Housing PANIC

[kaleisi]

Hi everyone,

How do you deal with the hassle of finding somewhere to live in when you're not even in the country yet - with no means to visit until around the time the program starts?

I know dorms is the easy option, but it so happens that I am in a counseling program where I have to spend a lot of the time in the off-campus center. Which means I'm stuck carpooling with others for a while, since it's not that close to campus and my sessions at the counseling center are late in the evening. ALSO, I'll have to stay in the dorms for two semesters before I am able to move.

I also have the issue of being in an urban area where some neighborhoods aren't that safe, so this is quickly becoming an overwhelming problem

Advice and help would really be appreciated. I've spoken to some students in the program who have suggested some very safe areas for me to live in (off campus), but I'd still have a ) transportation issues and b ) no way of knowing what living in that apartment is like until I get there..

How did YOU deal with the housing hurdle as an international student? What would you do in my situation?

Edited March 28, 2014 by kaleisi

[s0822345]

Im also an international student. 

I was worried about housing. I guess my luck is that the graduate housing offered by the university looks like it is very convenient. I am thinking of just doing that for the first year and start looking for my own place for year 2 while Im there.

But I also had one of the current graduate students of my program give me her email address and told me she would check the place out if I found something and I was not sure. She was an international student herself so she said she knew the feeling. 

[DeleteMePlease]

I found a very nice group of people to live with through craigslist. Thank god there is skype so you can see what you are getting into.

 

I guess you could also try to get there a few weeks earlier and look for a room in person.

[unfortunate]

When I moved to England for my undergrad, I planned to arrive ~1.5 weeks before the term. A few days before the arrival, I called many landlords/agencies that I found online and arranged ~20 viewings for the first few days after my arrival. My personal suggestion, never sign a contract without seeing the house and people you will be living. If you organise everything before the trip, you should be fine. That's how I'm planning to find a place to live in the US this year as there aren't any University housing around

[marxistfeministdialectic]

I was lucky enough to be able to sublet from a faculty member who was going on sabbatical.  The place is furnished too, which was convenient after 20 hours of travel.  Sure, I signed the lease before seeing the place in person but I felt a bit more secure knowing that my 'landlady' was a University employee.

[victorydance]

If you can, just go earlier. Like the other person said, make a bunch of appointments to see places right when you arrive.

[beccamayworth]

On a related note... how hard is it to rent a studio or 1-bedroom being an international student, and therefore having no rental or credit history?

[sharanbngr]

Are the good ones left by the time we  international students get there generally? Someone suggested that you try and get one by July for a good deal

[IR LeLaH]

Also an international student here. I've been looking at some apartment info on websites like craiglist and I plan to arrive two weeks earlier to find an ideal place to live. My problem is, since I didn't receive any funding, I have to share an apartment or a studio with a roommate to cut the cost. But how can I find one without being able to meet one?  I don't know anyone in the city I'm going to, so it really worries me a lot. 

[lolololo55]

On a related note... how hard is it to rent a studio or 1-bedroom being an international student, and therefore having no rental or credit history?

 

Same concern here! 

[I am not sure yet]

I'll arrive one month before classes start. I am planning on staying on a hostel for one or two weeks, to have time to find a place. I'm searching online, of course, but I won't decide anything until I can see the place in person.

[biochick]

I'll arrive one month before classes start. I am planning on staying on a hostel for one or two weeks, to have time to find a place. I'm searching online, of course, but I won't decide anything until I can see the place in person.

I'm a US native starting grad school in the fall, I wanted to see if anyone on here had questions.

The problem is we don't have many hostels in the US. There are some in big cities (Chicago, New York, LA, Boston, etc) but other than that we don't have youth hostels.

[hj2012]

I'm a US native starting grad school in the fall, I wanted to see if anyone on here had questions.

The problem is we don't have many hostels in the US. There are some in big cities (Chicago, New York, LA, Boston, etc) but other than that we don't have youth hostels.

 

For those looking for temporary housing, Airbnb can be a decent option.

[maelia8]

There is also the option of contacting current grad students in the program at your university and asking if they can either recommend places to stay or offer you a couch for a week or so before you can move in/while you're looking for a place. Even if they are unable to host you, they might be able to tell you where you can stay cheaply for a couple of weeks. 

 

If that's not an option, I'd recommend a short-term sublet through craigslist and arrive a month early, or an extended (2-4 week) airbnb stay - a lot of airbnb rentals reduce the price if you're staying longer than a week. 

[victorydance]

I'm a US native starting grad school in the fall, I wanted to see if anyone on here had questions.

The problem is we don't have many hostels in the US. There are some in big cities (Chicago, New York, LA, Boston, etc) but other than that we don't have youth hostels.

 

This isn't really true at all. Any decent sized city has at least one hostel. 

[music]

You could try emailing your department's co-ordinator and see if they would put an email around the current students to see if anyone needs a roommate or subletter. Often this works in the department I'm going into (apparently) because of fieldwork commitments for current students who don't want to lose their apartment.

 

I'm also an internatinoal and rather than deal with staying in a hostel, credit rating issues, only being allowed to enter the US 30 days before my program begins (which is not ideal with 2 weeks of orientation during those 30 days), I opted to go into grad student housing. Even though it's inconveniently located and potentially bad value for money compared to renting any other way, it seemed to be the best short-term solution. Check whether you can move out of GSH quickly, if you wanted to. My school expects you to stay for at least one quarter, which is really not that long at all. By that point you'll be settled in the area and able to apartment-hunt in person. Much less stressful

[I am not sure yet]

The university actually has an offcampus housing website. I found a roommate there! A friend os mine who lives near will stop by and check the place and de guy, if it's ok, my problem is solved! =)