Having a dog and applying to NYC schools: which allow pets/have people off-campus?

[BellyDancingDoc]

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Hi all,

I have a precious little white dog, whom I love dearly and whom I intend to keep while I go through medical school (I didn't realize I wanted to go MD when I got her, and she's now too elderly to give away to someone else). As I'm making my final decisions about where to apply, I'm coming to realize that housing will be a big issue for me. For example, I understand that at Columbia and NYU, everyone lives in dorms and they don't allow pets- correct? So, I've scratched those 2 off my list.

I'm left with Albert Einstein, Cornell, & Mt. Sinai. I understand that lots of people live off campus at AE- is this correct? How about at Cornell and Mt. Sinai? Or do these places have any dog-friendly housing? I know Cornell has apartments if you're married, but that doesn't really apply to me. I've tried calling the housing offices of Cornell and Sinai, but both keep going to voicemail...

Any advice would be much appreciated!

 

[LizzyM]

Understand that housing in NYC is very, very expensive and unless you have a subsidized housing situation through the school, you won't be able to afford NYC as a student.

Cornell prohibits pets in its housing

http://www.med.cornell.edu/housing/pdf/stu_dorm.pdf

I wouldn't be surprised to find similar rules in other schools that operate student housing.

 

[Robizzle]

choosing what med school to apply to/attend based on who will allow your pet to live with you? aw!

that's definitely a first for me 😀

 

[Wolfgang12345]

Every New York school has students who live off campus. I just moved in yesterday to my off-campus housing 3 blocks away from Columbia (where they allow dogs and cats). Most landlords will let you have pets - but it will typically cost you a little bit more in rent; I can't imagine, however, that any school will let you have a dog in their dorms. You can also look at the Village Voice and Craigslist NY for room shares and/or sublets which allow dogs - this option would be the cheapest. I think it is definitely doable, but you may need to sacrifice size/location/"niceness" to find a place that allows dogs... and for Columbia, my current off-campus rent is actually cheaper than some of the "couples" housing that the school provides.

 

[notdeadyet]

When medical schools say they don't have off-campus housing, I think that they are referring to off-campus housing they own and/or manage. No med school will hold a gun to your head and force you to live in the dorms. Many applicants are married with children.

Having a dog will make it harder for you to find a place, though, and the rents will go up. Many landlords will charge you a pet security deposit that you can often kiss off.

Though I'm sure folks on SDN will give you $hit for taking your pet's welfare into consideration as you apply to medical school, my hat's off to you. Compassion isn't limited to 46 chromosomes.

 

[DiFranco]

You can definitely find off-campus housing if the schools you apply to have no-pet policies in their dormitories. Just keep your options open - don't cross off any of the schools in the city unless you think you'd have a bad time attending them.