Where Sternies live
What are the benefits and drawbacks of living near or far from school? What about dorm life? I set out to answer these questions as comprehensively as possible and ended up with a great set of insights from my fellow students, which are shared in this post. I think you’ll see that the biggest lesson in choosing where to live is to figure out what lifestyle and conveniences matter the most to you and start searching from there. The vastness and diversity of NYC means that there are neighborhoods to accommodate just about any set of preferences. NYC is more expensive than most other American cities, but based on your choice of neighborhood and amenitites you can find a place to accommodate your price range. Living within a 20 minute walk from Stern puts you in some vibrant neighborhoods like the West Village, Union Square, Gramercy, Chelsea and the Lower East Side. A 20 minute train ride gets you to some really unique places like Harlem, Queens, Long Island City, and various parts of Brooklyn, like Fort Greene.
I chose to live in Harlem because it has some great benefits, which I think are shared among most people who chose to live a 20 minute or more train ride away from Stern. Among the greatest perks are more apartment space and a more residential neighborhood feel compared to lower Manhattan. I have found that the price per square foot is cheaper than more dense areas of Manhattan, like the Lower East Side, and in general the apartments are larger. Likewise, I think its easier to find buildings with amenities, such as in-unit or in-building laundry, a doorman to receive packages, and a fitness center, which are not usually available for the same cost of rent in other parts of the city. I also love Harlem and other further away neighborhoods because they have a different vibe than the rest of the city. Harlem is slightly more mellow, there’s less foot traffic and quite frankly, more sun. Plus, while the restaurant and bar scenes are lively and diverse, they are not overwhelmed with reservations and large crowds. Access to large grocery chains and street parking or cheap garage parking are also things that I cherish about my location. And secretly, I find the train ride provides the perfect amount of time for me to catch up on reading or to plan my day.
Of course, there are also downsides to living further off campus. The biggest one is the pain of waiting for the train late at night or on weekends. During those hours, trains are fewer and further between and there is often construction, which results in a miserable wait time of up to 20 minutes. Second, if you choose not to take a train, then taking a cab can be costly. Usually these issues become relevant after late night study sessions or social events around campus. However, I find that the pain is often assuaged by the companionship of other students headed in the same direction who are either willing split cab fare or engage in lively conversation during the 20 minute wait for the train.
Based on their feedback, it appears the advantages to living close to Stern often outweigh the negatives for Sternies who choose to do so. Perhaps the biggest benefit is that there is virtually no commute. It’s easy to walk to school and cheap to take cabs late at night if you prefer. If you elect to take morning classes, it’s also great to get a few extra minutes of sleep. Plus, most social activities happen around campus. The neighborhoods near Stern are lively and filled with popular and diverse bars, restaurants and shopping as well. It’s hard to get bored with the vast set of choices.
However, the heavy foot traffic at virtually every time of day can sometimes be intense and make it tough to relax. The smaller square footage and higher rent can also be tough to adjust to and amenities that are readily available in apartments further away often cost a lot more around the Village. Many students living in the area choose to have roommates, which helps mitigate the high cost of rent. Plus, there are Laundromats on just about every corner so doing laundry, while not as convenient, is also not too tough. Perhaps one of the most painful things cited was the lack of full grocery stores nearby, which means an overreliance on bodegas or a longer commute to more robust chains and places like Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods.
The Palladium is the NYU dorm that houses some Sternies. The dorm is located a short fifteen minute walk from Stern in Union Square. The biggest convenience of living in the Palladium is that everything is taken care of: rent is added to your Stern fees, utilities are included, laundry is in the building, and there’s also a cafeteria and a very nice fitness center. The biggest drawback is that the Palladium comes with all the quirks of dorm life. The bedrooms are small and include an extra long twin and a small hot plate, microwave and fridge. You have to go to the lobby to check guests in and out, you answer to a Resident Assistant (RA) and, perhaps worst of all, undergrads live on the majority of the floors. However, if you want the ultimate in convenient living, the dorm is still the best option.
So how does living near or far impact involvement in Stern? In my opinion it enhances it. While sometimes I think twice about staying an extra hour at a bar when it’s getting pretty late, I have found that living far away has little impact on my student life. Whether participating in clubs, events, social activities, or even night or morning classes, I continue to be heavily active in all of these areas. I would venture to say the same for most other commuting Sternies as well. There is a vibrant community around campus at any time of the day and virtually any time at night as well. It goes along with the family vibe that’s truly present here. People living close by have the opportunity to run home between classes, but I’ve found that many students choose to hang out and go to lunch together between classes, have happy hour at one of the many nearby bars, and attend club events, among other things. I’d argue that the diverse living situations of Sternies have made student life more interesting. In the last semester alone I attended a house party in Brooklyn, a potluck in Hoboken, brunch in Harlem, a bar crawl on the Lower East Side and a picnic in Central Park, to name a few activities. Sternies use the city to our advantage, making our events just as fun and diverse as our student body. Plus, I can truly say that I’m now familiar with many different parts of the city, not just the neighborhoods where I live and go to school.