NYU Class of 2020 [Section Poll!] Forum

[CHyde]

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[theothercat]

Sooo... what neighborhoods are you all thinking about moving to (if you're not in NYC already)? Or are you planning to live in NYU housing?

I'm thinking either Harlem/Washington Heights/Hell's Kitchen or somewhere in Brooklyn with a reasonable train ride to NYU.

Moving from Texas so any help is appreciated. I've heard good things about Williamsburg.

I've been looking at Astoria, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn Heights, Bushwick, Clinton Hill, Fort Greene, Midwood, Prospect Heights, Williamsburg, Sunnyside, and Park Slope.

I've been using StreetEasy and then refining by price and neighborhood based on closeness to a direct subway line to NYU.

[Leliana]

Sooo... what neighborhoods are you all thinking about moving to (if you're not in NYC already)? Or are you planning to live in NYU housing?

I'm thinking either Harlem/Washington Heights/Hell's Kitchen or somewhere in Brooklyn with a reasonable train ride to NYU.

I live in Brooklyn right now about 30 minutes' commute from NYU (one of my roommates is a grad student there)! I'm considering staying if I go to NYU, but my rooommates are moving out so I'd have to find new ones, and I think for 1L at least I would prefer to live in NYU housing and be close by to focus on school/also be social... but idk. Even the university housing is so expensive.

The farther away you live the cheaper it'll be, but the commute will be longer. Hell's Kitchen will be expensive (and for me is too noisy/commercial). I know a lot of former NYU students who lived in the UES/Yorkville.

Moving from Texas so any help is appreciated. I've heard good things about Williamsburg.

Williamsburg is fine depending on your tolerance level for overpriced hipsterdom lol. Though rent is actually cheaper there than it has been, but that's because the L train is also going to shut down at some point in the next few years for repairs, which will wreck the commute.

[theothercat]

University housing would be so convenient, but it would require me to leave my cat and my dog behind, and there ain't no way in hell that's happening.

[CHyde]

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[Leliana]

University housing would be so convenient, but it would require me to leave my cat and my dog behind, and there ain't no way in hell that's happening.

Ooh yeah that makes sense. I'd def recommend focusing on Brooklyn/Queens then since you'll get more bang for your buck there space-wise for animals than in Manhattan.

Coming from Austin so I assume I'm going to be alright! Looking forward to the fair trade everything and artisanal micro-greens.

Sounds like you'll fit in just fine

[airwrecka]

University housing would be so convenient, but it would require me to leave my cat and my dog behind, and there ain't no way in hell that's happening.

Ooh yeah that makes sense. I'd def recommend focusing on Brooklyn/Queens then since you'll get more bang for your buck there space-wise for animals than in Manhattan.

This is good to know! I'm coming from MN so I also need all the help I can get. And I have a dog. And a husband

My dog is a pitbull mix (see my avatar)--do you think that will make finding a place really difficult? We live in an apartment now and our pup is the most chill dog ever so I think we could get our (Current) landlord to write a recommendation for him...would this help?

[tlee13]

I know it would be so much easier living in NYU housing but I just cannot get myself to live in what looks like a dorm again. The thought of bringing someone home to my twin bed is not terribly appealing.

I've heard really good things about Astoria and I know a lot of people that live up near the Bronx but I just don't know how terrible that commute would be.

[Leliana]

Ooh yeah that makes sense. I'd def recommend focusing on Brooklyn/Queens then since you'll get more bang for your buck there space-wise for animals than in Manhattan.

This is good to know! I'm coming from MN so I also need all the help I can get. And I have a dog. And a husband

My dog is a pitbull mix (see my avatar)--do you think that will make finding a place really difficult? We live in an apartment now and our pup is the most chill dog ever so I think we could get our (Current) landlord to write a recommendation for him...would this help?

Oof yeah, that may be tough. It's definitely possible, I see big dogs around the city, but it's harder to find a place with one (especially a pit mix unfortunately) than if you have a cat or small dog. Usually, even if a building does allow dogs they will have breed or weight restrictions. I would absolutely try and get the recommendation from your current landlord though, that should help!

[AFtoLawschool]

Anybody else get their financial aid determination yesterday? Being a splitter, I feel like their offer was a great place to start negotiating.

[airwrecka]

Ooh yeah that makes sense. I'd def recommend focusing on Brooklyn/Queens then since you'll get more bang for your buck there space-wise for animals than in Manhattan.

This is good to know! I'm coming from MN so I also need all the help I can get. And I have a dog. And a husband

My dog is a pitbull mix (see my avatar)--do you think that will make finding a place really difficult? We live in an apartment now and our pup is the most chill dog ever so I think we could get our (Current) landlord to write a recommendation for him...would this help?

Oof yeah, that may be tough. It's definitely possible, I see big dogs around the city, but it's harder to find a place with one (especially a pit mix unfortunately) than if you have a cat or small dog. Usually, even if a building does allow dogs they will have breed or weight restrictions. I would absolutely try and get the recommendation from your current landlord though, that should help!

good to know, thanks!

what is the process of renting in the city like? are apartments really hard to get because as soon as they're posted 10 people have sent in applications, or is it a little more chill than that? is the best place to find apartments online, or is there some other secret method? will we likely have to tour 10 places before we find a good one, or is it possible to luck out on the first or second try? I'm coming from Minneapolis and renting here is pretty easy, so I'm wondering if it is different elsewhere.

not sure if anyone can speak to the experience of having a pet, but I'm wondering what kind of info/documentation the landlord would want about our dog before we moved in? like, does the dog need an introduction? haha

[tlee13]

Something I've been worrying about: how do apartment income requirements work for law students? Will most landlords accept proof of loans as sufficient income or am I going to need a guarantor?

