For waitlisted people still crossing your fingers, I was in the same spot last year. For reference, I was 1st quartile, but not high priority, and got an acceptance call July 2nd. So yes, there's plenty of time left.
On where to live...to each their own, but I cannot stress enough how helpful it was for me to live across the street at the Imperial apartments. The longest part of my commute was leaving my apartment, lmao. This was huge for reducing stress for getting on time to class, random required events, and especially exams. Also great for those who want to use the gym (assuming it becomes available again by the time school starts) and for IM sports. The way I would think about deciding to live comes down a few things. If you're lazy, procrastinate, or not incredibly disciplined in general, I would say living as close to campus as possible is critical. Additionally, if you're more extroverted like me, I would strongly advocate for being close to campus, as it makes visiting people, post exam shenanigans, etc, way easier.
If you're on the other side of the spectrum, living further away can probably work just fine. IMO, introverts in general would probably be more suited to living further away, or if you have a family. You can certainly pay a lot for down town Des Moines or the nicer suburbs, but you'll have far more options for a place. For some people, driving to and away from campus is a nice way to chill and unwind, or catch up with family. And some people really appreciate having a distinct separation. In the end, it really comes down to the person.
As much as I've advocated living close, I will say that I've heard that my place Imperial, as well as Grand Prix, another super close Grand Ave apartment, are possibly not taking on new students, for some reason. No clue as to why, as they're under new management as of January ish. But that does reduce options. I'm personally moving in with a classmate to his apartment 3000 Grand, which I would say is the overall best balanced pick for proximity, price, and quality. Apparently, it can be really hard to otherwise find an apartment there, and I'm sure demand vs openings is going only going to get more difficult if the rumors about Imperial + Grand Prix are true.
Feel free to ask me any other questions about Des Moines, school, apartments, or any other general questions you have on here or via DMs, and I should be able to respond quickly now that we're free from classes!
