I am a journalism major and I will be graduating next spring. I want to move to NYC to not only go to graduate school at NYU or Columbia, but also to begin my life in the journalism world. Is this a good decision or should I just commute from Jersey? If so, what is the best area to live in besides the insanely expensive Upper East Side?
2006-11-20 12:50:18 · 4 answers · asked by dancerchik2106 1 in Travel ➔ United States ➔ New York City
First of all, congratulations if you actually get accepted to Columbia's journalism school, which is one of the best in the country. The first thing you might do is check with NYU or Columbia about graduate student housing. That's not too likely -- especially not with Columbia, which has a reputation for treating MA students very poorly -- but it's worth a shot. If they can't offer you housing directly, they might be able to put you in touch with other grad students who need roommates. After that, you should browse through the no-broker listings on craigslist.org and get a sense of what different neighborhoods cost. (This is what New Yorkers do.) Commuting from Brooklyn or Queens would probably be more enjoyable than coming from Jersey. Just about everywhere in NYC is safe to live these days, so I wouldn't worry too much about that.
2006-11-20 16:30:01 · answer #1 · answered by Frosty Lemmon 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I live in NYC (Manhattan) and moved here to go to Law School 3 years ago. If you're already accepted into a journalism program, you can get loans for your living expenses - which is what I did.
I think living in Manhattan is part of the "NY" experience, and although it's tough if you have no money, it's worth doing. My friends who commute from NJ or Brooklyn or elsewhere don't go out in the city as much - they don't discover the little things like finding the neighborhood grocery store, or a place to buy breakfast in the morning, or the cart man that sells food by their apartment at 3AM
I found a roomate and lived on the Upper East Side, which incidentally isn't that expensive - nor that exciting of a neighborhood - for $1000/mo. It was a 4th floor duplex walk-up.
You have to look for good deals, and know what you want. If you want to live in a trendy neighborhood like the Village or the Lower East Side, you're going to sacrifice space. If you want luxuries like a doorman and elevator you may not be near a party scene.
Currently, I live in a luxury building in Battery Park City (near Ground Zero) for $1100 - doorman, elevator, gym, pool, but there's not much going on by my apartment. Still, those are things that are important to me.
One good site is craigslist.com - it has great apartment listings and I"ve found every apartment and every roomate I've had in NYC on this site.
2006-11-20 22:09:03 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
start off commuting by looking for a job in nyc. Keep commuting for a few months then you can figure out what you can afford rent wise.
2006-11-20 20:58:56 · answer #3 · answered by jeanjean 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It'd be cheaper to commute from N.J. Unless you're willing to get a roommate.
2006-11-20 21:01:09 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