Once you have secured your Winter term internship, there is still one more step towards completion: Housing. You start to ask yourself, “Where can I look for housing? How convenient is the transportation from the housing to all destinations? How comfortable am I sharing a living space with a someone else? Will the housing arrangement be affordable? Where can I start looking?” Please don’t panic! I am here to make your life easier by offering you a couple of suggestions.
Let’s start by opening your web browser to the Career Services homepage. As a reminder, the Career Services website should always be your starting point, whether you are searching for internships, uploading/downloading documents or scheduling an appointment with a counselor. On the left column, Click on the Student tab, then on the Resource and Toolkit tab and lastly, scroll down to Housing Resources and click on it. Voila! Start your research by clicking on the several division tabs (cities, general relocation information, YMCA) accordingly.
Keep in mind the factors that make your final decision: location, budget and accommodation. Two summers ago, I had a friend who applied to an awesome law firm internship in New York City. He completed the process by securing an apartment for the summer. When the time came, we checked out the living space and we shook our heads as soon as we entered the neighborhood. New York City is a safe place in general, but there are some places one should avoid as a visitor. First, we walked about ten street blocks from the train station to the assigned apartment building. Second, the main door to his apartment was jammed, and later, we had a problem trying to close the door. Obviously, he felt uncomfortable with his living arrangements and luckily, he had my place to stay over. He spent another week looking for a new living space.
Always have a backup plan. If you have the time to visit the city you will be interning in the future, I encourage you to check out the neighborhoods and make sure it is a place you feel comfortable to live. If not, you can always check reviews on the website, which is also provided in the Housing Resources Section. Good luck!
P.S. Any questions and comments about housing, come in the drop-ins in the Career Services Office. The link should take you directly to the Housing Resources page.