Seton Hall students gave advice on how to navigate through the decision process of finding the best fit for an off-campus apartment. Some students said that while this all may seem overwhelming, they have some tips when trying to find a place that fits.
Jordan Gasson, a sophomore occupational therapy major, said that when looking for an apartment he found that the best way to find one was talking with friends.
“They told me of people who would be potentially moving out and places that were in my price range,” Gasson said. “While listening to their advice, I also went online and looked at Zillow.”
In addition to Zillow, there are several other websites worth visiting to find an apartment, such as HotPads or Apartments.com.
Some students mentioned that their main concerns when considering off campus housing is the distance from school and availability of food without a meal plan.
Davis Cook, a junior computer science major, said he resides in Halsey Gardens Apartments and has lived off campus for two years. Cook advised students looking for an apartment to prioritize getting an apartment that is closer to campus to get to class easily every day.
“I would also recommend getting a place where you can have your car, if you have one, because it makes trips to the store much easier than Uber or SHUFly,” Cook added.
Harshal Patel, a senior computer science major, shared helpful tips to aid students in picking the perfect place for them. Patel said that for off- campus housing, he would recommend looking at several places and really considering the weather and effects of commuting.
“It is important to be flexible and look at multiple places, and not just pictures,” Patel said. “Some places they photograph to look bigger when in reality they are just an average size.
“Also when moving off campus, definitely take pictures of everything because they can charge you for damage if you don’t have proof it was there when you moved in.”
The students all advised that doing meticulous research is an important part of choosing an apartment so that something unexpected does not happen.
Pierre La Monica can be reached at pierre.lamonica@student.shu.edu.
