NYU suggestions needed!!

[Moose0102]

I had no luck in the other dental forum so I am reposting it here..

Hello dear SDN users,

I was fortunate to receive an acceptance at NYU, which is my top choice.
Accordingly, I just want to ask some questions and tips from NYU students or alumni in this forum.

1. Where does the dental students reside in? What is the most common area?
2. What is the rough estimate for monthly living expenses?
3. Where can I find roommates for the room? (I am international student so I heard that it is hard for me to get a rent for myself..)
4. Any preperation do you guys suggest before the start of the academic year?
5. How is your experiences at NYU so far?

Any comments are also welcomed and thanks so much in advance🙂

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Evistor]

6. Does the school give out laptops?
7. Is there a directory for all the clubs for NYU?

subscribed. 🙂

 

[Evistor]

In defense of NYC, I know the Rivergate building and it's surprising these people had such a negative experience there.

For all you out of towners, when you are looking for apartments, be critical: close and open windows to hear noise levels, look at paint jobs, turn on and off faucets, open and close doors, and check that all necessities are already there (aka: CO detector), etc. While everyone in the real estate deal is self-focused, not every landlord is a scumbag. Also, these people could have easily bought a cheap CO detector and used some of that insulating tape on the windows to close up cracks that arent filled... it would have been much cheaper than eight months in a hotel lol.

NYU might be the best located dental school on the East Coast! The area around the school is great. I know a ton of people who moved there just after college. Gramercy, the East village, Union Sq. and Murray Hill are all in the vicinity of the school and are packed with young people (esp MH and the East Village). Doorman buildings are more expensive so if you're willing to forgo that luxury you can find cheaper places. Otherwise, like someone said above, putting up a wall to convert to a two bedroom apartment is really common (just make sure that the building allows walls to be put up!). If you're willing to commute definitely look into brooklyn, queens and hoboken - it'll take longer but you can find cheaper apartments.

Good luck and congrats on NYU!!!!

I couldn't help but respond to this post. I went through a nightmarish housing experience during my D1 year, and I hope that none of you have to go through what I had to go through.

First of all, in New York City, you have to go through a real estate broker when you search for an apartment. Landlords don't give you access to the apartment directly. A broker's purpose of existence is to gain access to the landlord's property. That's it. These brokers are the "middle men" whom you must hire in order to view, then sign for an apartment. Once you sign for the apartment that you like, you pay them a broker's fee usually equivalent to 1 month's rent.

In my opinion, these brokers are clueless, money hungry thieves who'll say and do anything so that you sign for an apartment. They don't know anything about the landlord or the property that they are showing you.

I signed for an apartment with a broker from Bond New York. My landlord was VGC Realty. The owner of that company was Carl Terranova. It is my opinion that he is a dishonest and shameless individual who, as it turns out, is also involved in an investigation on fraud.

http://nycitynewsservice.com/2008/03/04/bootleggers-back-after-chinatown-raid/

Avoid his properties at all costs. As it turns out, his building was in violation of various building codes which were not revealed to me until I moved in. Mr. Terranova did nothing about the various complaints that I made regarding the problems in my apartment. The most blatant code violation was that of a gas leak, which leaked fumes into my apartment making my living situation hazardous. I was not aware of this initially. For several weeks, I experienced nausea and fatigue as a result of "something." The problem got so bad that I had to check myself into the emergency room for treatment. When I called the gas company to inspect the property, it was immediately determined that the entire multi-story building had a gas leak problem which was making me sick. The gas company shut off gas service for the entire building. I had no gas for my stove, nor hot water for weeks; I could not feed myself nor shower during that time. The place was basically not habitable.

VGC Realty denied that there were any problems with the property when I moved in. Talk about having no conscience! I wanted to sue Terranova's pants off, but unfortunately as a student, you're in school/clinic all day long. And under the recommendation of the academic dean at NYU, I chose not to file a lawsuit since doing so would have taken a tremendous chunk of class/clinic time which could have jeopardized my progress towards graduation.

This was my horror story. I regret having signed with VGC Realty. I recommend that future NYUers avoid "Terranova" properties at all costs. I lost a lot of money, and my health was compromised. It is my opinion that VGC Realty and its owner, Carl Terranova, and receptionist Leah Terranova (coincidentally also his lawyer), are shameless and dishonest crooks.

I hope that you guys find a nice place to live. Good luck.

Wow... all the people with horror stories about where not to live are coming out of the woodwork... good intentions I guess, but I'll take the other route... the places that are close and good to live at:

There are the three that most students live in:

1) Kips Bay Court -- About a 5-7 minute walk from school, doorman, laundry, etc. It's a really nice property in a good location. It tends to fill up fastest of the 3 so search early if you want to live here.

