Relocating

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paramour

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So how many of you have thought about your impending relocation to another state? Are you going back for another look at the area to determine where exactly you will be moving? Counting on current students & recommendations for a new place of residence? Considering roommates to lessen the financial aspect of it, or do you prefer your privacy?

Basically, how do you plan on choosing where you will live for the next number of years?
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Not gonna lie, this is the most terrifying part of grad school to me... I am a DIE HARD east-coaster and it looks like the midwest will be my new home... soooo... relocating will be a challenge... I don't yet know where I'm going but it looks adventure time
 
Ideally, I'd go back to the West Coast early this summer to find a place for the fall, but that's not going to happen so I'm not sure how we'll find a place we like. Fortunately, my wife's new job provides temporary housing so we should get an opportunity to find a nice place. We found a great deal here in Boston and I think we're a bit spoiled now.

Hmmmm, we're moving out in August... anyone here moving to boston?
 
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Hi:

I actually might be moving to boston...if i did i was thinking of living in Jamaica Plain and then commuting to beacon hill where school (suffolk) is...any thoughts on this? Also, since funding is not one of the program's strengths, ideas of places to get part-time research jobs? Or anything else one needs to know about moving to beantown?
 
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I am between two choices right now, but one of the schools I am a current student at, so I just need to get more information about the other one. I plan on revisiting the other school before the April 15th deadline because I think it’s wise to get a “feel” for the place before I make my final decision.

While I am there, I am going to look at apartments, the campus, the city, and meet with my potential POI again.

Once that’s all said and done, I hope it will help me decide :rolleyes:
 
I'm moving East Coast to West Coast, but my partner's coming with me, so we'll be living together. Also my fam lives on the West Coast!
 
I am holding one offer and waiting to hear back about my "first alternate status" (at one of my top choices). The first would take me halfway across the country, the second only a few hours away. Either way, when I have made a decision I am going to take a trip with a friend or family member to house hunt. I plan on buying a house (my first)! That's one of the most exciting aspects of going to grad school for me.

Anyone have any tips about this process? I have been almost obsessively looking up real estate online, but I will definitely want to see anything in person first.

Also, how far is too far from campus? For the last year and a half I commuted about 40 minutes each way for a job, and I didn't mind, but it did eat up the gas and wear on my car.

TKJ - You mentioned renting to randoms was a bad idea. Any helpful advice on how to avoid less-than-desirable roommates?
 
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I currently live in Jamaica Plain and it is definitely one of the more inexpensive neighborhoods in Boston. I definitely recommend you living in JP.
 
MedPsychRA said:
I currently live in Jamaica Plain and it is definitely one of the more inexpensive neighborhoods in Boston. I definitely recommend you living in JP.
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No way, west medford rules!!
 
I will likely be moving from NY to Florida.

Though I never lived at home again once I started college, I've also always lived within 15 minutes of home, so this will be a big change. I exist in a happy little bubble where I know tons of people, know everything to do, etc. so this is both scary and exciting for me.

I'm also the first person in my entire family to move more than an hour away from the rest. They kept trying to pull me back and encouraging me to go to school around here because "They're good schools!" despite the fact that they are NOT good schools for what I want to do.

I expect to be living alone, at least for next year. Fortunately, the city I will likely be moving to is VERY cheap compared to most other major cities so it should be doable. Though I hope it doesn't come to this, my parents have offered to help me out if need be. Doesn't do wonders for my self-esteem to be 23 and still forced to rely on mommy and daddy, but I'll deal with it if it comes to that.

I'm simply too terrified of the idea of living with a stranger. If some of the other incoming students wanted to get a place I MIGHT be convinced to do that, but I don't expect that to be the case. Especially since I'm male and its likely most or all of the remaining entering students will be female. I don't care, my girlfriend wouldn't care, but if I was a girl the idea of living with a guy I'd never met would probably weird me out.

