<p>My D is a sophomore at Tufts. Her friends are telling her that they have to look NOW and sign a lease NOW if they want to get a good off-campus housing situation for next year. This seems unlikely to me. Do you really need to look for and commit to housing for next fall, a year in advance? How can students make that decision when they don't even know if they will be accepted into a study abroad program until next spring? We're in California so I don't know the general housing market around Tufts, i.e. availability, etc. </p>
<p>Any advice from upperclassmen out there?</p>
<p>I have heard that, but it strikes me that it’s awfully early. Any current students who have BTDT care to jump in on the realities?</p>
<p>You don’t need to sign a lease until late October or November, maybe even December, but she should start looking soon.</p>
<p>You can find good off campus housing into the spring, it just requires patience and vigilance if you wait that long- waiting for new postings and being able to jump on them quickly. My friends found an awesome apartment for 5 in April, recently renovated with a gorgeous kitchen, but the weeks until they found it were stressful ones. The off campus housing office encourages an early start since it alleviates so much of the pressure, but housing is findable basically all year.</p>