[cavalier1138]

Something I've been worrying about: how do apartment income requirements work for law students? Will most landlords accept proof of loans as sufficient income or am I going to need a guarantor?

Current NYU 1L who went through this process last year.

Income requirements for renters are obscene in New York, and your loans will not be factored in. You need a guarantor. If that's not an option, you may have to suck it up and live on-campus (and if you do that, rooming with others can be relatively affordable).

Bear in mind that if you don't live in the city, you're going to need to go through a broker (it's possible to go without, but not if you don't have a month to kill finding places on your own). So factor in those fees and your ability to get out to the city to find a place with the broker. Again, I did this last year, so it's doable. It is also massively stressful, and I do not recommend it for first-time renters. I've rented apartments in multiple major US cities, and NYC is a different beast.

Also, just as a general note for everyone talking about places to live: don't look around NYU unless your parents are rich and don't mind wasting money. There are plenty of good spots in Brooklyn that are <30 minutes to campus, and the same is true when you go farther north in Manhattan. I wouldn't really recommend Queens, just because you're starting to really push it on the commute at that point, and you'll be kicking yourself when you have to get to the school for an early class.

[lnsl123]

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[airwrecka]

THANK YOU darling people for posting your experiences/insights about renting in NYC!! As someone coming from the Midwest, this is really, really helpful info.

[Lawcat11]

Another tip about housing from a current 1L- as soon as you get your NYU email address, sign up for the Coases listserv. People are constantly posting apartments/rooms up for sublet, and the prices there seem very reasonable compared to the normal NYC market. Not sure if you would need a guarantor for those places though.

[hamburg]

Thanks to all those answering questions about housing.

What is the time frame like for when you need to lock down an apartment? I will be out of the country from mid-June to July 24th... Is it plausible to expect to find off-campus housing before/after the trip?

[Leliana]

Thanks to all those answering questions about housing.

What is the time frame like for when you need to lock down an apartment? I will be out of the country from mid-June to July 24th... Is it plausible to expect to find off-campus housing before/after the trip?

I would say most vacancies come onto the market in the month or so preceding their availability (although I'm less familiar with the new luxury tower buildings and those might rent further in advance, idk). I would recommend looking before your trip since by the time you get back most of the decent rentals for an August 1 start may be snapped up esp since summer is a prime time to rent.

In general I would definitely recommend using a broker if you are new to renting in NYC as previous posters have said. Also even with a broker, go in person if at all possible. I personally would never sign a lease without seeing the place first unless maaaybe it was a new/standardized big tower building of the type that has been mentioned. A lot of the housing stock in NYC (older prewar buildings) has small and/or weird layouts that listings often try to downplay.

[tlee13]

New York real estate is already well on its way to giving me an ulcer.

[airwrecka]

New York real estate is already well on its way to giving me an ulcer.

+1

[sadie2law]

Anybody else get their financial aid determination yesterday? Being a splitter, I feel like their offer was a great place to start negotiating.

Oof still waiting for mine! Will definitely make a huge difference in my decision process. Fingers crossed.

[Lawcat11]

Thanks to all those answering questions about housing.

What is the time frame like for when you need to lock down an apartment? I will be out of the country from mid-June to July 24th... Is it plausible to expect to find off-campus housing before/after the trip?

You'll be fine. NYC moves very quickly and once you see something you like you kind of have to jump on it immediately. A friend used a broker and got an apartment within one day (she was taken to about 9).

[airwrecka]

How many people have gotten their financial aid already?

I applied to RTK (and was dinged ), so that's probably slowed my app down. I wonder if I can expect it any time soon or if it won't be until April...
(fwiw I was accepted in November but not sure that matters)

[forum_user]

How many people have gotten their financial aid already?

I applied to RTK (and was dinged ), so that's probably slowed my app down. I wonder if I can expect it any time soon or if it won't be until April...
(fwiw I was accepted in November but not sure that matters)

27 out of 175 admits on LSN have reported getting some money, about half of whom are full scholarship recipients (presuming Vandy). All of the non-Vandy offers and most of the Vandy offers were made to admits who had gotten in at least a month or two ago.

I'm right here with you though, and I'm sure our RTK dings held up our aid processing. Based on last year I think we can expect something within 10 business days of our dings, which would mean sometime next week probably.

[airwrecka]

How many people have gotten their financial aid already?

I applied to RTK (and was dinged ), so that's probably slowed my app down. I wonder if I can expect it any time soon or if it won't be until April...
(fwiw I was accepted in November but not sure that matters)

27 out of 175 admits on LSN have reported getting some money, about half of whom are full scholarship recipients (presuming Vandy). All of the non-Vandy offers and most of the Vandy offers were made to admits who had gotten in at least a month or two ago.

I'm right here with you though, and I'm sure our RTK dings held up our aid processing. Based on last year I think we can expect something within 10 business days of our dings, which would mean sometime next week probably.

Thank you for your info & sleuthing!