I absolutely will not find a roommate on Craigslist or something like that. Know too many people who ended up living with whackos/druggies/etc. from doing that. Even when they did interview roommates - plenty of people put on a good face for that but once you move in with them they start shooting up in the living room (actually happened to a friend of mine).
 
Ollie123 said:
I will likely be moving from NY to Florida.
I expect to be living alone, at least for next year. Fortunately, the city I will likely be moving to is VERY cheap compared to most other major cities so it should be doable. Though I hope it doesn't come to this, my parents have offered to help me out if need be. Doesn't do wonders for my self-esteem to be 23 and still forced to rely on mommy and daddy, but I'll deal with it if it comes to that.

I absolutely will not find a roommate on Craigslist or something like that. Know too many people who ended up living with whackos/druggies/etc. from doing that. Even when they did interview roommates - plenty of people put on a good face for that but once you move in with them they start shooting up in the living room (actually happened to a friend of mine).
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Good for you for going somewhere new against all family pressure. Particularly if your a life long NYC resident (not sure from your post). Probably a good idea to get out of NY for a little while regardless.

No shame in getting a little finanical help from family. If they are like my parents they will always be helping you out one way or another (even when you don't need it).

I once had a crazy "stranger" roommate I met through Craigslist. Wouldn't stop talking... I had to beat him to death with his own shoe... Anyhow, I prefer to live alone now. At least until my wife relocates to the school I end up at.
 
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I forget people always think I'm from NYC if I say I'm from NY....nope, I'm in Buffalo. Not terribly much opportunity here for my research area, and despite what my relatives seem to believe, doesn't matter how "good" the school here is if my research interests don't match. That said, after going to said school for undergrad and despising it, I'm also a bit too embittered against it to consider attending for grad school though I've been assured the grad program is MUCH better, and I believe that to be true. Doesn't get rid of the foul taste in my mouth though;)

I'm a big proponent of getting out and seeing the world. Part of what draws me to an academic career is the opportunities to travel to all kinds of places for conferences, talks, etc. Staying in one place all my life has certainly limited my life experiences as a whole, and frankly, I think it would be tough to be a good academic if I was only exposed to the opportunities at a single school.
 
Ollie123 said:
I forget people always think I'm from NYC if I say I'm from NY....nope, I'm in Buffalo. Not terribly much opportunity here for my research area, and despite what my relatives seem to believe, doesn't matter how "good" the school here is if my research interests don't match. That said, after going to said school for undergrad and despising it, I'm also a bit too embittered against it to consider attending for grad school though I've been assured the grad program is MUCH better, and I believe that to be true. Doesn't get rid of the foul taste in my mouth though;)

I'm a big proponent of getting out and seeing the world. Part of what draws me to an academic career is the opportunities to travel to all kinds of places for conferences, talks, etc. Staying in one place all my life has certainly limited my life experiences as a whole, and frankly, I think it would be tough to be a good academic if I was only exposed to the opportunities at a single school.
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Plus, Florida will be significantly warmer than Buffalo :laugh:
 
Haha! West Medford does rule also. I have friends that live in Medford so I have to give props to that area too!
 
I am moving from Santa Barbara to San Francisco this summer, and though it might not actually be a new state, it might as well be! San Francisco is AWESOME but it's so completely different than anything I've ever experienced... not to mention it's a 5-6 hour drive from me!

Psychopeful123: I agree, moving is SO scary!! I'm really excited too, but I'm so scared. San Francisco has so many good/bad pockets, it feels so hard to know what is safe vs. scary. I'm sure this is how everyone moving out of state or out of country feels as well.

Anyway, luckily my boyfriend got into UCSF and his future classmates and upperclassmen have been VERY helpful in helping us navigate the city... We're going to go back there a couple more times to look at apts and apply for them... we definitely want to see them ourselves before we move in. And I'll be living with him which eliminates the scary roommate search (thank goodness!) It's going to be a LOT of driving (I've already been up there 4 times in the last 2 months!) but it will be worth it to find a decent place to live. Plus, we're not completely opposed to moving after a year if we don't end up in a great place (though I really hope we don't have to).
 
