<p>I am accepted and confused about the housing matters. I am an international student and have no special preferences about housing. all i need is a cheep one. Can any one studying there gives me some advice? How about the private residence house? i heard there are some free housing if you helped disabled and old people. What is it like?
thanks a lot for helping me!</p>
<p>Use the Google. There are many options all on the internet. Start with UW Housing. It lists all the prices and is about the cheapest you will find. Private costs more.</p>
<p>Not really close on costs Barrons but thanks for your opinion. Do some google’ing of your own next time.</p>
<p>Pre-Food cost of a double in University Housing: $6,500
Pre-Food cost of a double at Regent: $4,875</p>
<p>That’s a $1,625 difference and it took me about 5 minutes to figure out. Definite benefits of both public and private housing. I suggest you do take a look at those for yourself. Unlike Barrons, I’ll refrain from providing any opinion about any of your options.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.housing.wisc.edu/billing/pdf/1112_rates.pdf[/url]”>http://www.housing.wisc.edu/billing/pdf/1112_rates.pdf</a>
[Regent101</a> | Campus Connect | Student Housing at UW-Madison and Edgewood | Pricing](<a href=“http://www.sba-campusconnect.com/regent-101/pricing]Regent101”>http://www.sba-campusconnect.com/regent-101/pricing)</p>
<p>A cookie for you–I did say “about” and look how easy it was to find which was really the point. Lucky is $8550 and is the dorm most look at first for private housing. Regent–meh. Very old. Yes, my opinion–and most agree</p>
<p>[College</a> Park-The Regent Apartment Ratings, Reviews, Map, Rents, and other Madison apartments for rent from ApartmentRatings.com](<a href=“http://www.apartmentratings.com/rate/WI-Madison-College-Park-The-Regent.html]College”>http://www.apartmentratings.com/rate/WI-Madison-College-Park-The-Regent.html)</p>
<p>Regent’s actually been updated. It’s pretty nice. Nicer than the cheapest public dorms, IMO. But it’s a little far from State and such. It’d be good for people really into football or engineering majors.</p>
<p>Just my two cents. Without bias. Public dorms are nice, convenient, but stricter and expensive. Food however is a good deal. Private dorms have less food options, some are more expensive, but there are some good deals to be found. More freedom, however, but not as good of a location for the most part.</p>
<p>True…Lucky is what most people look at for private dorms…but its certainly not the only option. Even so, Ogg/Smith are similarly two of the most popular/sought after UW dorms ($7426 for double). Throw in a bathroom and it’s $8,158. For an extra $400…you get a kitchen, living room, etc at Lucky. Still, there are lot’s of benefits to both private and public housing. Options should be weighed and individual choices should be made.</p>
<p>I presume you are an entering freshman. Being new to the US as well as college you should consider living in the dorms- Res Halls. College is not about a bare bones existence, the nearness of other students is helpful. For apartments you can use the off campus search available by going to the UW housing site and clicling on the icon on the left. You can choose your area, amenities and price range of what is still available. Presuming you are offered a housing contract for Res Halls you would have an equal chance of getting your first choice dorm as those accepted last fall. Read the UW threads about housing for the past year for a lot of info. You can choose other housing optionsfor your second year. There is a lot involved with an apartment, even a furnished one- you have to pay for cable tv/internet, electricity, sometimes heat and you have to buy, dishes, cooking and cleaning supplies (and do your own cleaning), food (do your cooking to save money) etc. In a strange country. Plus- your visa requirements may prohibit you from any jobs.</p>
<p>Thanks for your good advice. And a friend recommended the 717 Knickerbocker St(unit 7) to me. Has anyone heard of it?</p>
<p>Probably not a great location for a college student and certainly not for one new to the area. Put it into a google map and see how far you are going to be from the university’s campus. Assuming you are new to UW, the UW or Private dorms are probably going to be the best fit for you. If you are deadset on not living in either and want to strike out on your own, I wouldn’t go south of Regent St. I would try to stay in the W. Johnson St. or Langdon St. neighborhoods. Those areas are going to keep you closest to the rest of the student population.</p>
<p>Dream… please don’t try to save your limited resources by spending too little on your housing and spending time getting to campus, being without helpful resources or so many other factors you don’t know about yet. Your education could suffer if you have to deal with the many factors outside of school work- the reason colleges have dorms. Spending a bit extra now may save your grades and make your ability to do your best college work more possible. Spend the money now and for your second year you will be able to save money using the knowledge you have gained your first year. You are more likely to learn more in your classes if you are not distracted by all of the needs of maintaining an apartment lifestyle, especially without knowing the basics of American culture and not having the people around you to tell you things. Social isolation is dangerous and you will waste a lot of time learning how to do things on your own. Spend time in the dorms and have many sources to teach you all of the little things no book or class can. You can’t count on your apartment neighbors to look after you.</p>
<p>We are presuming you are an entering freshman. If you are instead a grad student you should be asking your department housing questions. For either status be sure to thoroughly read the information on the international students website of the UW site and send emails to resources found there.</p>
<p>American English is different than British and other countries’ forms of English- even if you are fluent at home you still have a lot to learn about everyday English usage here. You chose UW to learn far more than just the book/classroom knowledge- that you could have learned from home. Embrace the culture. The easiest/fastest way is to immerse yourself in it in all aspects of your life, including your housing. American culture does not include being sure the person in the next apartment is doing well- you may never meet them and your landlord will not be helpful. Public or private dorms on/near campus are the best to start in a new country and have dedicated resources to helping new students. </p>
<p>Consider the total cost of living. Many students do live in the more expensive Lucky apartments with its conveniences and student programs. However, you say you are looking for the cheapest housing option. The Regent may save you money- but look at all of the costs. One reason the public dorm room rates are higher is that students who live in Res Halls get a large discount (60% more/less depending on the angle you approach it from) on the food in the food services provided by Res Halls. Anyone can eat in the Res Halls dining areas, snack bars, et al. You may meet people in your classes who live in the dorms and they want you to join them for lunch or supper- it is cheap for them but costly for you unless you also live in one of the public dorms. You can eat in a facility far from the dorm you live in- convenient if your plans are in that area. You also have no food purchase requirements for Res Halls- you can spend as little or as much as you want in their food sevice places. Another cost thought- you will be spending most of your time shopping near campus and pay higher prices.</p>
<p>I just pointed out my posting to my husband from India- he agrees that your first US experience should be in the dorms. The pennies saved now will be at a far greater cost than you realize.</p>
<p>You also don’t HAVE to live in the public dorms. Most private dorms have their own dining halls and some will average out to be about the same cost as public or perhaps slightly cheaper. There are also many delis and little cafes in the UW class buildings that take regular money. And you probably won’t need to worry much about having to pay more if you eat in the public dining halls - chances are you won’t, you’ll eat with people from your own dorm. I think that you should look at all the options and make a good, informed choice - don’t limit yourself to just look at public dorms or just look at private dorms. Check it all out and see what’s best for you.</p>
<p>Agree with checking out both public and private if one wishes- but DO think DORM, not isolated apartment. You want those programs for students. Later you will likely find an inexpensive apartment, perhaps sharing with friends you meet on campus. One nice thing about Res Halls- there is no required amount for food service. This may matter if your dietary habits are not typical meat based American fare and you find you don’t like the private dorm’s menu items. Do check on that as well.</p>