FINDING HOUSING

The most pressing issue is deciding where to live and how to go about finding an off-campus apartment, roommates, or livable on-campus housing. First, some general guidelines:

•Classes for the fall semester begin September 2. If you plan to live in the Rutgers area and plan to move in August 1 or mid-August, you should begin your housing search by the middle of June and try to have a place secured by the middle of July, at the latest. If you plan to move in at the beginning of September, you should begin your housing search by mid-July. Housing in the Rutgers area tends to be very tight. This suggested schedule for beginning your search is a rough guideline since what is available varies from year to year.

•The best resource for finding off-campus housing is the Rutgers Off-Campus Housing Service. Their web address is http://ruoffcampus.rutgers.edu/. When you arrive in New Brunswick you should stop by the Off-Campus Housing Office to check on any new listings (542 George Street, College Avenue Campus, 732-932-7766). Be sure to bring your acceptance letter or term bill as proof of your enrollment.

• http://www.apartments.com and http://www.apartmentguide.com and http://www.aptsforrent.com are national search engines that list apartments. However, I have never known anyone who has actually used one of these sites.

•Listed at the end of this letter are some of the local apartment complexes, many of which are not included on the Rutgers web site.

•If you go through a realtor, make sure that there is no fee involved. I generally recommend steering clear of apartment locator services for this area—most charge nearly $100 and may only have one or two listings for Highland Park/New Brunswick.

•Another option is to look in classified ads in local papers. Try the Home News Tribune at http://www.appclassifieds.com/doc/search_ads.pl?class_number=700, or the Star Ledger at http://www.nj.com/rentals/apts/index.ssf. (Note that apartment complexes, individual proprietors, and apartment locator services all place ads in these papers. Apartment locator ads look like normal ads, but when you call them you find out that it is just for a sample -- perhaps not very representative -- of the kind of apartment they have rented in this area in the past.)

OTHER THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND

• Seriously consider sharing an apartment with a roommate. This is really the most affordable off-campus option as you live paycheck to paycheck on your graduate student budget. Most of the two- and three-bedroom apartments I’ve seen are quite comfortable and spacious. Be prepared for higher rents than you may be used to. The cost of living in general is higher on the East Coast, and this includes rents. Also, be sure to ask any prospective landlord about utility prices; these can vary depending on whether the landlord includes water and heat in the rent or if they use gas, electric, or fuel oil for heat.

•Many landlords ask for 1 ½ months’ rent as security in addition to the first month’s rent, so make sure you have enough money in your account to cover the expense. Some landlords in this area require that the deposit or rent money be in the form of certified checks or money orders. Be prepared to set up a bank account during your visit in case your landlord requires this kind of payment. More information about banks follows in this letter. Additionally, when thinking about initial setup costs, do not forget to figure in student fees (~$450/semester), student health insurance (~$480/year, one time fee), and books (~$450/semester).

•Be sure to investigate apartments in converted houses—these are generally cheaper than apartment complexes. The Rutgers Off-Campus Housing Service is a good place to check, but you can also walk around the neighborhood you are interested in and look for “For Rent” signs, notices in shops, etc.

LOCATIONS OFF-CAMPUS

Highland Park: Highland Park is the most popular place for graduate students to live; it is mostly residential with many quiet, tree-lined side streets. VanDyck Hall (the History Department building where most of your classes will be held) is a 15-20 minute walk over the bridge. If you do not own a car, Highland Park is your best option because there is a supermarket within walking distance. Rents for a studio or a one-bedroom apartment can range from $650-$900. Two-bedroom apartments are usually $900-$1100; three-bedroom, $1300-$1500. A disadvantage to Highland Park is that it got rid of its rent control statute in 1980, so a landlord can raise the rent to whatever the market will bear. There is copious street parking in Highland Park and you do not need any type of sticker or registration to take advantage of it. A campus shuttle that services all campuses picks up at the west end of Highland Park

New Brunswick: New Brunswick is a small city with a bit of a more urban neighborhood feel. It is more economically, racially, and ethnically diverse than Highland Park, and offers a wider range of housing prices and options. New Brunswick has the advantage of rent control. Its main drawback is its lack of a good supermarket within walking distance. Many undergraduates live in an area near the fraternities and bars on Easton Avenue. If you’re looking for a quieter neighborhood, try the area by the Alexander Library and Buccleuch Park by the College Avenue campus, or within a block or so of the Douglas College campus. Street parking in New Brunswick can be relatively tight in some areas and you will need to get a free resident parking sticker from the city. Rutgers campus buses provide transportation between the various different campuses and have multiple stops in New Brunswick.

