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Would love advice. Know the city..... just not sure what is best for first year for social and academic purposes. I like quiet and having my own space, but I also want to get to know my classmates well.

NYU housing is the way to go first year. I don't know about 2L or 3L, though. If I had to do it all over again, I'd do dorms again. Also, Mercer > D'ag.

I live in Mercer and it's pretty solid. The rooms are plenty spacious. I've actually been studying in my apartment a lot of the time here around finals, so it isn't a noisy environment by any means. I know some students who live off-campus enjoy being away from the stress of other law students around this time of year. I haven't had any of those issues, but I'm a pretty relaxed person so I doubt it would bother me regardless.

The downside is that you do pay for what you're getting on campus. The location is amazing, but it's also pricey. Even after considering the price I would still recommend either D'ag or Mercer. Being around other students is really beneficial for this first year. It's not impossible, or even all that difficult to do when living off-campus, it just takes a lot less effort if you're on campus already and constantly surrounded by other law students.

Let me know if you have any specific questions and I will try to answer as best I can (though it might be kind of delayed given that whole exams thing going on).

The only reason to live anywhere else is price. On-campus housing is in all respects amazing, from location to the fact that you can lease for nine months if you plan on SAing out of the city.

The only noise I ever hear is from outside, btw, although I've heard that can get pretty bad if you're on the Broadway side of Mercer.

You've pretty much pinpointed the trade off.

People who live off campus 1L year tend to be slightly older, already living in NYC, or both. If you're straight through from undergrad and new to the city, I'd recommend the dorms. Otherwise, it's really a toss-up based on preference. For me, living off campus was a no-brainer: I already had a social network in the city and couldn't imagine going back to living with school-furnished twin beds after being out of school a couple of years. It just felt silly.

Don't underestimate the ability to get away from campus during finals, though. Staying 20 minutes away from 1400 other crazy-ass law students can really help keep you sane.

How exactly do people afford these if they're staying in NYC during summer also? Not even applying until next cycle but wondering. You can only get loans up to the cost of attendance amount, right?

Someone who already lives in NYC just sent me a PM about this, and since it's mostly relevant, here's what I wrote:

A strong majority of 1Ls lives on campus. Probably 75-80%. There are two dorms, Mercer and D'ag. D'ag is literally across the street from the school and cheaper, but the rooms are smaller. Mercer is maybe an 8 minute walk. They are both furnished. You can find the rents online; they're about $1500 a month with everything included. The bedrooms are small in D'ag, biggish in Mercer. There's usually a small common dining room cum kitchenette and a shared bathroom. I think people choose them for the convenience, because lawschoolwilleatyourlifenohopeanymoreblahblah (this is not true) and they don't want to deal with New York real estate.

I don't know anyone who lives off-campus and very close by. I think the Village and Soho are just too expensive. Off the top of my head, I know of people in Chelsea, Murray Hill, the UWS, Jersey City, Boerum Hill, and Park Slope.

I myself live in Brooklyn, and I love it. I thought living in the dorms would seriously impair being a Real Adult. I have a nice studio for the same price as sharing in D'ag, and my commute is about 25 minutes door-to-door. I am really happy I made this choice. I don't feel isolated at all. There probably is socializing I'm missing. I don't know if there's a sort of undergraduate-open-door vibe, but if I want to see people, I just make plans and then I see them.

I'm projecting here, but in your position, I'd hate to go back to feeling like I lived at a college. But that's just my two cents. Everything I've said applies to 1Ls only. I've heard that a bunch of people move off campus for 2L and 3L.

(Hi, Birdlaw!)

I live in Jersey City and it works perfectly for me. But I think there is certainly value in being super close to campus for 1L year. I just couldn't stomach the idea of feeling like an undergrad and living in a dorm past that first year. I spoke to the benefits of living off-campus right by the water in Jersey in the other thread, but I'm happy to let you know about them once again. Renting a room by the PATH station in Jersey City will only cost you about half of what NYU dorms cost. The tradeoff is that the commute takes about 35 minutes (which includes the train and short walk). To me, it was a worthwhile tradeoff, but I could see a 1L wanting to be closer to campus and in the loop of everything during that first year. I just like to be able to get away from the craziness of the city, have a relatively big apartment for cheap, etc.

thsmthcrmnl wrote:Someone who already lives in NYC just sent me a PM about this, and since it's mostly relevant, here's what I wrote:

A strong majority of 1Ls lives on campus. Probably 75-80%. There are two dorms, Mercer and D'ag. D'ag is literally across the street from the school and cheaper, but the rooms are smaller. Mercer is maybe an 8 minute walk. They are both furnished. You can find the rents online; they're about $1500 a month with everything included. The bedrooms are small in D'ag, biggish in Mercer. There's usually a small common dining room cum kitchenette and a shared bathroom. I think people choose them for the convenience, because lawschoolwilleatyourlifenohopeanymoreblahblah (this is not true) and they don't want to deal with New York real estate.