ClinPsyD917 said:
I am moving from Santa Barbara to San Francisco this summer, and though it might not actually be a new state, it might as well be! San Francisco is AWESOME but it's so completely different than anything I've ever experienced... not to mention it's a 5-6 hour drive from me!

Psychopeful123: I agree, moving is SO scary!! I'm really excited too, but I'm so scared. San Francisco has so many good/bad pockets, it feels so hard to know what is safe vs. scary. I'm sure this is how everyone moving out of state or out of country feels as well.

Anyway, luckily my boyfriend got into UCSF and his future classmates and upperclassmen have been VERY helpful in helping us navigate the city... We're going to go back there a couple more times to look at apts and apply for them... we definitely want to see them ourselves before we move in. And I'll be living with him which eliminates the scary roommate search (thank goodness!) It's going to be a LOT of driving (I've already been up there 4 times in the last 2 months!) but it will be worth it to find a decent place to live. Plus, we're not completely opposed to moving after a year if we don't end up in a great place (though I really hope we don't have to).
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I found something really helpful last night while I was booking a hotel in SF for the APA convention. It's a map of crimes.

http://www.sfgov.org/site/police_index.asp?id=23813
 
ClinPsyD917 said:
oh my gosh. i cannot TELL you how helpful that is! Thank you!! :D
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No problemo! I'm a google queen so it's what I do. :cool:

That website held my attention for a good hour last night. Then I had scary dreams about rape and homicide. heh.
 
I am debating whether it is better to rent an apartment or make the plunge and buy a condo. I have saved enough money to pay the down payment on a condo and there are some nice ones around campus. Looking at what rates will be, I will actually pay about the same per month owning a condo as I will if I rent an apartment. I suppose I will have to pay tax on it, but still, it may be worth it because I then build equity with every payment I make. Any thoughts on if this is a better/worse way to go? It is appealing because I found a new place that is affordable enough for me to get and yet it is a condo so it probably won't be as loud as many apartment complexes.

Thoughts?
 
i'm moving back to the South and looking forward to escaping the harsh weather, but I will miss the atmosphere of Ithaca.

W/craigslist, my SO looked for a roommate through that and it has worked out okay for him. Although we will be going to the same school, I think I'm looking for my own place because I'm very involved in my sorority, and would like some privacy sometime (he's greek too).
 
I say buy. My bf and I are probably going to rent for the first 6mos to get a better idea about what area we want to live in more permanently...but after that we are going to buy. Equity is the way to go. The one thing to consider with condos though is HOA fees…they can be sky high. On the upside they do take care of exterior maintenance most of the time…although hiring a lawn service might be cheaper :rolleyes: .
 
Is anyone considering university housing/apartments? I'd rather not but rent (for a decent place) seems semi-expensive, not that university apts are always less costly. The cheapo-places I've located thus far do not appear to be conducive to studying . . . or my health.

For those contemplating finding a roommate, just wanted to let you know that not all people picked from websites (e.g., roommates.com, craigslist) are completely bonkers. My husband found a roommate (and a nice room) in the town he was commuting to off of roommates.com, and it worked out perfectly for him. Perhaps he's in the minority? If you want to split the rental expenses, maybe you could find out who the other acceptances went to and see if they're willing to go in with you as well.
 
irish80122 said:
I am debating whether it is better to rent an apartment or make the plunge and buy a condo. I have saved enough money to pay the down payment on a condo and there are some nice ones around campus. Looking at what rates will be, I will actually pay about the same per month owning a condo as I will if I rent an apartment. I suppose I will have to pay tax on it, but still, it may be worth it because I then build equity with every payment I make. Any thoughts on if this is a better/worse way to go? It is appealing because I found a new place that is affordable enough for me to get and yet it is a condo so it probably won't be as loud as many apartment complexes.