Piscataway, Somerset, North Brunswick: These towns are mostly residential, and are a 10-20 minute commute by car to campus. Rents vary, though are mostly on par with New Brunswick or even a bit lower.

Metuchen, Edison: These towns are accessible by New Jersey Transit trains. They are very similar to Highland Park, with comparable rents.

Princeton: Half an hour away by train, bus, or car. Calm, residential neighborhoods, more shops and restaurants within walking distance than Highland Park or New Brunswick, though in general the town is slightly more upscale. Rents on par with Highland Park or a little higher. New Jersey Transit provides train service from Princeton to New Brunswick.

Hoboken and Jersey City: Both have the advantage of being just across the river from Manhattan, and both are accessible to New Brunswick by train (NJ Transit and PATH). Commuting time to campus is about and hour. Hoboken is more expensive and more gentrified than Highland Park or New Brunswick. Jersey City is a little bit less expensive than Hoboken and rents can be comparable to Highland Park.

New York or Philadelphia: If you must live in a big city, New York is an hour away by train or bus; Philadelphia is an hour and a half to two hours by train. New York is very expensive; Philadelphia is relatively cheap. If you are considering living in either city, let me know, and I’ll try to put you in contact with students currently living there. Uptown Manhattan has a few affordable neighborhoods, as do sections of the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens.

ON-CAMPUS HOUSING

On-campus housing can be an affordable alternative. Living situations range from shared apartments to dorm-like single rooms in large buildings. The On-Campus housing website is: http://housing.rutgers.edu/ie/. You can find descriptions of all the possible graduate hosing locations through the website. I can also try to put you in touch with students who have lived in various forms of on-campus housing. Below are basic summaries of each of the options as characterized by some past students:

•Corwin and Gibbons: Located on the Douglas Campus and housing only women, these house-like buildings provide single rooms, communal bathrooms, and a small kitchen. Occupancy is limited to 12 students per building, and generally provides a good quiet place to study and a supportive environment.

•Starkey: Located on the Cook Campus, Starkey offers apartment-style living (though with the same dorm-style furniture). Most apartments have four bedrooms, substantial storage space, and a good-sized kitchen, dining, and living area. Accessible to College Avenue by campus bus.

•Buell: Same format as Starkey, though located on Busch Campus. Can be isolating especially if you don’t have a car and must rely on campus buses.

•Ford: Located on the College Avenue Campus. Two-bedroom apartments with living room. Common bathrooms, segregated by gender. Common kitchen facility for entire building. Dorm-like, but right behind Van Dyck Hall. No air conditioning nor do they allow window units. Apparently Ford fills up quickly, so sign up early.

•Married Student Housing: The ones I’ve seen feel more like an apartment complex than a dorm, except for the ubiquitous industrial furniture. Once again, these apartments are a bit isolated, so a car always helps. There may be a waiting list for this housing, so get in touch with on-campus housing services as soon as possible if interested in this option.

FINDING ROOMMATES (A FEW OPTIONS)

The first is the new graduate student listerv that we have setup as a clearinghouse for relocation information. You can also send emails to the regular history graduate student listerv (history_grads@email.rutgers.edu).

The Off-Campus Housing Service lists rooms for rent in apartments and houses. When filling out the online search form, make sure to be as general as possible to increase the number of hits you will get back. I suggest checking this list at least once a day, if not more often. There are many respondents for rooms and they go quickly..

The Office-Campus Housing Service also has a roommate search service (a somewhat difficult process if you are not yet registered for classes). If you wish to pursue this option, let me know and I can take a list of the department’s incoming students to the OCHS and vouch for your acceptance.

ONCE YOU FIND YOUR HOUSING

Utilities: Here are phone numbers for the local utility companies. You may want to call a week or two in advance to arrange for your utilities so that you have access to electricity, phone, gas, etc., when you arrive. Do not forget to figure into your budget possible deposit costs.

Local Phone Service:
Verizon: 1-800-427-9977 or www.verizon.com
AT&T: 1-866-346-1298, Ext. 23306 or www.att.com
Electric & Natural Gas:
PSE&G: 1-800-664-4761
Water:
Middlesex Water Co.: (732) 634-1500, Ext. 244 or www.middlesexwater.com
Cable:
Cablevision: 1-800-333-4857
Internet Access:
You will have free internet access through Rutgers University if you use dial-up. For those who wish DSL or Cable modems, see the phone and cable providers cited above.

