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With less than one month remaining of the academic year, many students are transitioning out of dorms and secured houses or apartments and into off campus residences next semester.
Chris Prast, a sophomore finance major said, “The apartments (in South Orange) were too expensive, it’s cheaper to rent a house. We were looking at a two bedroom apartment in Brookglen (on South Orange Avenue), but it was $1600 a month.”
Apartment complexes like the South Orange Third & Valley luxury apartments, currently being constructed, have listed starting prices of $1,950 per month, according to the development’s website.
Students who currently live in an apartment or a house, or who obtained one for next semester, have found that rents can vary quite a bit.
Prast said he used Zillow.com to find a three bedroom house a block away from campus. Prast and his roommate Justice Trent live in the house with their two other roommates. Each student pays $591.25 as their portion for monthly rent.
Some students use the same Zillow.com site to find apartments and houses for rent in the South Orange area. However, students also find out about houses and apartments for rent from other students they meet on campus.
Zach Lucca, a sophomore psychology major, said “I found my apartment because my fraternity has lived in it for the last 6 years and it gets passed down.” Lucca currently lives in Seton Grove on South Orange Avenue.
It is difficult for some students to find vacancies in South Orange strictly for the summer. Many landlords don’t allow their residents who secured apartments or houses for the fall, in which rent may start in the summer months, to sublet rooms to other people at any time.
“We’re not allowed to in our lease. The landlord doesn’t want random people staying in the house over the summer,” Prast said.
A cheaper apartment alternative to house rentals are Ivy Hill Park Apartments, located right behind the campus in Newark. The apartment complex allows subletting. Seton Hall students are moving into the complex due to its low prices and close proximity to campus.
A two bedroom apartment at Ivy Hill Park Apartments is $950 per month. Sharing one of these two bedrooms with a roommate makes paying $475 per month one of the most affordable off-campus housing options for students in the area.
Anna Vesce, a junior business management major, currently lives in Ivy Hill. When asked about the benefits of living there compared to other apartments, she said, “The benefits are being so close to campus, we pay a flat rate each month for rent and don’t have to pay for water, gas and electric.”
Alan Petukh can be reached at alan.petukh@student.shu.edu
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