#the only real downside is it's on the 2nd floor (i'm currently on the 1st floor and it's so nice) and also just the fact that. yknow. i hav

[transxfiles]

oh yeah idk if i told y'all but there's a room opening in my building so we're going through the process of getting me reassigned!!

[cancerbiophd]

hey julia! i hope you're having a great weekend! :)) so i'm starting to look for apartments in my grad school city (this will be my first time having one/living on my own) and i was wondering if you had any tips or essential questions to ask real estate agents when you're deciding whether or not to live in a certain apartment?

my daaarrrling em!!!! 

i had a GREAT weekend. celebrated a friend’s wedding reception (they had been married for 7 years but they finally got a chance to celebrate with their church, family, and friends) and they also announced they’re having a baby so it was amazing all around!!!

Firstly, I would recommend getting the inside-scoop of the area from a current grad student. If you don’t have a contact, it’s totally ok to email the program coordinator and ask them to connect you with someone. They’ll have an idea of who would be super willing to help (that’s how a lot of new students find me!!). Current grad students will know where the majority of grad students like to live, which neighborhoods to stay away from, what the public transport situation is like, what specifics to look for as a result of the area’s unique weather, etc etc. 

General apt/housing things to consider as a grad student:

The closer the housing to campus, usually the more expensive the rent. Just a supply and demand thing. And because these properties have high turnover from being a permanent rental property, they might not be high quality either (ex. hasn’t been updated in decades, has lots of wear and tear from multiple occupants, etc). If transportation is not an issue, I would prefer looking at places more than 5 miles away to get more bang for my buck. 

Is the apt complex mostly filled with students? If so, what kind? Undergrad, grad, med students, etc. The closer the complex is to campus, the more students will be living there. And in my experience, the more undergrads, the more loud parties/late-night shenanigans that may disrupt a grad student’s precious sleep. During my first year in grad school I lived in a complex near campus that had lots of undergrads and I did not like it one bit. There were multiple nights where I had considered calling the non-emergency number of my local police bc shit was getting real rowdy. During my 2nd year I moved to a complex further away that had mostly young professionals and small families, and it was soooo much nicer (and cheaper!). 

If your complex of choice does have a lot of younger students, I would try to get a corner unit, or one on the top floor.

Are utilities included in the rent? Some apt complexes geared towards students will do this (sometimes including wifi too), which is really nice. Downside is sometimes you don’t have a lot of control over the temp or wifi speed. 

Furnished or not? Having a furnished apt your first year is pretty great so you don’t have to worry about buying furniture if you’re moving to a far away city. 

Is there space in the apt (or your bedroom if you’re rooming with someone) to designate as your study area? Every place I looked at I had to consider how I could fit in my desk + chair, bookshelf, and a small filing cabinet. 

Transportation: distance/ease to getting to public transport, bike lanes/paths, on-site parking, reliable crosswalks if crossing busy streets on foot/bike. You could probably determine a lot of this from google maps. 

Some apt complexes that are geared towards students will have free shuttles to/from campus, so check to see if that’s a thing. Some universities will also have free campus shuttles, with some lines going a little bit off campus too (but it might cost extra).

Being located closed to the necessities: grocery store, department store, gym, restaurants, study areas like libraries and cafes, freeway access, post office, banks, etc

Being located away from anything you don’t want: My undergrad lives right across a frat house and has had her car broken into multiple times by drunk college boys :\ A current grad student would be really helpful in this regard to let you know which neighborhoods/areas to stay away from. 

Is there an in-unit washer/dryer? Many 1 bedroom or studios in complexes don’t have their own washers and dryers, and need to use a community one in the complex that only takes quarters. 

Parking: if only street-parking is available, and you’re located near campus, it might be really frustrating to get a parking spot because students who don’t want to pay the horrendous campus parking fees will be taking up your spots. 

Maintenance: is there a maintenance person on-site? What’s their response-time? Dealing with maintenance emergencies as a student can be a hairball and a half, so it’s nice to have something reliable. 

Safety/security: Is it a gated community? Is there a front-desk for guests to check in? Some complexes even have security cameras, which is awesome. 

Pet policy: if applicable. 

BED BUG POLICY. As someone who had a bed bug infestation a few years ago (and ended up having an allergic reaction!!) I would recommend asking what their bed bug policy is. My first apt’s policy was that if bed bugs (lmao i literally just typed bed pugs) pop up after 7 days of move-in, they will take care of it (if it’s less than 7 days, they assume you brought them with you, so you gotta take care of it). If a complex has a bed bug policy like that, then it’s pretty reliable to assume they take great care to remain bed bug free (or else it’ll cost them $$)

Credit score/proof of income: Some complexes won’t rent to people with low credit scores or those who don’t have a proof of x income in the past y # of months. The apt complex I lived in my 2nd year asked us to prove that we made 3x the rent/month. It was a bit unique for me since as a grad student I get paid lump-sums at the beginning of each semester, so I had to tell them that. 

I think that’s all I can pull from my brain at the moment… again, to sound like a broken record, I HIGHLY recommend reaching out to a current student for housing questions. 

I also want to add that it’s ok to just find a place for your 1st year that isn’t 100% ideal, but will give you a chance to have somewhere to live as you learn more about the city and get a feel for other more permanent places to live for the next couple of years. A bunch of grad students in my cohort did that (including myself). Some universities even have grad-only on-campus housing, so that might be worth looking into as well!

I hope this helps! Good luck!!!