Thoughts?
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Ask current grad students. At the program I'm considering, grad students gave everyone all the scoop about the housing market, what areas were good places to buy homes in, where all the younger people lived, etc. I'm sure you're not the first to wonder about this and they'd definitely be the experts for your school's area. :D It makes sense to buy if you can make money b/c the housing market's doing well, but not if it's plummeting like it is here.. :(
 
As for the Boston area I vote Somerville. It is cheap and fun... everyone is young and there are many different options (house or building). And craigslist is awesome for Boston.

I'm dragging my husband to either Southern Rhode Island or Western Mass (just had the interview so not sure if thats even an option now)... he says he is ok with the move but it means a new job and finding an apartment and no friends in the area.
 
I am curious how y'all plan to secure your housing (rental or purchased) while relocating over extended differences.

When I was readying to relocate for my internship, I already knew I had the job and needed to come out nearly 2 months prior for orientation and some pre-employment processing. It was a PITA, but workable to find a decent rental in the area during a long weekend visit.

I have since finished my internship (and doctorate) and now am preparing for a promising interview. I have been assured that I will receive a yes/no decision within 24 hours of the interview, but that times out to be on Day 3 of my three-and-half day visit to the area.

Further complicating things, when I went for the pre-internship visit, I was leaving after years of full-time employment and so had some financial resources. This time around, after several ups-and-downs, not to mention a year of abysmal intern pay, things are happening on a shoestring budget. (My plane ticket was purchased with a frequent flyer cash-in.) I'm also moving with a family (wife, 2 kids, dog, cat).

I do have a modest IRA (which would provide a reasonable downpayment for a house). But what luck has anyone had securing housing when you could not physically visit the location to which you were moving?
 
Ollie123 said:
I will likely be moving from NY to Florida.

Though I never lived at home again once I started college, I've also always lived within 15 minutes of home, so this will be a big change. I exist in a happy little bubble where I know tons of people, know everything to do, etc. so this is both scary and exciting for me.

I'm also the first person in my entire family to move more than an hour away from the rest. They kept trying to pull me back and encouraging me to go to school around here because "They're good schools!" despite the fact that they are NOT good schools for what I want to do.

I expect to be living alone, at least for next year. Fortunately, the city I will likely be moving to is VERY cheap compared to most other major cities so it should be doable. Though I hope it doesn't come to this, my parents have offered to help me out if need be. Doesn't do wonders for my self-esteem to be 23 and still forced to rely on mommy and daddy, but I'll deal with it if it comes to that.

I'm simply too terrified of the idea of living with a stranger. If some of the other incoming students wanted to get a place I MIGHT be convinced to do that, but I don't expect that to be the case. Especially since I'm male and its likely most or all of the remaining entering students will be female. I don't care, my girlfriend wouldn't care, but if I was a girl the idea of living with a guy I'd never met would probably weird me out.

I absolutely will not find a roommate on Craigslist or something like that. Know too many people who ended up living with whackos/druggies/etc. from doing that. Even when they did interview roommates - plenty of people put on a good face for that but once you move in with them they start shooting up in the living room (actually happened to a friend of mine).
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Hey Ollie looks like we may be in the same position. I'm from NY (Long Island) too and am thinking of relocating to Melbourne, Florida (Florida Institute of Technology Clinical Psy D), which is about 1hr south of Orlando. My parents are not exactly keen on the idea but I am still in the process of thinking what is the best decision. What area were you thinking of moving to?
 
I'll most likely be moving to Tampa, which is basically straight across the state from where you will be. Its not official yet, but its about 99% there.
 
Tampa has been described to me as "The next New Orleans". Apparently its one of the areas in the country that is in the greatest danger of flooding if a hurricane hits. And while the school isn't RIGHT on the water, its only a few miles inland.

REALLY comforting, let me tell you.

