msphdhopeful Posted March 17, 2009 Posted March 17, 2009 Hi guys, I wanted to know when everyone is planning on moving, most grad students I've met say that it is better to move during the summer to get into good housing and apartments before the wave of undergrads come, but I can't move until mid-August or so, is this too late? When are all of you planning on moving?
goose2009 Posted March 17, 2009 Posted March 17, 2009 I'm moving as soon as I get my darned thesis done!
socialpsych Posted March 17, 2009 Posted March 17, 2009 We are already in the area close to my school but we are planning to look for a new apartment around July/August. My quarter starts the third week of September. I assume it will be harder to find a place at the beginning of September right before school starts. I think it also depends what kind of place you're moving to. In some places (like Chicago, I've heard), it's really important to see a place you're considering and learn about the neighborhood before you commit. In other places, it's harder to go wrong. If you are moving to the former type of place, it may be an even better idea to give yourself some extra time to get settled.
msphdhopeful Posted March 17, 2009 Author Posted March 17, 2009 Oh ya, that thing, must get mine done too!
miratrix Posted March 17, 2009 Posted March 17, 2009 I'll be out of the country until August 15, so it's going to be pretty tight getting home and moving in. I'm hoping that I'll be moving in with friends, and able to make a trip down to look for an apartment in June, or to say "hey guys can you find one?" over the summer.
cooperphd Posted March 17, 2009 Posted March 17, 2009 I have a great job I will be leaving for graduate school. I am going to try to stay as long as I can to help them make the transition. I will likely move around August 15th as school starts on the 16th.
void Posted March 17, 2009 Posted March 17, 2009 I don't want to move until the last possible minute because I am living in the most awesome city right now with the perfect summer weather, and likely moving somewhere quite humid with much less exciting things to go do and see. I kind of want to live it up an little beforehand, but also don't want to be outa luck for housing. Good topic.
kahlan_amnell Posted March 17, 2009 Posted March 17, 2009 I have a lease on my current apartment through July 31st. The one school that has accepted me so far has told me that orientation starts August 17th. So, sometime in between those dates I'll move. I'm planning to pack up my stuff, send it by moving truck, and take a plane with my cats to my new location. It looks like some leases don't start until the 5th, which could be an issue, but with any luck I'll find an apartment with a lease that starts August 1st.
happyhulalola Posted March 17, 2009 Posted March 17, 2009 I will begin looking for apartments/roommates soon, but won't be moving until Aug 10ish. I know where to live in DC; Syracuse shouldn't be too difficult to find housing; I think I will struggle the most with Denver.
fuzzylogician Posted March 17, 2009 Posted March 17, 2009 As an international I can't move until a month before my program starts, so I guess I'll be moving sometime toward mid-August. I hope that'll be enough time to find a good apartment, but since there's nothing much I can do to change the situation, I'm not going to worry about it. I'll be sure to look online and contact people in my department (just as soon as I choose which one to go to ) but in my experience, it's difficult to find good deals that way. Worst case scenario, I get a not-so-good place this year and look for a better one next year. That probably won't be the worst thing that ever happened..
miratrix Posted March 17, 2009 Posted March 17, 2009 Maybe you'll be able to find a compatible roommate through your department (you can usually tell from email & phone) and have them find a place? Good luck!
40404 Posted March 17, 2009 Posted March 17, 2009 As an international I can't move until a month before my program starts, so I guess I'll be moving sometime toward mid-August. I hope that'll be enough time to find a good apartment, but since there's nothing much I can do to change the situation, I'm not going to worry about it. I'll be sure to look online and contact people in my department (just as soon as I choose which one to go to ) but in my experience, it's difficult to find good deals that way. Worst case scenario, I get a not-so-good place this year and look for a better one next year. That probably won't be the worst thing that ever happened.. I'm international also so I guess around Aug as well
fuzzylogician Posted March 17, 2009 Posted March 17, 2009 Maybe you'll be able to find a compatible roommate through your department (you can usually tell from email & phone) and have them find a place? Good luck! I'm definitely going to try that. It'll be the best solution, if it works out.
msphdhopeful Posted March 18, 2009 Author Posted March 18, 2009 I also have an awesome job with an awesome boss and co-workers so I would like to stay as long as I can. My lease is up at the end up of May , I'm renting a room in a house with others and everybody is moving so I can't take over a month-to-month lease...sooo I will probably be spending a couple of months crashing my friends' and family's couches living out of a suitcase until its time to make the big move....it's daunting to think about but I'm also extremely EXCITED!