2) Waterside Plaza -- About a 7-10 minute walk from school, doorman, laundry, etc. Another really nice property but the location is a polarizing topic. It's secluded from the rest of the city. That means extra walking if you go out somewhere in the city, but it's also quieter and possibly the only place you'll actually find white snow... the snow in the city turns brown fast.

3) Stuyvesant Town -- About a 5-15 minute walk from school, depending on where you live within the complex. The complex is HUGE but the courtyard has a lot of parks and sports courts. Definitely the nicest complex of the bunch. It's a bunch of small buildings so there's no doorman, but it does have laundry. I believe it also tends to be the cheapest.

None of these places need a broker. They have their own leasing offices so you can avoid that hassle altogether. If you want some of the smaller places around the school, you'll likely need to find a broker... just look out for their fees... they can be staggering. No harm in seeing what a broker has to offer, but make sure you read the form carefully when they ask you to sign something.

I went to NYU for undergrad and moved out of housing after my freshman year, so I went through the entire apartment search experience that you guys are about to go through. Plain and simple: it sucks. Hopefully any advice I can give you can ease the process somewhat, but if you’re going to get an apartment you like at a price you like, then you’re going have to take initiative and research on neighborhoods, average prices, etc.

New York City is unique in that the city has such a low non-occupancy rate (that is, almost all apartments in NYC already have residents and aren’t empty and waiting for someone else). Most apartments that are available don’t even get listed because if it’s nice, the present occupants are surely going to pass it onto someone they already know. In general, you should start searching about a month before you want to move in. Because there’s not that much housing available, you’re going to have to be ready to move QUICKLY—if you see an apartment you like, you need be prepared to sign a lease and hand over a check almost immediately, otherwise you risk losing the apartment to the next person in line (I’m not joking. I waited 2 hours for my roommate to come see the apartment, and by the time she got there, someone else came along with a check in hand and signed on the apartment). Get everything ready before you actually go out to see apartments: you need bank statements, pay stubs, letters from previous landlords, and obviously, enough money in your bank account to write a big fat check (usually a security deposit with first and last month’s rent). If you don’t make enough money, which I’m sure is the case as we’re students, you’ll also need a guarantor to sign off on the lease as well.

I personally tried not to work with a broker because I couldn’t bear the thought of handing over a commission, but eventually I gave in and worked with a company called Benjamin James. They charged me 15% of annual rent, which ends up being around 1 month’s rent (sad). The agent I worked with was really friendly though and really really (really) upbeat; I’m not sure she works there anymore, and I’m sure all realtors are different, so don’t work with one if you’re not comfortable with them.

I know a lot of people are talking about moving to Brooklyn or Queens. Nowadays, Brooklyn has become so gentrified that prices actually comparable to living in the city (fyi, people who live in New York call Manhattan “the city”, as if everyone will just automatically know what city they’re talking about). Dumbo, Brooklyn Heights, Cobble Hill… they’re all nice neighborhoods, but will still cost you. Brooklyn is only “worth it” in terms of price if you move about 30-40 minutes outside of Manhattan by train (which means 45 minutes to an hour from NYU campus). However, it may be worth it to you to pay the same price as you would in Manhattan, but to get a slightly larger living space.

Queens is generally still good in the price ranges, as it hasn’t really been “discovered” yet (ie, taken over by hipsters and yuppies). It’s not as “cute” as Brooklyn is, but it’s certainly cheaper, and pretty safe overall (depending on what part you live in, of course). I don’t know much about Queens, as I didn’t extend my apartment search to there, but I do know that Astoria is one of the better neighborhoods (my cousin was able to get an apartment with a roommate, and each paid 700 for rent for their own bedroom). Also, I absolutely HAVE to mention LIC, Long Island City. LIC is right by the water as it’s literally a subway stop from Manhattan, and for the past 5-6 years or so, there’s been huge condo developments happening. Brand new, so pretty. If you live in LIC, it’ll take you about 30 minutes to get to school in total (including walking and time waiting for the subway). Honestly, I would love to live in these buildings. I have a friend who lives in one of the Avalon buildings (all rentals), and it’s literally right by the river. There’s a park in front of the cluster of condo buildings. In the summer, people come out and have picnics and read newspapers and lay down on the grass to suntan. It’s like freakin’ Central Park right in front of your building. Honestly, until you move to this city, you’ll never appreciate the simple pleasures of seeing a tree, or sitting on the grass.

Whoa, I wrote a lot. If anyone has questions about any of the other neighborhoods in Manhattan, feel free to ask or to PM me! Honestly, I know a lot. Researching Manhattan real estate is one of my favorite things to do to waste my time.