Banking: The Rutgers Off-Campus Housing Service has materials about local banks and rates. Here are a few of the most popular. Remember that you should establish a bank account here on your apartment-finding visit.

Rutgers Student and Alumni Credit Union is a good option if you live close to campus—it has few fees (esp. if you take advantage of direct deposit) and requires only a $25 minimum balance in your savings account and no balance for your checking. Finding no-fee ATMs can be a problem off-campus. Rutgers Student Center, Room 103, 126 College Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ 08903, Phone: (732) 932-8117, Fax: (732) 932-7968. http://www.rufcu.com/

First Union offers special accounts for students and has several ATMs in the area—also convenient drive-through locations. Highland Park: 400 Raritan Ave (732-572-4200); New Brunswick, 120 Albany St., 732-843-4200. First Union and Wachovia are merging, here is the toll-free line for both: 1-800-275-3862 (be sure to ask about student accounts). http://www.wachovia.com/

PNC has convenient ATM machines on campus and throughout the area. They also have student accounts. 1 Penn Plaza, New Brunswick, 732-545-2700, 1-888-PNC-BANK, http://www.pncbank.com/.

Fleet, New Brunswick, 410 George St., 732-846-3351

Commerce, New Brunswick, 70 Bayard St., 1-888-751-9000

Car Insurance: If you are moving from another state, keep your car registered at an address in your home state if at all possible. New Jersey still has the highest car insurance rates in the country (even for good, over-25, and /or married drivers, insurance rates are often $1200 per year or higher).

Campus Parking: If you plan to commute to campus by car, try to get your parking stickers at least lease a week or two before classes begin. Contact the Parking Office at 732-932-7744. Parking is substantially discounted for graduate Fellows and TAs/GAs (approximately $25/year), but you must have a letter from the department. Contact Dawn Ruskai for your letter. Be sure to request a parking “key card,” which will give you access to the various gated faculty lots. The main page for Rutgers Parking and Transportation Services is http://parktran.rutgers.edu/.

Renters Insurance: Low-cost renters insurance is offered through the university. You can also contact the Student Insurance Office. Rutgers Info (932-INFO) can give you more information.

Health Insurance: Student health insurance is available through the university during the years you are not a TA/GA(when New Jersey will provide your health insurance as a state employee). The student health insurance office is on the third floor of Hurtado Health Center on Bishop Place on the College Avenue Campus. You can find information about health insurance eligibility, coverage, and costs at: http://health.rutgers.edu/insurance/default.asp.

Public Transportation: The webpage for Rutgers Parking and Transportation Services (http://parktran.rutgers.edu/) has links to on-campus parking information as well as campus bus services. You can also find campus bus route maps and schedules at http://gobble.rutgers.edu/newpats/buses.htm. New Jersey Transit train and bus schedules can be found at http://www.njtransit.com/. New Jersey Transit operates the trains that go from New Brunswick to New York City or to Philadelphia. PATH operates trains that run from places like Jersey City and Hoboken to New York City: http://www.panynj.gov/path/index.html.

APARTMENT COMPLEXES

All area codes are (732)
The following list is not a recommendation for certain apartment complexes; it is simply a listing for those of you without access to a local phone book. Check with Off-Campus Housing for a more complete listing.

Highland Park
Adelaide Gardens 100 S. Adelaide Avenue 247-0614
Benner House Apartments 117 Benner Street 846-3574
Cedar Lane 100 Cedar Lane 846-0806
Donaldson Park Apartments 321-A Crowells Road 572-1326
Highland Manor Apartments 409 S. 10th Avenue 572-0253
Highland Montgomery Apts. 140 Montgomery Street 828-7993
Magnolia Gardens 60B Woodbridge Avenue 572-3636
Orchard Gardens 260 S. 11th Street 985-6886
Parktown House Apts. 11 Raritan Avenue 846-4260
Treetops Apartments 250 Treetop Drive 846-0400
Wood Oak Co. S. 2nd Avenue 828-4665

New Brunswick
Birchwood Terrace Apartments 272 Hamilton Street 828-5607
Brunswick Arms Apts. 119 Livingston Ave. 249-4748
Century Apartments 85 Easton Avenue 249-5545
G & A Brookside Apartments 55 Brookside Avenue 246-0446
Park Lane Apartments 10 Landing Lane 249-6662
Penrose Management Co. 217 Somerset Street 828-4083

Written by Scott Bruton (sbruton7@hotmail.com).