<p>Juilliard informed us this week that there is no space in the dorm for my S. (After reassuring us for the past 3 months that they were sure something would open up.) School starts in September, and we have no idea how to go about finding housing. We are in the middle of an International move, and will be without phones and Internet much of the time for the next several weeks. Timing couldn’t be worse. I’m trying not to panic, but it’s taking a lot of energy I need for other things.</p>
<p>S needs something in north-west Manhattan - Morningside, Harlem, Washington. I don’t even know enough to know what to ask for. He needs to be close to transportation to Lincoln Center. I would love for him to have a roommate, but he needs a non-smoker (He’s a brass player, and has asthma). His church in NYC has a website with classifieds, but everything he found had already been filled. There should be one more edition posted in a couple weeks.</p>
<p>Here are some college livejournal communities which often have postings for students looking for roommates in Manhattan. Have your son get a free account (very easy) if he doesn’t already have one and post a notice, or search for existing ones.</p>
<p>My advice has always been: forget Manhattan and live in Brooklyn. Why is it that people who come to NYC always have a “Manhattan or bust” mentality?</p>
<p>jimmy, can you recommend safe areas for a single young woman in brooklyn. my daughter who just graduated will be working in sunset park. she’d love to find a roommate and is using craigslist, but we aren’t sure which areas are more or less safe.</p>
<p>Jimmy, my S goes to Juilliard, which is in Lincoln Center, in north-west Manhattan. It seems pretty far from Brooklyn. I am not at all happy about this situation - he is NOT ready to live on his own in NYC, despite what he thinks, and I’m mad at Juilliard for putting him in the situation. </p>
<p>I live in Germany (for another week); I can’t get to NYC to look around. Brooklyn seems pretty far away from Lincoln Center. My S will probably spend all day every day at school, and only return home to sleep. Juilliard has a habit of scheduling rehearsals late at night, which means he’ll be travelling alone at night, which scares the heck out of me. He’s small, slight, and has no street smarts except way too much confidence. They also tend to overbook the students, so I don’t know where he’s even going to come up with the travel time. </p>
<p>I am absolutely open to advice. I appreciate the links already given, but I didn’t have any luck with them.</p>
<p>Brooklyn is about a 30 min. train ride from Lincoln Center. (App., depending on where in Bklyn you are going. There are safe and not so safe neighborhoods. I would think that his church or Julliard can advise him of where it is safe to live. Did you try:
<a href=“http://newyork.craigslist.org/roo/[/url]”>http://newyork.craigslist.org/roo/</a> ?</p>
<p>Binx, I hope you have spoken with the head of housing and explained your situation. Don’t let up until they come through with something - even a broom closet or double turned into a triple. Given the difficulty of housing in that area, you’re going to have to be the noisiest helicopter parent ever. Good luck!</p>
<p>Binx–my D rode trains all over the city late at night. She lived in the southern end of Park Slope, more like Windsor Terrace, which is in Brooklyn. No problems at all. </p>
<p>rbrmom–lots of kids are moving to Park Slope and the areas around it. Again, if you look at craigslist, you can see what’s offered and pretty much figure out where the kids are going.</p>
<p>That area is pretty much a student/recent grad enclave. Seems very safe–D got off work at midnight and walked a mile home.</p>
<p>I thought that SAB and Julliard shared the same dorm, so I’m wondering if it would be worth your while to contact SAB directly. Also, it’s still only July - something could turn up between now and the time that he starts school. Does Julliard or SAB have a housing waitlist? It says on the Julliard website that they offer off-campus housing assistance (listings, etc.), and it also says that it’s required for first-time college students to live in on-campus housing. I don’t know if this applies to your son’s situation. There should also be a facebook group for Julliard students, which may or may not be helpful, but certainly worth a try. Also, you might want to try posting on this website under Music Majors - there might be some Julliard students/parents who would be able to offer advice.
Please keep us posted.
