UNC School of Medicine Class of 2015

This may be seen as a bit early 🙂 But I'm on vacation with my 8 person family so.... this is what happened! I am looking for housing and/or roommates in Chapel Hill/Carrboro. Was hoping we could get a conversation going about housing... and everything else.

Does anyone know about the parking situation for people who choose to commute vs. using the busline?

Very excited about next year! (obviously lol)

I'm also lost on what to do about housing next year. I had friends who went to UNC undergrad, but I know next to nothing about Chapel Hill. I'm currently living in Baltimore too, which is going to make setting housing up in Chapel Hill that much easier...

Sorry about not really answering your questions.

lileo13 said:

This may be seen as a bit early 🙂 But I'm on vacation with my 8 person family so.... this is what happened! I am looking for housing and/or roommates in Chapel Hill/Carrboro. Was hoping we could get a conversation going about housing... and everything else.

Does anyone know about the parking situation for people who choose to commute vs. using the busline?

Very excited about next year! (obviously lol)

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There are a couple of areas where a lot of medical students seem to be focused: in/around downtown Chapel Hill (within walking/biking distance of campus), Southern Village (on the busline), Finley Forest (on the busline).

You won't be able to park on campus until 3rd/4th year, so your options are to live on a busline, or use one of the Park 'n Ride lots, of which there are several (which are connected to buslines). Basically, you will either be walking, biking, or taking the bus in 🙂

Let me know if you have any specific questions. I graduated last year, FWIW.

http://www.chapelhillrent.com/

I'm from the area originally, so I did some apartment hunting while I was visiting my parents for the holidays. I actually put a deposit down on an apartment on MLK/Airport Rd, which is on multiple bus lines that go directly to campus... parking around campus is pretty much impossible.

Here's a more specific listing of places directly on a bus route: http://www.ci.chapel-hill.nc.us/index.aspx?page=705

And more details about the bus routes: http://www.ci.chapel-hill.nc.us/index.aspx?page=1176

There are also some rental houses behind Franklin and Rosemary Streets that would be within walking distance, but maybe a bit noisy because that area to attract a lot of undergrads. Of course, being able to walk home from Franklin Street on weekend nights would be fun (because we'll be going out all the time, right???). The neighborhoods on the other side of Manning Drive off Mason Farm Road seem nice and more grad student-y, but I haven't really explored that area very much.

Make sure to ask about any UNC grad student/employee promotions because I was able to get some fees waived and half off the first months' rent!

Congrats on the acceptances 🙂

Another option for housing...there will be plenty of 4th year students trying to sell their homes, myself included. Usually there will be flyers hanging up in the halls/stairwells in Bondurant/MacNider.

Lots of people rent, lots of people buy. Probably a larger portion of your class and the class above you will buy/have bought because the housing market really is a buyer's market right now. Low interest rates, price reductions, upgrades, etc etc. In my house I've had to build a bigger deck, get stainless appliances, new flooring, fixtures, faucets, etc just to stay competitive in my price range.

Also, the part about parking on campus is not totally accurate. You can get a parking permit as an MS1/MS2. However, it is in the S11 lot, which is past the Dean Dome, and easily a 15-20 minute fast walk to the classroom buildings. There are also shuttles to ride. I had a pass for about a month before I realized the busline that stops right in front of my house was faster than driving in and shuttling.

Good luck with your searches, feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions.

Hello all! Congratulations on your acceptances! I wanted to let everyone know that I started a Facebook group for the class of 2015 so that we could all start to get to know each other. Join up if you have a Facebook account! Here is the link:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_150465165009438&ap=1

I'm a current UNC MS1 and there are lots of med/grad students living in the neighborhoods south of the med campus - i.e. on Purefoy/Howell and Old Pittsboro/Smith/Coolidge/Dawes. I live across the street from a couple of my classmates and I know of at least 7-8 other med students who live on the same street. I find it very convenient to be able to walk/bike to campus, though I am not near a bus stop so I just drive when I go places (and if it rains I am stuck walking/biking in the rain). There is some parking on campus near the med school after 5 so if it's nasty out or I anticipate coming home very late I will often drive to school even though it's so close. The other thing is that the P2P runs a loop around campus that stops relatively close to these neighborhoods, so if you are lacking a DD on off-weekend nights it's not a problem getting home.

That being said, there are a lot of people who live in apartment complexes on bus lines farther from campus (Finley Forest, Rock Creek, Meadowmont, etc) and seem to have no problem getting to and from school. Probably your best bet is to decide how much time you are going to spend on campus and at what times you are going to want to be home during the day - I kind of like to be able to go home between school/gym/library so living close is better for me.

I didn't get housing until late April and I found a pretty nice place for a reasonable price, so don't stress about timing too much. Hope this info helps - I know I wished I had some more direction last year.

Thank you! That was wonderfully helpful! How did you find your house? Is there a specific real estate agency that is prominent on that street/in that neighborhood? If so, which?

Hey everyone!

I'll also be starting at UNC this fall, and I'm looking forward to meeting everyone! I've been living in Chapel Hill for 6 years now (4 years undergrad + 2 years working), so I'm happy to answer any questions you might have about housing or the area in general.

Speaking of housing - I'm looking to replace a housemate who is moving out this summer.

3 BR, 3.5 baths about 1.5 miles from the med school
0.5 mile walk to the bus-line, or about a mile drive to a park-and-ride lot
2 male roommates

PM me if you're interested.

rand11 said:

http://www.chapelhillrent.com/

I'm from the area originally, so I did some apartment hunting while I was visiting my parents for the holidays. I actually put a deposit down on an apartment on MLK/Airport Rd, which is on multiple bus lines that go directly to campus... parking around campus is pretty much impossible.

Here's a more specific listing of places directly on a bus route: http://www.ci.chapel-hill.nc.us/index.aspx?page=705

And more details about the bus routes: http://www.ci.chapel-hill.nc.us/index.aspx?page=1176

There are also some rental houses behind Franklin and Rosemary Streets that would be within walking distance, but maybe a bit noisy because that area to attract a lot of undergrads. Of course, being able to walk home from Franklin Street on weekend nights would be fun (because we'll be going out all the time, right???). The neighborhoods on the other side of Manning Drive off Mason Farm Road seem nice and more grad student-y, but I haven't really explored that area very much.

Make sure to ask about any UNC grad student/employee promotions because I was able to get some fees waived and half off the first months' rent!

Congrats on the acceptances 🙂

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Did you live in University Apartments? I've read mixed reviews online, if you have any thoughts/advice it would be really helpful...

almostadoctor said:

Did you live in University Apartments? I've read mixed reviews online, if you have any thoughts/advice it would be really helpful...

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You just bumped a 5 y/o post.

Suit said:

You just bumped a 5 y/o post.

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Good advice is timeless.