Who is going to Columbia?

[sucara]

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So who else has decided on Columbia for the upcoming fall??

I just sent in my deposit. 😀

Does anyone know what is the deal with housing though? I was reading about the med school housing and heard something about dorms... and there is no way in hell I am ever living in a dorm again. 😱 Do they offer studios and one bedrooms too.. is it really difficult to get?

Basically.. does anyone know anything about housing for Columbia?

 

[jasmine2018]

There are a number of options for housing at Columbia including living in"The Towers" where I lived when i went for my MPH. They are HUGE apartments - mine had a gorgeous view of the river. The med students are the ones that generally live in the dorms - though also the occasional sucker of a grad student gets stuck there too.😉 Just indicate you prefer housing in the "Towers", or better yet, you can go to the Student Services office and obtain a list of students who live in the Towers who need new roommates - that's how I got my apt.

 

[sucara]

ok great, another question.

Are any of the apartments at the Towers studios or one bedrooms? I dont really want to have a roommate if possible. That will be last resort I guess! I guess I just need to call Columbia and see if they can fax or email me the housing info (im in Kuwait right now, so itll take a while to get it by mail).

What about off campus housing? Im honestly just a tad freaked out about living in NY... is the neighborhood safe?

Thanks for ur help Jasmine 🙂

 

[jasmine2018]

There MAY be studios and 1BRs in the Towers but you'll have to ask Columbia housing about that. If there are, they are certainly rare though - as are any affordable 1BR's in any part of the city. It really is very difficult to pull off living on your own in NYC and still keep your finances in check esp if you're a student. NYC is very expensive and as a student, having roommates was the only way to offset the costs (remember you still have utility, phone, cable bills, etc). As for off-campus, a lot of grad students opt for this but tend to live away from the neighborhood where Columbia is - it's not quite in the best of locations. Again, though, campus housing provides relatively much cheaper rents than what you'd pay elsewhere and in apts that are really nice.

Finally, as for living in NYC, well I was born and raised there so as a good New Yorker, I think it's the best and most exciting city in the world! 😉 If yu have other questions, let me know.

 

[nycpizza]

If you are female, I'd recommend Barnard housing.

 

[Poojam]

Hi Sucaram,

I will be joining Columbia for the EPI/Global health track program. Which prog are you in? Did you figure the housing?

 

[sucara]

Congrats! I will be there for Biostat 😀

And Im still thinking about the housing, but im leaning towards living off-campus now. I read that there is a shuttle bus between the morningside campus and the CUMC campus... so maybe I can find an apt. in morningside or somewhere in the Upper West Side close to the 1 or C subway.

Im not quite sure though how safe the subway at night would be... since most of our classes will finish at night, so I guess Im leaning towards living near the morningside campus.

What about you?

 

[Poojam]

Hey!!

i'm quite uncertain about housing yet..but my bf lives on 112th..so I might just make myself comfy there until a better option comes along ( thoh I wonder if there can be any 🙂
Where are you from?
stay in touch!

 

[shraf]

hey guys...i'll be doing a columbia MPH starting september in the epi department, I'm graduating columbia undergrad next month so i'll be happy to answer any NYC or general columbia questions you may have. Hope to see you all in september.

 

[Poojam]

Hey shraf,

I suppose you and I shall be joining the same program 🙂
Have u gotten funding n stuff??
whats the general consensus about this program?

 

[sucara]

Hey Shraf,

What do u think about living by the morningside campus and commuting? Do you know what are some other nice safe places to live in and commute? and how long is the commute by bus/subway?

Sorry for the slew of questions, appreciate it though! 😉

and Poojam, where im from is a complicated question. lol Im originally from egypt, grew up in Texas, live in Kuwait right now. How about you?

 

[Noel]

I'm headed to Columbia in the Fall too for the MPH in Forced Migration and Health. I'm going to email a current student in the program and get his opinion on what to do for housing, but I'm worried about getting stuck in a dormitory with a shared room. What a nightmare.
Otherwise I am SO excited to move to NYC and start the program!

 

[AmyK]

I am going to Columbia in the fall also, but really do not want to live in the Washington Heights area (it is so isolated from the rest of the city that I feel it sort of defeats the purpose of living in the city at all). So I'm looking for an apartment that is close to the 1, 2,3 train that goes up to the medical campus somewhere on the west side of Manhattan. I'm looking for a roomate, so if anyone is interested, let me know!

 

[twohearted]

Are you guys going to hang out at that coffeeshop in Seinfeld that is acutally in Morningside Hts.?

 

[sucara]

Are you guys going to hang out at that coffeeshop in Seinfeld that is acutally in Morningside Hts.?

Gotta go there at least once 😛 lol

 

[boygeniusmd]

Hi All,

Congrats to everyone who got into the program...'tis fancy. I will be joining the Columbia posse this fall (Health Policy) and just got the housing application in the mail and was wondering where to live. I'm pretty open to everything, but right now i'm leaning towards the Bard-Haven Towers as my first choice. Also, what's the surrounding area like? Nice I hope. Thanks for all your help. Okay...gotta get back to studying (blasted finals...).

- I.

 

[jasmine2018]

The Towers are a great place to live - huge apartments, often with great views of the river (depending on what side of the building you're on). The neighborhood is definitely not the best (particularly relative to the rest of the city) since it is a bit out of the way and is in one of the poorer neighborhoods of NYC. Nevertheless, it is an easy subway ride away from the rest of the city, the Towers are right across the street from where your classes will be, and the neighborhood residents are for the most part really friendly (esp if you speak Spanish😉. If you have any questions, let me know. I'm a Columbia MPH alum having gotten my degree in epi. I had a great experience there!

 

[shraf]

Have u gotten funding n stuff??
whats the general consensus about this program?

i got 7500 for the year after they hadn't given me anything....i heard the program was quite good...that's why i chose it

What do u think about living by the morningside campus and commuting? Do you know what are some other nice safe places to live in and commute? and how long is the commute by bus/subway?

thats a good idea...the commute won't be too bad since there is a free shuttle that columbia offers between the two campuses....the bus' schedule SUCKS but at least its free and usually takes 15 minutes or less. Anything around either campus is relatively safe....you should try to stay away from the intermediate area (from like 130th to 160th streets)...but of course its going to all come down to what you can afford and most students can only afford the less safe areas. I will be living at home (on 23rd on the east side) so that'll be quite a commute...gotta figure out the optimal route but it shouldnt take more thank 45 minutes and that is quite far.

Are you guys going to hang out at that coffeeshop in Seinfeld that is acutally in Morningside Hts.?

haha, the novelty of that place wears off VERY quickly....their food and their service leaves much to be desired...and the inside doesnt look like it does on the show..... the place is called Tom's and it's on 112th street and broadway.

So I'm looking for an apartment that is close to the 1, 2,3 train that goes up to the medical campus somewhere on the west side of Manhattan.

your best bet for going to the med school campus is the A train which is an express.....the 2 and 3 DO NOT go to the med school campus nor do they go to the morningside campus....the 1 is a local so it takes forever to get there.