I don't know anyone who lives off-campus and very close by. I think the Village and Soho are just too expensive. Off the top of my head, I know of people in Chelsea, Murray Hill, the UWS, Jersey City, Boerum Hill, and Park Slope.

I myself live in Brooklyn, and I love it. I thought living in the dorms would seriously impair being a Real Adult. I have a nice studio for the same price as sharing in D'ag, and my commute is about 25 minutes door-to-door. I am really happy I made this choice. I don't feel isolated at all. There probably is socializing I'm missing. I don't know if there's a sort of undergraduate-open-door vibe, but if I want to see people, I just make plans and then I see them.

I'm projecting here, but in your position, I'd hate to go back to feeling like I lived at a college. But that's just my two cents. Everything I've said applies to 1Ls only. I've heard that a bunch of people move off campus for 2L and 3L.

(Hi, Birdlaw!)

LUCKY!!

My recommendation would probably be that if you aren't sure, on-campus is probably right for you. Most of the people of campus already know the city, have friends in the city, etc. If you don't fall into that category, it's really nice to be around so many other 1Ls.

Also, rent at Dag and Mercer is a lot, but it's still a good deal. My bedroom in Mercer is really big. I have so much space, it's relatively quiet, and the other benefits of being near the school, in the village, etc. all help to justify the cost.

I have a pet. I don't want to be a lonely loser living off-campus but also don't want to give the pet up for a year. Would it really be that detrimental to my social life/studying situation living in the village somewhere?

snehpets wrote:I have a pet. I don't want to be a lonely loser living off-campus but also don't want to give the pet up for a year. Would it really be that detrimental to my social life/studying situation living in the village somewhere?

Absolutely not.

birdlaw117 wrote:

snehpets wrote:I have a pet. I don't want to be a lonely loser living off-campus but also don't want to give the pet up for a year. Would it really be that detrimental to my social life/studying situation living in the village somewhere?

Absolutely not.

Cool. This is reassuring, and I also regained my RC skills and actually read the post above where someone essentially says the same thing.

birdlaw117 wrote:My recommendation would probably be that if you aren't sure, on-campus is probably right for you. Most of the people of campus already know the city, have friends in the city, etc. If you don't fall into that category, it's really nice to be around so many other 1Ls.

Also, rent at Dag and Mercer is a lot, but it's still a good deal. My bedroom in Mercer is really big. I have so much space, it's relatively quiet, and the other benefits of being near the school, in the village, etc. all help to justify the cost.

So... any idea how much one can expect to pay for a nice one BR close to the law school? And how about a 2BR? I do realize it will be more than the dorms, but I've been out of college for a bunch of years and can't quite see myself going back to dorm living, as tempting as so many of the factors are.

nutella123 wrote: So... any idea how much one can expect to pay for a nice one BR close to the law school? And how about a 2BR? I do realize it will be more than the dorms, but I've been out of college for a bunch of years and can't quite see myself going back to dorm living, as tempting as so many of the factors are.

I'm not sure what you mean by 'close to the law school', but I don't think you're going to be able to find many (or any) affordable 1BRs in or right around the Village. My guess is that the EV would be your best bet, and this gives you an idea of prices: http://www.nybits.com/search/east_village.html

I pay 1700 a month for a nice studio that's about 15-20 minutes from campus in LES/EV. Easily the best thing I saw within walking distance / quality-wise, and I looked at places relatively aggressively I suppose. Maybe the market's gotten more renter friendly, but I highly doubt it.

Seconding all info so far. I'm a 1L in Soho (8 minute walk to school) but definitely pay for it. It wasn't difficult to get a loan adjustment to cover the difference, not that I'd recommend it.

I chose this because I also have a pet I wanted to keep, but wanted to be close to school since I didn't really know what to expect/wanted to be able to hang out with everyone in dorms.

Unless you already have something else figured out or for some reason are strongly averse to dorms (like you have a pet) I suggest them. Finding an apartment here is hell no matter what, but especially when you don't live here or know the area. I'd be lying if I said I did it without crying once or twice...