Location, Location, Location: Housing Tips For International Students

By Danielle Wirsansky on June 17, 2016

Coming to a university as an international student can be understandably exciting. You are on your way to a new land and even grander adventures. But there can be dark clouds on the horizon that can damper the spirits of any brave adventurers.

What can be a big stressor for international students is finding housing. It is an important part of your international adventure that can make or break your trip. You want to make a good and informed decision so that you can simply enjoy your stay rather than suffer through it because of a bad situation with housing. One of the most important qualities is proximity, or in layman’s terms, location, location, location!

The location of the housing as well as its proximity to different staples is of utmost importance in ways that are often overlooked. Read on for some helpful housing tips to make your international stay as pleasant as possible!

pexels.com

Proximity can mean a lot of things, so it is best to start on the broader scale of things when deciding what you are looking for in accommodations. First, check out how close the options you are looking at actually are from the campus where you will be studying. It is up to you if you want or need to be close enough to campus to keep it in walking distance. But it might be foolhardy to rent an apartment on the complete opposite end of town. Sometimes, cities can be so large that a property you are interested in might not even be in the city proper.

You want to make sure you are not being hoodwinked into renting a property too far away from campus that could make your stay living there a hassle. Are you really up for an hour’s commute in each direction every day? These are some of the questions that you will want to take into consideration.

The next step is to see the proximity of the property to the campus. Will you have a car or bike? Is there reliable public transportation in the city that you are in? Being in walking distance of the campus when you are abroad is always a safer choice and is highly recommended.

Next, you should check out the proximity of the location to major points of public transportation. What form of public transportation is common in the city? Buses? Trams? Subways? Gondolas? It is usually a good thing to be located by a stop and to be close enough to it to walk. You might have your own form of transportation, but it might be a hassle to drive every day. Or what if one day your car is not working or you are injured and cannot walk as far as you need to in order to get to campus? You want to be prepared for all emergency situations as well and having easy access to public transportation is smart.

After that, the next thing you should check out is the area of the property you are considering to rent. What kind of neighborhood is it in? Is it new or old? What are the crime rates like? What are the demographics of the area? You can get a much better picture of what living there would be like and it could help you to narrow down where you want to live or make the final decision between two places.

You want to be safe walking down the street. You want to feel comfortable when you leave your apartment or house and walk down the street. Are you near a factory that keeps the area stinking to high heaven? Are there train tracks nearby that will keep you awake all night? You do not want any surprises that could mar your experience.

pexels.com

Subsequently, the next thing you need to check out is the location’s proximity to places that you will need to visit often, like grocery stores and pharmacies. If you are in a city without a car, you need to make sure that there is a grocery store within walking distance. It is not feasible to live there otherwise because getting the food to and from your home will be an aggravation. When you are abroad, eating should be one of your biggest pleasures rather than something you actively avoid simply because you do not feel like hauling your groceries home such a far distance.

Though it is a hassle to have to consider all these things, it is better to do the work while you are ahead so that when you get to your international destination, you have the best, and safest, time possible. Do the stressful research necessary ahead of time, while you still have time to do it, so it is not as stressful as it possibly can be.

Follow Uloop

Apply to Write for Uloop News

Join the Uloop News Team

Discuss This Article

Back to Top

Log In

Contact Us

Upload An Image

Please select an image to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format
OR
Provide URL where image can be downloaded
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format

By clicking this button,
you agree to the terms of use

By clicking "Create Alert" I agree to the Uloop Terms of Use.

Image not available.

Add a Photo

Please select a photo to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format