Then again, I figure my chances of dying or being injured in a hurricane are still a tiny fraction of my chances of getting in a car accident during the oh, 7 months of winter snow/ice storms we get every year up here. Given I've been beating those odds for 23 years I think I can probably take my chances with the hurricanes:)
 
1st year:.....drove through a hurricane, got to S. FL...unpacked, lived with a new friend for a week while we got a 2nd hurricane

2nd year:....stuck in Las Vegas while Wilma and Katrina opened up a can of whoop-ass on us and N.O. That took 2-3 weeks, whoops!

3rd year:.....NOTHING!!!! :luck:

4th year:.....uhm.....hopefully a repeat of last year?!

-t
 
Wow.. lots of FL people! :) You guys should meet up somewhere! Then again, it is kind of a big state.. ah, well. :p
 
*Bump!*

Has anyone thought about buying a house/condo in their new location? I love the idea of paying myself (mortgage) instead of paying a landlord. But, I don't know how feasible it is. My financial resources are very slim and I'll be living in a stipend/loans. Has anyone seriously considered buying a place on their own? Anyone actually done it? :p
 
My boyfriend and I have been working pretty hard on the relocating aspect lately (Boston to Austin, TX). The problem is neither of us have any savings whatsoever, so we're having to get quite creative. We'd LOVE to buy, but that would be impossible, as neither of us have any money right now (and won't for another at LEAST 7 years!)

I'm selling antiques and clothing on ebay, furniture on craigs list, and whatever is leftover at a giant yardsale. Hopefully this will pay for a moving van, which is usually around $2000+.

We're flying down to Austin in a few weeks to meet with an agent (we may actually meet up with someone from SDN who said he could help us out, yay!) who will hopefully help us find a great, relatively inexpensive place to rent: nice 1 or 2 bedroom apartment or even rent a house if possible. We've had roomates (many clinically mentally ill, I swear) for the past 5 years in Boston, and it is WAY past due to live just the 2 of us.

Then we spend the rest of the summer selling things, figuring out what we can part with (old stereo system), and can't (ping pong table!). We've tagged most things to sell and have separated books to keep from books to sell. And I'm getting rid of most of my winter clothing, FINALLY!

My boyfriend has already mapped out the drive from MA to TX in terms of places to stop: every vegetarian restaurant along the way, every zoo, and every neat museum and roadside attraction, haha.

The last thing to do before we move is have a big going away party and let people take home whatever stuff for free we haven't been able to sell.

Oh, plus I have to figure out how to move my 16 year old little blind, deaf dog with us. I'm not sure how she's going to do with such a big move.

Phew! It is quite a process, but I rather like it. It sure as hell beats sitting around twiddling my thumbs waiting to hear back from schools like I was a few weeks ago!
 
serotonin said:
My boyfriend has already mapped out the drive from MA to TX in terms of places to stop: every vegetarian restaurant along the way, every zoo, and every neat museum and roadside attraction, haha.
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Can I come with you? That sounds like a fun time. lol
 
sure thing, just pay our gas money! :p
 
Weird, I had some posts earlier in this thread about moving to Florida, but it looks like they've been deleted. Oh well! :rolleyes:

dubbs07 said:
Has anyone thought about buying a house/condo in their new location? I love the idea of paying myself (mortgage) instead of paying a landlord. But, I don't know how feasible it is. My financial resources are very slim and I'll be living in a stipend/loans. Has anyone seriously considered buying a place on their own? Anyone actually done it? :p
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I've been looking into buying either a house or a condo in Gainesville, but I plan to rent for the first year. I'm not comfortable buying in an unfamiliar area - I'd hate to be stuck somewhere undesirable for the next 5 years, and you can never really get to know an area until you've lived there for awhile. I will probably keep looking off and on for a place during my first year. If I find a great place before my lease is up, I'll either sublease my apartment or rent the house/condo. I'd really like to get a bigger place so I can rent some space out; it'd be nice to have someone else paying my mortgage :love:
 
Is anyone else starting to find that this relocating business is a nightmare and a half?! How do you know what areas won't be horrendous? And if I decide on student housing, I basically have to apply by the end of next week... but there are only a few places for married students without children (only a few for people with children, too) and I'm just getting lost in the whole thing. Plus, we are moving out there at least a month or two before school starts, so student housing may not even be an option... I'm at a loss as far as this whole process is concerned.