Best wishes.</p>
<p>Binx, I assume he is not a first-year student since I just looked at Julliard’s residential website for you and noticed that they only guarantee housing for first-year. Have you been in contact with their Office of Residence Life? They claim to have apartment listings, but I’m sure you know about that already. It feels so unsettling to not know where he will live. I hope you find a place for him. Fingers crossed here!</p>
<p>I believe NYU Law School housing is for summer only. My S (non-NYU student) lived there for a summer doing an internship in the financial district…the firm directed him there. Very nice, not particularly inexpensive, the problem is I doubt if they’d rent to a non-NYU student during the school year, but worth a call.</p>
<p>Don’t worry too much about time. Apts turn over quickly and you have to be ready to put down the deposit within a few days so he’s got time. My son was recently shut out of a coop sublet he’d hoped for (learning experience) 2 weeks before he had to move out; was then able to find a one bedroom within a couple days. He felt desperate and went through a realtor. It works but beware, the fee was about 1 and 1/2 month rent.</p>
<p>I’d think Julliard would supply you the names of other students in this boat, who’d also be searching for a roommate.</p>
<p>If you’re considering Morningside/Harlem I’d consider other areas, transportation and subway/bus maps are key. The east (very east that is)side in the 80’s especially for example is less expensive than 70’s, 60’s and the west side. There are busses that go E/W across the park, 86th for example.The busses are frequent and reliable and can take him to the 86th str subway which is 3 stops to Lincoln Center.</p>
<p>Hi 2331clk,
You are correct…NYU only rents dorm space to “outsiders” during the summer. However, they don’t provide any graduate housing to law students. The website on the law school site, just refers people to reputable landlords, agencies, etc. I thought that Binx might use the site as reference, since the referrals were all screened by NYU.</p>
<p>Thanks for the links and advice. We’re still looking at them. S is a 3rd year at Juilliard. They have a housing lottery after first year and he didn’t make it. SAB has the lower floors of the building - completely separate from Juilliard. </p>
<p>Problem is that for the past 3 months, Juilliard has been reassuring my S “don’t worry” and “we’re sure something will open up.” I am really angry that they have waited till now. The person who told us all this is leaving at the end of the week for a new job, and now we realize he doesn’t care. The “don’t worry” was probably “Ha! I’m leaving soon, and then it won’t be my problem anymore, so go away.” </p>
<p>My S has emailed Juilliard (early on - which is why we have the string of don’t worries.) I emailed them now, and it has been a frustrating experience, to say the least. They gave me a few links to look at, but won’t recommend anything. They say they have no list of other students in the same situation (why?), so can’t offer any potential rooommates. They gave me a few hints, like looking at a subway map (I found one online) to see if an apt is convenient to transportation. </p>
<p>If I were home, and or had more time, I’d probably contact a lawyer or something. We lost a lot of time and opportunities during their “don’t worry” phase, and I feel like they have an obligation to honor it.</p>
<p>I spent all day yesterday exploring websites and sending emails. I can’t afford to do it again today, and probably won’t be able to do much till early August as we’ll be in a hotel without Internet next week. (And my S is in Leipzig at a music festival, which is why he can’t help.) I’m glad to know that it’s possible to get last minute places. There is also a YMCA in the vicinity, where he can stay a couple days if necessary.</p>
<p>I’m trying not to stress out about it, but this is just the last thing we needed right now.</p>
<p>binx,
I can’t believe that Julliard has not been able to accommodate your son in terms of housing, and it sounds like you need to try to get in touch with someone there who has some authority to actually be able to do something - since they sounded so enthusiastic before - it sounds like you were possibly misled to believe that something would, in fact, come through (maybe that’s still a possibility, but you can’t afford to wait forever). I think that Tahoe has recommended some excellent resources for you to try, so hopefully, one of the options should work out. Also, if you or someone in your family knows anyone who lives in the nyc area who could possibly assist with contacting Julliard directly - either by phone or in person - and also help research possible options.<br>
I wish you all the best. Please keep us posted.</p>
<p>We still have no apartment, but have been successful in finding a number of people looking for roommates to go apartment hunting with. None of these people have apartments yet. I find myself in the dubious position of having to say thanks, but no thanks to a number of good possibilities, only because I don’t want to string a bunch of people along. S’s top choice right now is a friend of a friend, recently graduated from another conservatory and moving to NYC. Second choice is a current classmate - only drawback is that she’s a girl. It never ever occurred to me that I would approve of my S sharing an apt. with a female. (They are just friends; I believe she has a bf.)</p>
<p>I have emailed everyone at Juilliard right on up to the dean. The reply I got (from office of student affairs) was essentially “Tough luck. Not my problem.” They seem to have quit responding since then. The school is a fabulous school for performing artists, and my kid is getting an excellent education, and nearly full tuition scholarship, which we greatly appreciate. But we’ve had a mixed bag of experiences with our contact with other personnel there. This is only the second time I personally have contacted them; the first was when my father died, and they were very accommodating then. But the school does not rank high on it’s organizational abilities, IMHO, and my S has had to deal with a number of problems in the past.</p>
<p>My S is concerned that I am going to make everyone there mad at him, and wants me to back off, so I will. S has found an Internet Cafe in Leipzig (where he is currently studying) and is taking over the search, which I am happy to let him do. However, I will continue to pass along any advice you have to give.</p>