Going to college in NYC?

I live and study in nyc, and i live off campus no food plan through my school. Rent is going to depend on where you live and how many roommates you take on. The outer boroughs in general are cheaper. I budget for food by eating for cheap and going to my mom's place. I also have a job to help me afford things. Still going to have a ton of debt though

Subway fare is 2.50 a ride, but if you plan to use it every day you should get a weekly or a monthly pass to save money. Taxis are expensive and I dont think are an efficient way of getting around the city, especially if you're going to live outside of the borough you go to school in. The trains are awesome anyway. Theres also all kinds of cheap and free things to do around the city, to cut your expenses instead of going out somewhere and paying full price.

 

Even if that $16,000 rent is for a full 12 months instead of simply a school year that I'm assuming, that is still INSANE!! Does it include a meal plan? You can find a private apartment for so so much cheaper in that area. That is, if you're comfortable living in a private apartment away from the dorm lifestyle which sort of still looks out for you. You have to fly completely solo in a private apartment.

Do not take cabs. They're a money black hole, and completely unnecessary. Just use the subway and the buses. I know my way around NY, having visited some friend of mine in college there in my younger days, and that area is well served by some nice express trains that will get you downtown fast.

 

I go to school in NYC. I live in student housing a mile from campus, so I walk everywhere. Our room has a kitchen, so I don't have a meal plan (too expensive). The cost of living is way higher than where I'm originally from, so I was a bit shocked when I first moved here. Honestly, ordering out and getting a meal for $10-15 will be cheaper and easier than grocery shopping and spending time to prepare food and wash dishes. I switch off between Trader Joe's vegetables and free meals from miscellaneous club meetings at my uni. I'm a freakin' poverty ninja during the school year.

How long it takes to catch a cab will depend on where you are. It's almost impossible to get a cab where I live, so I use a car service, which is actually cheaper. 99% of the time I take the subway, which is pretty fast and reliable once you figure out how it works.

 

Pulsd NYC is something I get emails from like every day (which can be annoying)that lists different things around the city to do like open bars, free movies, free food, discounts. Im sure theres a gazillion other websites and apps and services that do that too. I also like going to gallery openings on thursdays in chelsea, thats free. Target sponsors different free nights at cultural institutions like MoMA and Lincoln Center too.

 

You can still do better than $10,000 for a school year. When I went to college I lived off campus and used my student loan money (Stafford, Pell, scholarship, etc) to pay for both my rent AND my living expenses. You can borrow up to the estimated amount of attending which includes living expenses, fees, supplies, books, etc. If you don't have the living expenses amount paid directly to a dorm and meal plan then the financial aid department of your school will give you that amount via check. Sadly this check does tend to get a little delayed and it usually arrived 3 weeks into the semester. So you'd need to have first month's expenses saved for or have your parents' help until that check arrived. This is a completely legit option. Talk to your financial aid adviser. Not many people think to talk to them but they're a super helpful resource.

Trains at night alone? I don't usually recommend traveling alone at night after say 11 pm especially if you've been drinking. Just as a general safety tip. If you are wasted and have to travel back to your dorm/apt alone at 3 am, take a cab. But set aside cash for a cab before you go out drinking because certain parts of NYC only have gyspy cabs (not yellow cabs) and they only take cash not credit. The bus isn't really any safer than the train late at night alone.

Don't get me wrong, the trains are generally safe. I never felt uncomfortable or unsafe on a NYC train when I was there. But I always remained aware of my surroundings especially if I knew I was compromised by alcohol.

Edited to add: If you are not alone at night then subway or bus should be fine, unless both you and your companion(s) are astoundingly drunk. Sorry to keep mentioning the drunk thing, but let's be honest here, if you're 21 years old and traveling home alone at 2 am you've probably been out drinking.

 

Yes, walk! My walk is probably more like 1.2 miles, but I'm a fast walker and I adore walking around NYC.
I've been here for two years and I still haven't figured out the subway system. I'm cool once I look up a route online and take it a few times, but it takes some serious brain power to figure out how to get from one place to another without an internet connection. I've lost count of the times I've gotten on the wrong train and poker faced until I can get off at the next stop.

 

In my mind, it depends on where your stop is, as to whether you use the trains or not at night. I dont think of the subway as dangerous, its the walk home from the station to me, and of course that depends on your neighborhood. A tip about riding the subway alone at night - the safest car most likely will be the one where the conductor is, which is always the middle car of the train (unless youre on the L) by walking to the middle of the platform and looking up for a black and white stripe board, that signals where the conductor will be. Conductors are also good for asking directions. I was born and raised in nyc, soI grew up with the trains, and I gotta say its important to learn the subway. Hang a map up in your room and get familiar with it. Theres no need to feel intimidated by it, its the best way of getting around and in general very safe.

 

I've lived in NYC for ~6 years, so I can offer some perspective on the transit situation. I'm a bit of a transit geek myself, and can get around extremely well. For when I can't (Queens not on the 7 train or the Bronx, and I rarely find myself in either situation), I have an app called NYCMate on my phone which has a subway map right there for my reference, and requires a data connection only to initially download the map - so it works underground where you have no service!

As for cost/benefit of cabs, I'm not a college student, and have a salary indicative of that fact . So I'll take a cab whenever I feel it would be more convenient or quicker, which translates into late nights when I'm drunk coming home from a bar (or late nights in general, train service can be fairly abysmal late nights depending on where you're at). In general though, the subway is THE fastest way around the city. For example, I had sprained my ankle and wanted to avoid the stairs associated with the subway a few times recently, and I had to allocate MORE time to reach my destination than it would have taken on the subway. I'm amazed that someone here said that it cost $20 to go a few blocks - they overcharged the hell out of you! It costs me about $20 (with tip) to go from the East Village to Park Slope at night!!!

And as for the gypsy cabs - stay away, at least in Manhattan. That's how you wind up getting way overcharged. And if someone comes to you in the airport and asks if you need a ride, you don't. Go to the taxi stand and take reputable transportation.

$0.02

 

Also use HopStop.com (or their app) to plan subway trips before you head out and get yourself lost. I've been told the app needs reception to work (might be wrong), but you can just chart your trip before going underground and have it ready to read on your phone.

You can get an apartment with classmates, or just find some roommates to sublet from. I found non-classmate roommates when I went to college and just sublet during the school year. But, again, it depends on how comfortable you are with agreeing to live with people you may not know. I'm a caution to the wind kind of girl and it didn't bother me one bit, but I know that isn't the case for everyone.