There is a great studio available now for dental student in NYU.
A graduate dental student sublet a studio in 460 2nd Avenue, New York, NY10016
Five-minute walking to dental school of NYU
Kips Bay Court, a lot dental students living there
Rent is about 2100, pay 12 months and get 1 month free
Get $50 electric fee rebate every month

If you are interested, email: [email protected]
Cell phone: 978-761-3688

In answer to the original posters question, go to NYU.edu and search "off campus". click on the first result. there are lots of resources available on that site. unless things have changed drastically, NYU doesn't offer housing to any dent students 🙁 I guess you get what you pay for... wait... huh? I think once you have an NYU login you can use their off-campus housing registry. that worked well for me.

most people end up living in Kips Bay, Stuy Town or Waterside plaza.

who am I? Hi there, I am a recent graduate of NYU college of Dentistry (class 0f '15). I've been living in Stuy town all four years and am now doing a residency in the bronx, but continue to live in stuy because it is convenient and affordable (relatively of course) and generally a nice place to live. originally I said I'd only stay for a year and then move to brooklyn. I'm happy I stayed.

Stuy Town has a referral reward system where current and incoming tenants can each receive $500 for referring and being referred to their lovely living quarters. if you are moving in and would like to take advantage of this opportunity, please let us help each other. [email protected]

we've converted a 2 bedroom to 3 bdrm and it has worked out quite nicely for all four years. I initially wanted to go to waterside because there website made the it look fancier. after four years of seeing both I can say that they are basically the same inside in terms of space. Waterside tends to accumulate more NYUCD kids because something about international students have to jump through less hoops to sign a lease (in stuy town a co-signer has to be american if I remember correctly... that was four years ago though).
Stuy is nice because it's closer to the city and not isolated on the east side of the FDR (like waterside plaza)- that is the main complaint I hear from all of my friends that stay there. Trust me: if you are new to the city or even if you're not - staying close to school is a huge advantage. Studying on the trains is not realistic. easily over half the people I know that lived in queens or brooklyn the first year, had to move closer by the second year (almost all were out-of-towners though). The first year is intense no matter if you're coming in with a 4.0 or a 3.0GPA, but you can do it!

Stuy looks much nicer then their website shows (and it looks pretty nice from their website). In the news, there are lots of press items about mid-lease rent increases. this concerns people that have been here for 20+ years that are on a low rent stabilized rate (like half of what you and me pay in some cases). stuy town management wants to kick these people out by raising their rates. for you and me and anyone that's moved in recently, there's no issue.

so if you are interested in stuy town please let me know and we can hook each other up with $500 (i can only do it once so be the first to contact me!). [email protected] .congrats on getting in!

PS I'm really busy at the moment, please only email if you are interested in stuy and want to do the referral reward. Thank you!

PS: you will look back on the DAT's in a year and wondered why you were stressing over that little amount material lol! wait for the Part I/II Boards!

 

[Loving123]

I would also love to hear the answer! Also another question, if I am international student, I will need to wait till summer and seek for roommates who have already signed the house, correct? (Never signed or dealt with housing before..)

 

[bjpenn]

3 most common places to live are:
1.waterside
2. Kips bay
3. Stuyvesant town

 

[Loving123]

3 most common places to live are:
1.waterside
2. Kips bay
3. Stuyvesant town

When should I start looking out for roommates? When does students start posting their listings usually??

 

[bjpenn]

Join the nyucd Facebook thread for your class as soon as someone creates one. All these apts have leasing offices that you go through to rent an apt

 

[Evistor]

already here

NYU 2020 FB

https://www.facebook.com/groups/426769497518289/

 

[Loving123]

already here

NYU 2020 FB

https://www.facebook.com/groups/426769497518289/

Already joined🙂

 

[Loving123]

Join the nyucd Facebook thread for your class as soon as someone creates one. All these apts have leasing offices that you go through to rent an apt

Thanks! So do they fill up quickly? Also, do they usually have rooms for lease during the summer time?

 

[bjpenn]

Thanks! So do they fill up quickly? Also, do they usually have rooms for lease during the summer time?

I'd give each 3 a call to get your answers. Here are my pros and cons for 3:

1. Waterside
-Pros: cheaper, close to school, lots of nyu students here
-Cons: grocery store there sucks, farther from subway, so just a little harder to access, gotta tip a little more for delivery because its kinda out of the way.

2. Kips Bay
-Pros: Closest to school, close to subway, close to restaurants and supermarket
-Cons: more expensive.

3. Stuy Town
-Pros: It's like its own little community, has lots of grass and trees, awesome to walk your dog around, close to lower east side/alphabet city where there are tons of restaurants and food.
-Cons: a little farther from school.

