 at 10:52 PM, doomination said:

wine&cheese, you'll have to define what you mean by "better" - they are closer, yes, but the off campus apartments are generally nicer by about every other metric..

@doomination Yes, it certainly seems that the off campus apartments are nicer in the traditional sense, but I won't have a car and am worried about being far from classes, the gym, and grad social life. What's your take on how important proximity is? I got placed in Sharon Grove (about a 10 minute bike ride from campus, it seems) and am debating reapplying for an on-campus apartment or one in Oak Creek.

[doomination]

You're in BioE? You'll be working in Shriram right? You'll probably be closer to that building than the people on campus. 

You will have a somewhat harder time making it to social events, but not too much harder. The people I know who live in Sharon Grove frequently take the SLAC shuttle that picks up right outside of Shriram and runs to Sharon Grove if they're feeling too lazy/tired to bike. There is a gym pretty close to Shriram, but you might have to do some planning and bring clothes with you to shower there. Or you could just bike 10 mins back. I guess there is a pretty big hill between campus and SG though (uphill going home, downhill coming to campus).

You could apply for reassignment, but I wouldn't hold your breath at this point. You're a bit late to that party - that being said, everyone I know really likes it at Sharon Grove.

[Carly Rae Jepsen]

Hello everybody. Does anyone know what range is typical for, say, an apartment/studio or a room in a house (if there are even any)?

I'd much prefer to live in a house rather than an apartment, but cost is a concern.

[narple]

Hi all. I am curious about the pet situation? I’ve got a pup. I saw the earlier discussion about cats, but didn’t see much about dogs and I on campus prospects are seemingly non-existent. 

Where should I be looking for pet friendly accommodations?

[peanutjellyfish]

Studio: ~$3,000 per month if you're not doing official campus housing and you're aiming for a 10 minute bike ride to the center of campus. 

Apartment (if you split with other people): ~$1,000-$2,000 per month, if near campus. 

A room in a house: $800-$1,500 per month, but the quality of these really vary. For example, I found a room next to campus that was like $1,000 a month but I wasn't allowed to use the kitchen. Many students who were previously undergrads here end up renting an entire house with their friends, which is much more enjoyable than say, co-living with your landlord. 

Really, what matter is your transportation flexibility (and luck). If you have a car, you have tons more cheaper options since you could live in say, Redwood City, East Palo Alto, etc. I highly recommend grad students having a car, because it really opens up your mobility and helps you destress from the bubble-like atmosphere here. Sure, the Caltrain is nice and runs up and down the bay, but public transport around campus is more like a suburb than a major city. The campus shuttle is a bit slow and periodic, and you'll likely get tired of just downtown Palo Alto and Mountain View's Walmart. 

But most importantly, if you have high/medium priority in Stanford's on-campus housing lottery, do that over anything else. You have plenty of time to be the cool grad student who lives some exciting life in SF (and endures a 1 hour commute) in the future if you so choose, but for your first few years, live close to everyone and in an environment where you're more able to meet others. Munger is one of the newer grad student residences and is definitely the fanciest and most spacious. Escondido Village is also great, though right now there's construction there so some buildings have suffered through more noise than others. In a few years from now a bunch of new buildings are going to be finished in EV and they'll be like, hotel quality.