When you are an undergraduate freshman, college is such a brand new experience that there is practically unlimited guidance in every aspect of it. The faculty assists you when it comes to accommodations. You basically fill out a form, and they tell you where you will live down to the room number and roommate. By the time you reach graduate school, however, the living arrangements are not so accessible. If you are new to a city and unsure how to go about settling in, here are some tips.
One route you could take is living in a dorm reserved for graduate students. This may be the most convenient option if you had to live off-campus for most of your undergraduate years or if you never had the opportunity to live on-campus and had to commute from home. Just make sure that your school has graduate dormitories before eliminating anything else.
One thing to watch out for is how your school doles out room assignments. If there is limited space in the graduate dorms, it is possible that you could be placed in an undergraduate dorm instead. Depending on what you want out of your living situation, this may not be the best environment.
If money is tight but you have some availability in your schedule, you may want to become a graduate assistant, or GA. A GA is a graduate student who lives in an undergraduate dorm as an assistant to the students. These grad students can help to organize events for everyone on their floor, while also enforcing university policies and looking after the general well-being of the students. There are many perks to this position even though you would not live with other graduate students. On top of the social activities, they receive some sort of compensation for their service, such as free housing for that year and maybe free meal plans, depending on the university. Just make sure you have enough time for the extra commitment.
On the other hand, you may want to look off-campus. You can search through websites like Craigslist or local rental agencies. If you do not want to live in one place for a whole year, you should sublet since renters will charge less than they pay. If you are concerned about roommates, search within your school by posting flyers. You may be able to find enough people to live in a house, which could have a porch or backyard.
Off-campus housing could be more affordable but when living on-campus, you do not have to pay separate bills for water, electric, heat, cable, and so on. Everything is one lump sum and probably on the same bill as all other university charges, like tuition. However, off-campus could be a more homey transition into graduate school and may offer more amenities. Dormitories may feel less personal.
Even if living in a dorm turns out to be the priciest option, you could receive more financial aid with this situation. There are loans available to help pay for not only tuition but also rent. This sort of support is not offered to those who get housing outside of the school's program.
Weigh out your needs and then choose, because as you can see there are many possibilities plus variations of those possibilities. The most important thing is that you are comfortable, because this is where you will carry out your graduate school education. Take your grad school search seriously because it will affect your future. Find out where you see yourself being most productive and optimistic, and that will be your new home.
One route you could take is living in a dorm reserved for graduate students. This may be the most convenient option if you had to live off-campus for most of your undergraduate years or if you never had the opportunity to live on-campus and had to commute from home. Just make sure that your school has graduate dormitories before eliminating anything else.
One thing to watch out for is how your school doles out room assignments. If there is limited space in the graduate dorms, it is possible that you could be placed in an undergraduate dorm instead. Depending on what you want out of your living situation, this may not be the best environment.
If money is tight but you have some availability in your schedule, you may want to become a graduate assistant, or GA. A GA is a graduate student who lives in an undergraduate dorm as an assistant to the students. These grad students can help to organize events for everyone on their floor, while also enforcing university policies and looking after the general well-being of the students. There are many perks to this position even though you would not live with other graduate students. On top of the social activities, they receive some sort of compensation for their service, such as free housing for that year and maybe free meal plans, depending on the university. Just make sure you have enough time for the extra commitment.
On the other hand, you may want to look off-campus. You can search through websites like Craigslist or local rental agencies. If you do not want to live in one place for a whole year, you should sublet since renters will charge less than they pay. If you are concerned about roommates, search within your school by posting flyers. You may be able to find enough people to live in a house, which could have a porch or backyard.
Off-campus housing could be more affordable but when living on-campus, you do not have to pay separate bills for water, electric, heat, cable, and so on. Everything is one lump sum and probably on the same bill as all other university charges, like tuition. However, off-campus could be a more homey transition into graduate school and may offer more amenities. Dormitories may feel less personal.
Even if living in a dorm turns out to be the priciest option, you could receive more financial aid with this situation. There are loans available to help pay for not only tuition but also rent. This sort of support is not offered to those who get housing outside of the school's program.
Weigh out your needs and then choose, because as you can see there are many possibilities plus variations of those possibilities. The most important thing is that you are comfortable, because this is where you will carry out your graduate school education. Take your grad school search seriously because it will affect your future. Find out where you see yourself being most productive and optimistic, and that will be your new home.