I personally lived across from Kips Bay in a studio and my wife lived in Stuy Town. Can't really go wrong with both. I mentioned waterside, and lots of nyu students live there, but to me, paying extra was worth being in a better location.

 

[Evistor]

how much rent should I expect if I want to live by myself..??

 

[Loving123]

I'd give each 3 a call to get your answers. Here are my pros and cons for 3:

1. Waterside
-Pros: cheaper, close to school, lots of nyu students here
-Cons: grocery store there sucks, farther from subway, so just a little harder to access, gotta tip a little more for delivery because its kinda out of the way.

2. Kips Bay
-Pros: Closest to school, close to subway, close to restaurants and supermarket
-Cons: more expensive.

3. Stuy Town
-Pros: It's like its own little community, has lots of grass and trees, awesome to walk your dog around, close to lower east side/alphabet city where there are tons of restaurants and food.
-Cons: a little farther from school.

I personally lived across from Kips Bay in a studio and my wife lived in Stuy Town. Can't really go wrong with both. I mentioned waterside, and lots of nyu students live there, but to me, paying extra was worth being in a better location.

Is it possible to keep the monthly expenses lower than $2000 (including rent)??

 

[bjpenn]

Is it possible to keep the monthly expenses lower than $2000 (including rent)??

That depends if you like to eat/drink/go out..that adds up

 

[toothdriller2k17]

probably not

 

[Loving123]

probably not

So is the average expenses around $3000?

 

[LizLemongrab]

1. Where do the dental students reside? What is the most common area?
This depends on who you're talking about. If these are kids who grew up in the city, they tend to live in Queens/Brooklyn/Staten Island/Bronx with their parents. Some commute from Jersey City, Hoboken, or Bergen County (likely living with parents in Bergen). Otherwise, most live in Kips Bay, Gramercy Park, or East Village if they want to live close. I personally live 2 blocks from the school in GP.

2. What is the rough estimate for monthly living expenses?
If you have roomies it ranges from 1k-2k per person for rent depending on neighborhood and amenities. Solo you're talking probably 2.5+/mo, more if you don't know someone who makes 80x rent to serve as guarantor + broker fee which is anywhere from 7-15% of a year's rent. Bear in mind that broker free buildings often build that into the rent so pick your poison. Other than rent you have food and transportation to consider. For a single person without parental food support, if you never eat out I'd estimate about 100$ per week in groceries but I'm sure it's much lower if you don't drink alcohol, juice, coconut water, nut milk, or dairy milk. If you remember to keep cash on hand and buy from the fruit vendors, they usually charge about half or 75% of what the grocery stores charge excepting Trader Joe's down by Palladium on 14th street (NYUCD is 24th/26th) but there's often a line there during peak hours. It's possible to live on less than 2k/month but it's likely that the savings come in the form of a longer commute.

3. Where can I find roommates for the room? (I am international student so I heard that it is hard for me to get a rent for myself..)
As soon as you get in and are pretty dang sure you're going, join your class page and the NYU Facebook community to see about finding a roomie.

4. Any preperation do you guys suggest before the start of the academic year?
There is a small possibility that they might have you do some stuff before you get there like lab safety, CITI, or other small tasks. Get your medical paperwork in order and make sure your vaccines are up to date. Blood titers that prove immunity should be from within a year of matriculation. Definitely tie up any loose ends and adventures you want to go on because once you start, you don't really stop. If you aren't good at asking for help, learn now. If you feel ashamed of asking for assistance, better you lose that too. Anything you're not prepared for here, there's someone in your class, classes above you, or a faculty member who can help you if you ask early enough.

5. How is your experiences at NYU so far?
It's a mixed bag. There are times of great mirth and moments where everything seems bleak. Generally speaking I enjoy my time there. Believe it or not, I actually have the time to be involved in a couple of clubs such that I volunteer with something about once a week, hold leadership positions, do research, socialize, study, be a decent parent, keep my grades up. I've cried a few times because the stress felt so overwhelming but in that shared stress experience, I've been building close, supportive relationships with my fellow students and a few trusted faculty members. You'll see what I mean when you get there. It's hard to accurately convey all the feelings I have about my time so far.

6. Does the school give out laptops?
Nope. BYO

7. Is there a directory for all the clubs for NYU?
http://dental.nyu.edu/student-life/getting-involved.html

If you have any further questions for me, feel free to post here or message me. It's the holiday so I got time not to mention modules galore to do over the holiday so I'll be on my computer pretty often.