<p>Hi,</p>
<p>Would it be a bad idea to live off-campus (within 20 blocks of school) as a 2nd year ?
So far,
Pros: cheaper, cleaner, feeling of having a "home"
Cons: not as safe, impossible to practice after 12am or before 8am (since I'd leave my instrument at school, maybe it's a pro, healthier schedule?), more complicated, possible time-consuming (more cleaning, more cooking)</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>You may want to pm binx if she doesn’t respond within the thread.</p>
<p>What city are you referring to?</p>
<p>My suggestions - make sure your apt. is on a direct train line. S’s first apt took two trains - or a bus and a train perhaps, and was a huge hassle. The apt was fairly close - just at the top of Central Park in Harlem, but was a one-room that he shared, and was very expensive.</p>
<p>The next apt he got was much further north, larger, and cheaper, and only a half a block from the 1 line, and an easy commute. He also liked to ride his bike on nice days - right down Riverside Park for most of the way.</p>
<p>My S also left his instrument at school most of the time - never practiced in the apt. But usually stayed quite late at school.</p>
<p>The area he lived in was really pretty nice. When we drove up to move him out after graduation, we actually didn’t mind driving around up there. Parked right in front of his apt. Left the car up there, and never had to drive in downtown Manhattan.</p>
<p>Oh, I see… I think you’re a classmate of my daughter’s. I just talked her out of living off campus for 2nd year (as much as she wanted to escape the dorms.) Although I can see her perhaps living off campus in the future. My concerns were the complications, especially if she could not find a place within walking distance, or on a direct subway line. I was not convinced it would be less expensive, either.</p>
<p>Another thing to consider is how the rent payment will be handled with roommates. D2, in Cleveland, is in a situation where her roommate defaulted on the rent. We had an unusual arrangement in that the landlord was allowing the families to pay rent separately so we did not realize they were 3 months behind until we got an email threatening legal action for both of us. (By the way, the heating bills are in my name, and the other family also owes us $600 in utilities.) </p>
<p>So if you go into a rental with housemates or roommates, be aware that you could be held liable if they default on the rent.</p>
<p>If you’re planning on living off-campus don’t restrict yourself to within 20 blocks. I had huge issues finding somewhere to live, but am now very happy in Inwood/Washington Heights area. It’s a quick commute on the A train, a nice neighborhood and such a relief to be out of the midtown area.</p>
<p>I think you’re international, right? If so, that will make things more difficult for you if you’re trying to rent through a broker. Your best bet is to either rent directly from the owner, or share with someone else with their name on the lease, who is willing to trust that you will pay them…</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>^Fisheee, I am so glad to hear you found a home. I hope you’ve had a terrific year. Last year when you were scrambling I felt kind of helpless to help you and kept wishing I knew someone in NYC ;). Best wishes, K.</p>
<p>Thanks a lot! I suppose it would be too complicated then.</p>
<p>Thanks kmcmom13. It’s been a good year, but I’m glad it’s nearly vacation time, I definitely need a break! And I really appreciated all the responses I got last year with advice and ideas about housing :)</p>
<p>How is housing assigned after first year at your school? I know that all first years are required to live in the dorms and some live there longer than that, but space is limited and many students move out after their first year. Are you guaranteed a spot in the dorms for the duration, or do you have to enter a housing lottery? If the latter, you may very well have to face the additional complexity at some point.</p>
<p>I agree with others that the safety of the neighborhood and commute time rather than distance is what matters should you go off campus. Something 30 or 40 blocks away on a direct subway line may involve a fairly short commute time. When comparing the price of the dorms vs that of the apartment, don’t forget to factor in the cost of commuting and of furnishings if they are not included in the rent.</p>
<p>Piggybacking on what BassDad said, also include the fact that you will probably need to come up with an extra month’s rent plus security deposit on signing the lease. And the lease will be for 12 months, so you will need to find a summer subletter (not too difficult in NYC, but then you need to worry about the condition they will leave your place in and potential loss of security deposit.) </p>
<p>Housing is by lottery; you need to attend at least six extracurricular programs to qualify for the lottery. By now Bassplayer08 knows if he lucked into a good room through the lottery, or not.</p>
<p>Actually, Bassplayer08 is a she.</p>
<p>My son (Boyer/Temple '14) is actually moving into his first apartment tomorrow. He’s on the Broad St line, so only a few stops off campus. It is going to be somewhat less expensive, but his primary motivation was to get off meal plan. Why yes, he also cooks. ;)</p>
<p>Housing after first year at Juilliard is a bit complicated. There are required “points” to earn by attending a variety of meetings in order to earn a place in the lottery. Most years even folks who ignore the process end up with a room. My S got caught in the middle of some personnel problems the year he lost out (had all the required points but was missing a category. Was told “no problem” by one person but the person left his job in the middle of the summer, and the person who took over said “tough luck.” It was right in the middle of our move back to the US from Germany, and just a month before school started. We found something for him, but not the best. A week before school started, we signed a lease, and the next day, got a call from Juilliard offering him a room.)</p>
<p>Getting a nice place, on a direct train line, with a group of good friends, can improve certain aspects of life. But staying in the Juilliard suites definitely keeps things simpler.</p>
<p>Living off campus. I guess there are a number of questions to be asked here. Our daughter wanted to live off campus her junior year, but we discouraged it for a number of reasons. One is that the closest off campus housing area was 15 minutes away. Our daughter’s classes were widely spaced throughout the day; so where does she call home between classes on a small campus? What about access to the music rooms weekends, etc. It means going back and forth to campus? And then there was the question of car insurance. If a person commutes to school the insurance is one rate; if they use the car for “recreational purposes” and not to go back and forth to school or work, it’s another rate. And then there’s the question of signing leases with roommates with no credit rating . . . . So we missed the bullet this year, but, next year?</p>
<p>Off topic, but this piqued my interest… </p>
<p>“Our daughter’s classes were widely spaced throughout the day; so where does she call home between classes on a small campus?” (nisuslov)</p>
<p>Is it normal here for kids to call home between classes??! Or have I missed something?</p>
<p>I don’t think nisuslov meant that the daughter actually phones home between classes. What was (I believe) meant was where will the daughter hang out between classes. </p>
<p>I know that my son leaves his room in the morning, and doesn’t go back 'til the end of the day. He has classes, goes to the tech center or library, hangs out on the grass with friends or to read, practices, etc. He really spends little time in his room, and I don’t see that changing now that he’s got an apartment.</p>
<p>Hah, got it! That’s a relief :)</p>