halfpint Posted March 18, 2009 Posted March 18, 2009 I want to enjoy my last summer in NYC so I'll be moving in August. I'm a little nervous about finding a place in the Amherst-area because the vacancy rates are low. I'll probably start looking soon. Anyone have any advice about that area? I've been keeping an eye on the Amherst, MA forum in City Guide as well.
doctoraldude Posted March 18, 2009 Posted March 18, 2009 to all you folks moving before school starts : what do early-movers do anyway ? :? Apart from the time needed to move stuff in, sign papers, arrange passes etc, i dont know what i'd do with all that time !
msphdhopeful Posted March 18, 2009 Author Posted March 18, 2009 I'm planning on getting familiar with the city and the campus...and I guess being really settled in before the craziness of the program starts.
socialpsych Posted March 18, 2009 Posted March 18, 2009 to all you folks moving before school starts : what do early-movers do anyway ? :? Apart from the time needed to move stuff in, sign papers, arrange passes etc, i dont know what i'd do with all that time ! Hang out with me, DD! But seriously...since you'll be new to the area, I think there's a lot you could do if you have a car. Spend some time exploring the city (you don't even need a car for that) or perhaps take a roadtrip. Perhaps this won't work as well for people who are moving to the middle of nowhere, but around here there is plenty to do within driving distance. It's a gorgeous time of year--go to the beach! Go hiking! I don't know--all the stuff you won't have time for once you start your degree. Aside from that, I'm trying to figure out what to do with the free time, too. I figure I'll split it between playing computer games (to get myself really bored and excited for the quarter to start) and maybe doing some volunteering. Again, the idea is to look for things I won't have time to do for the next 15 years. If you're really eager to get started, you can always ask your future advisors for a reading list. Mine have already been kind enough to start putting one together for me.
doctoraldude Posted March 19, 2009 Posted March 19, 2009 --all the stuff you won't have time for once you start your degree. ... now that's too much to do :? Seriously though, getting myself bored and all geared up for grad school is probably a great idea
piccali Posted March 19, 2009 Posted March 19, 2009 The nice thing about staying at the same school (different program though): No moving. The bad thing about staying at the same school: I have to find roommates for my house where the rent is increasing :-\
publicpolicy79 Posted March 19, 2009 Posted March 19, 2009 My plan is not to move until the beginning of August (make as much money as I can before I give up the income!). However, depending on where you are moving, LOTS of places do pre-leasing for the fall semester. Once I make my decision (one choice has a "move-in next week" rental market while the other is a college town, lots of pre-leasing), if I pick the "college town" I plan to go for a weekend and find a place, get the application and deposits done, then be set come August. Less stress, more time for me to plan compulsively...
mfm Posted March 19, 2009 Posted March 19, 2009 Orientation begins Aug 31st - so my must be there date is August 28th. I'm balancing not paying rent before I have too and staying where I am with a well paying job as long as I can with finding housing in a fairly tight housing market (Berkeley). I'm taking a trip this spring to scope out the neighborhoods and see where I want to be and then plan on watching Craig's List carefully for shifts in rental prices. In the end, I anticipate leasing a place in early August and moving mid to late August.
rising_star Posted March 20, 2009 Posted March 20, 2009 My plan is not to move until the beginning of August (make as much money as I can before I give up the income!). However, depending on where you are moving, LOTS of places do pre-leasing for the fall semester. Once I make my decision (one choice has a "move-in next week" rental market while the other is a college town, lots of pre-leasing), if I pick the "college town" I plan to go for a weekend and find a place, get the application and deposits done, then be set come August. Less stress, more time for me to plan compulsively... Having lived in two college towns where pre-leasing is common, I can honestly say that most of the places that did pre-leasing catered towards undergrads and were not places I wanted to live as a grad student. I've never found a place to live more than a month in advance and it hasn't been an issue. The complexes, houses, duplexes, etc. that are more desirable are always "For Rent" immediately, so if you went out beforehand (which I actually did last summer and didn't sign a lease for this reason), you have to start paying rent immediately. EDIT: You should definitely email some current grad students and ask when the best time for househunting is. Also, if your new department has a listserve, you'll definitely want to join that so you can find out if anyone is looking for a roommate, is leaving their place, etc.
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