Please tell me I'm not the only one!
 
I completely understand. Another problem I am having is trying to figure out exactly what I can afford. I have lived on-campus all but one semester, and that semester was my sophomore year so quite a while ago, so I don't really recall how much I spent on what and I am not sure how much rent I can afford. I am probably going to pick a much cheaper place because of that, at least for my first year, but it is making it difficult.

I feel your pain
 
LosingMyMind said:
Is anyone else starting to find that this relocating business is a nightmare and a half?! How do you know what areas won't be horrendous? And if I decide on student housing, I basically have to apply by the end of next week... but there are only a few places for married students without children (only a few for people with children, too) and I'm just getting lost in the whole thing. Plus, we are moving out there at least a month or two before school starts, so student housing may not even be an option... I'm at a loss as far as this whole process is concerned.

Please tell me I'm not the only one!
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Hi. :) Don't worry, just take it one step at a time. If you tell me what school you're looking at, I'll do a bit of research and find a crime map and other such things to help you pick a neighbourhood.
 
Okay, so I've been half-heartedly looking for a room to rent the last few weeks. I was planning on not actively pursuing it until June or so but I keep hearing that's a bad idea since many people already have their rental plans made by mid-summer and there's slim pickings left afterwards.

So, I have found a few rooms, not that I am completely happy with any of 'em. Mostly because of price. They seem excessive to me, but then again, I've been making house payments for the last several years. These could be reasonable rates and I'm simply out of touch with the 'rental world', if you will.

I have found a room that appears to be perfect on the surface: furnished room in a newly built house, private bathroom, internet, cable tv, allowed to bring one of my cats if I wish, garage parking, free roam of the house (owner travels so rarely at home), quiet 'semi-older' guy who keeps to himself when he is home, nice neighborhood w/ pool & gym access, relatively short commute, oh, yeah, and all utilities included.

haha, even better, I think this guy is one of the higher-ups with a minor league hockey team there :laugh: But, I digress . . . The guy is even willing to hold the room for me until I need it in August (which some of these others don't want to do--don't really blame them though).

The only downside to all this is the $600/mth pricetag. Granted, most of the rooms I have found are in the $500-600 range (if not higher!) and don't include near as many amenities (or utilities); however, someone keeps telling me that those things don't matter since I will probably rarely be there (?). Of course, same person was fortunate enough to find a similar deal for $375, so thinks I should be able to do the same. Bastard. :mad:

I am wondering if it is likely (yeah, possible, but is it LIKELY?) that I find something similar with a lower rent? Or does this seem reasonable? Should I suck it up and take the cheapest thing available even if it offers crap? Or should I suck it up and pay the (to me) exorbitant rent which includes more schtuff?

Grrr . . . this so sucks right now. But, I know some of you guys & gals currently rent. Would you go for this? Or keep looking?

I hate decisions. I really, really do. :smuggrin: I want it all to be over & done with already!
 
paramour said:
Okay, so I've been half-heartedly looking for a room to rent the last few weeks. I was planning on not actively pursuing it until June or so but I keep hearing that's a bad idea since many people already have their rental plans made by mid-summer and there's slim pickings left afterwards.

So, I have found a few rooms, not that I am completely happy with any of 'em. Mostly because of price. They seem excessive to me, but then again, I've been making house payments for the last several years. These could be reasonable rates and I'm simply out of touch with the 'rental world', if you will.

