This sounds silly, but how do I (and other MS1s-to-be) find a place to live??

[poohbear]

---

Members do not see this ad.

This is for all accepted applicants or current med students who might pity me and decide to respond:

How do you find a place to live for your first year? I don't even know where to start.

Wait, so I tried some apartmentguide.com (or something like that) website--didn't give me many options. Is the best thing to go to the school/city over the summer and just check out apts? When do you suggest I do this? (if my school begins mid-August). Another thing--are roommate lists (from admissions) recommended?

Thanks!!! 🙂

 

[DaNugget79]

I got lucky and found someone posting a roommate request here on SDN. But beforehand, I just put the question out there of where most students live and what different options are available, hoping that a current student would answer, or at least someone who lived in the area.
Hope that helps a little.

The Nugget

 

[kris]

How useful those online searches will be really depends on the city you're scouring. In some towns, only the most expensive places register with those on-line guides. Did you try rent.net?

Here's what I'd try, and in the following order:

1. Get a good street map of the town(gotta know where things are!) Use mapquest to check out where a specific address is.
2. Try contacting your med school to see if they have suggested housing options or to talk to a current student. I think this is a great way to begin. If you're willing to have a roommate, I'd certainly go with a list from your med school admissions office.
3. If your med school doesn't have an off-campus housing office, bets that the local university does. That's also a good place to look for reasonable apartment rentals, though not necessarily for roommates.
4. See if the local newspaper has classifieds online. I've called papers and had them send me a Sunday issue just so I could get a feel for what rents were like, how the ads referred to locations, etc.
5. After doing some research, fly out there and hit the pavement. Depending on the town, you may really need to see before you rent.

How early you go depends on a lot of things. Personally, I'd like to get there one month before stuff starts, just to get settled in and comfortable with finding groceries--stuff I don't want to hassle with while classes are in session.

If you'll tell us where you're going, one of us on SDN might already live there and have lots of useful advice!

Good luck,
Kris

 

[kris]

By the way, I don't know if you've ever been a renter before, but most folks have to give a 30 day notice, so it can be good to apartment hunt one month before you want to move in.

On the other hand, some places will maintain a waiting list, so you can hunt even earlier.

You'll get a better idea of what kinds of rental practices the area holds after you make a few phone calls.

--kris

 

[kris]

And don't forget rental insurance. Peace of mind for about 100 bucks a year.

I once lost a lot of clothes in a fire started by my downstairs neighbors.

--kris
just how many times can I post on this topic?

 

[Jamier2]

I will reiterate the point about renter's insurance. I got mine after I saw a story on the news about an apartment complex burning and only one or two had insurance. Here's the best part - When I started my renters insurance, my total insurance went down because the multi-line discount was greater than the renters insurance rate 😀

 

[lilycat]

Poohbear, try the office of student affairs at your school -- they should be able to give you some ideas, and they might maintain a list of people looking for a roommate.

Actually, a related question, how many of you MS-1's are contemplating getting "random" roommates (like a fellow med student)? On one hand, I know it would make life a lot cheaper, but on the other hand, I'm feeling kind of tired of doing that -- I feel like I had a lot more energy for it at 18 than 24. 🙄

 

[poohbear]

Thanks for all the advice !!

 

[pcl]

lilycat-

I'm trying to find a "random" through the admission office, but it seems that most of the students I contacted (3 or 4) haven't made up their minds yet or seemed not so sure about getting a roommate. We'll see I suppose.

I guess I'll wait a few more weeks before trying again... hopefully the waitlists will have settled by then?

 

[meikalulu]

try www.rent.net---it has helped me get an idea of prices and availability in the area.

 

[oscar505]

You may want to contact the office at your med scchool in charge of housing info and post a message requesting housing/roommate info. I got my name on the email list at my school and I just found a studio for a very reasonable price. That maybe a good place to start.

 

[Popoy]

I personally visit the school and found a great place.... That's my suggestion. It's nothing like a personal preview of the area and room before you sign that lease agreement.... Good luck in your search.

Try posting up on the forum and maybe you'll get a response like some folks.... 😎

 

[bnichols0330]

I think all of these suggestions are great, but I would also consider posting on this site what city you are looking for an apartment in. Maybe there are a few people around who live in that city and could give you some inside advice.

 

[puffy1]

You're best bet is to probably take a long weekend and go to the city you're going to live in. Use an apartment guide (there should be a few of those at the local grocery stores) and get to work! I think you'll be much happier with where you live when you do a more thorough search...that is, ofcourse, if you have the time and resources to take a long weekend to do this.