I have found a room that appears to be perfect on the surface: furnished room in a newly built house, private bathroom, internet, cable tv, allowed to bring one of my cats if I wish, garage parking, free roam of the house (owner travels so rarely at home), quiet 'semi-older' guy who keeps to himself when he is home, nice neighborhood w/ pool & gym access, relatively short commute, oh, yeah, and all utilities included.

haha, even better, I think this guy is one of the higher-ups with a minor league hockey team there :laugh: But, I digress . . . The guy is even willing to hold the room for me until I need it in August (which some of these others don't want to do--don't really blame them though).

The only downside to all this is the $600/mth pricetag. Granted, most of the rooms I have found are in the $500-600 range (if not higher!) and don't include near as many amenities (or utilities); however, someone keeps telling me that those things don't matter since I will probably rarely be there (?). Of course, same person was fortunate enough to find a similar deal for $375, so thinks I should be able to do the same. Bastard. :mad:

I am wondering if it is likely (yeah, possible, but is it LIKELY?) that I find something similar with a lower rent? Or does this seem reasonable? Should I suck it up and take the cheapest thing available even if it offers crap? Or should I suck it up and pay the (to me) exorbitant rent which includes more schtuff?

Grrr . . . this so sucks right now. But, I know some of you guys & gals currently rent. Would you go for this? Or keep looking?

I hate decisions. I really, really do. :smuggrin: I want it all to be over & done with already!
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That sounds like a great place... and the rent doesn't sound too bad. If it wasn't a private bathroom with garage space I'd say it was too pricey, but that really does sound great.
 
I was hoping you guys could help out with a relocating concern that I have.

I'll be starting at the Clinical Psych program in St. John's University in Queens, NY this August (yay! :clap:) and they have extremely limited graduate housing which probably means that I have to find a place to rent on my own. Now here's where the problem lies... I live farrrrrr away from America so flying to NY for a few days to apartment-hunt would be extremely uneconomical. I have seen some places at www.rent.com with a 550 sq ft unfurnished studio going for $900/month which I'm not terribly thrilled about. Furthermore, I won't be able to fly in months in advance just to reserve an apartment so they might all be gone by the time I get there anyway.

I suppose I COULD live in a cardboard castle for a bit, but I would rather reserve that luxury for later. Would contacting current psych grad students at St. John's be my best bet? That would be my last resort as I haven't met any of them yet and housing isn't really the first "conversation" that I want to have with them. Or I could do just pray really really hard for graduate housing... the opportunities are endless!

Would really appreciate any advice from you guys! Thanks in advance!
 
I don't think 600 a month all-inclusive is a terrible deal, though that depends on where you are living. If its Manhattan its a fantastic deal, if its the middle of nowhere, its not quite as good.

Its about what I expect to end up paying in FL for a 1-bedroom in a complex. I've decided I'm just too uncomfortable with the idea of a random roommate, I figure this is probably the last place I need to point out the level of psychopathology in the general public;)

It doesn't hurt to look around a bit more, but $375 for everything would be insanely cheap where I am, and we already have an incredibly low cost of living. I wouldn't necessarily expect to find something quite that good.

nononara - Unfortunately with NYC housing you will be paying through the nose no matter what. Doubt you will find anything much cheaper than $900, its just the nature of the city.

Have you met your prof yet? Would you feel more comfortable contacting them and asking if they knew of a grad student who would be willing to speak with you about the housing situation and where most students live? That way it isn't like you are emailing someone out of the blue. The grad students are probably the best resource you'll have for finding out more about housing so I think its your best bet.
 
Definitely email cureent grad students at St. John's, since you are an international student and perhaps not as familiar with the area. I interviewed there and live in NYC. Queens is a fine place; however, you shouldn't blindly select an apt without the counsel of someone who can tell you which blocks to avoid. Some parts are still dicey, like any urban area. Definitely ask grad students or the grad secretary, Mike, who seemd really helpful, for some advice.
 
DEFINITELY do not sign ANY lease before either visiting in person, or have someone you trust and/or can give you an honest answer (ie. not an employee of the building management company).

-p
 
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