Columbia ETP 2015

Published

Has anyone started a thread yet? The application is due in 174 days and as you can see I'm already obsessing.

Anyone else?!

If you have a car, should you sell it before attending? Are all the clinical sites within distance from the school?

Is there a reasonable location where you save more if you drive for an hour to work versus living in the area? I read that 90% of the students live in campus housing, but I do not know if that data is accurate.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

On campus housing would be the best option since we are all new to the area and we will have 3-4 days out of the week that will be 9 am to 8 pm with exams next day so it's probably best not to commute

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I don't think housing is that widely available for grad students. 90% probably refers to undergrads.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
On campus housing would be the best option since we are all new to the area and we will have 3-4 days out of the week that will be 9 am to 8 pm with exams next day so it's probably best not to commute

May I ask where you got this information about 3-4 days/week being 9am-8pm? I have heard from previous ETP students for summer that there is only 1 day that is 9-8...and I don't believe fall/spring have that long a day.

And unfortunately some of us don't have the option of not commuting :/ I wish I could live closer but it's just not feasible for me & my husband right now. I hope others have better options.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Hi there!

I got in to the FNP program -- woohoo! - Really excited about this as Columbia was my first and only choice.

Now, in the spirit of paying it forward, I'd be glad to answer any NYC/housing related questions you might have. I'm no expert, but I can tell you what I know since I did grow up in NYC (Brooklyn) and currently live in Harlem, 10 minutes away from CUSON in Washington Heights.

To start with, for those looking for housing/prices/research, I suggest starting with New York City Real Estate | StreetEasy and looking at neighborhoods near Columbia:

Washington Heights,

Morningside Heights,

Harlem (West, Central and maybe East* - East side of Harlem might be quite a longer commute)

Inwood

Hamilton Heights

Manhattanville

I will also suggest the Bronx, even though it has a bad reputation -- parts of the Bronx is actually pretty nice and has a very suburban, family-friendly feel so if money is a concern, I wouldn't dismiss it. In the Bronx, I would check out:

Riverdale

(I'm not so familiar with the Bronx, but I will ask friends who live there which areas they recommend along the 1 train line)

Now a few things to keep in mind when searching for an apartment in NYC:

1) Safety and "good" areas are on a block-by-block basis. Even though some neighborhoods, like Harlem/Washington Heights/Bronx for instance, has a "bad rap" there are pockets that are considered "good" (and expensive) and in the midst of gentrification and are occupied by millionaires/celebrities like Neil Patrick Harris.

Read this for ex.- http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/harlem-growing-playground-celebrities-article-1.1738283

Now having said that, there are also pockets that are still BAD and drug-and-gang riddled and unfortunately, there is no way to know this until you visit the actual place and walk around. I live in Harlem in a really good, safe and family-friendly block, but then two blocks down there are lots of drug activity/crime. I had to learn which blocks to avoid and it has worked out for me.

Everyone has a different comfort level. So I recommend walking around when you come here for the meet-and-greet

2) Train lines. This is IMPORTANT, not to be taken lightly as it can greatly impact your quality of life here in NYC. CUSON is on the 1 train (red color) and A, C train (Blue color) -- in Manhattan, the CUSON location is generally considered waaaaay uptown, on the West Side.

Now going from East side to West side is a HUGE pain in the ass - so I would suggest sticking to neighborhoods on the West side (red and blue lines). Even if you want to live in downtown or midtown Manhattan, Brooklyn or Bronx -- the commute will be easier and faster if you stick to the West side train lines.

The "red" train lines are: 1, 2, 3

The "blue" train lines are: A, C, E

3) Be careful of Craigslist scams. There have been news reports of people posing as "real estate" agents and showing apartments/demanding deposits for vacant apartments they have no ties to. Not really sure how to spot the scammers, but if something sounds shady, trust your instinct.

FYI: It's a common practice here to pay a real estate agent 1 month's worth of rent as his fee for finding you an apartment-- so someone demanding this doesn't automatically mean they're scammers.

That's all I can think of for now (It's 2 am here). But if you have any questions, feel free to post and I will check in every few days to answer any questions.

Good luck and see you soon!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Thank you thank you thank you, Harlem15! This is all so helpful!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Also want to add so you can get a general perspective of location/areas - (excuse me if I sound discombobulated -- I'm a little tired)

-CUSON is located on the 168th train stop (1, A, C trains) and that neighborhood is called "Washington Heights" in uptown Manhattan

-The main Columbia campus is on 110th street and 116th street stop (on the 1 train) and that area is called "Morningside Heights" on the West side, uptown

-Harlem is on 125th street

Generally speaking, it's faster and easier to get around the city by train. Cars, though private and cleaner than subways, are cool but parking is often an issue in the city unless you pay for private parking garages (cost can run between $150- $700 month depending on neighborhood - *Note, $150 is rare, but if you do your research, you can find it). If you don't pay, you can try your luck with street parking but competition on spots are fierce so goodluck on that.

Again if I think of anything else to add, I will post.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Augh -- I will try this again! A friend from California who is currently staying with me just told me how confusing she found Manhattan, so I will try to explain the streets/neighborhoods to the best of my abilities.

This is just a general explanation and I will try to simplify it as best as possible, so some things will be overlooked/oversimplified. Here is a link to more detailed explanation: List of Manhattan neighborhoods - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Manhattan was essentially designed on a grid.

From South to North, the blocks are numbered from 1-225th STREETS. Some have names like Wall. St (but lets ignore that for now)

From East to West, it's called AVENUES (1-12th Avenue, with some names in between - see below)

1st -> 2nd ->3rd ave. -> Lexington avenue -> Park ave -> Madison ave (EAST SIDE ENDS HERE) -> 5th ave -> 6th -> (WEST SIDE BEGINS) -> 7th -> 8th ->9th -> 10th -> 11th -> 12th.

As you go uptown (north), 9-12th avenue disappears and is replaced by names like Manhattan Ave., Amsterdam, Broadway, Frederick Douglass, West End, etc. (there are many more, these are the main ones)

Hope I haven't confused you yet.... so CUSON is uptown on the west side on 168th off of Broadway. As I said, I generally recommend staying on the West side, but if you prefer the East side it isn't the end of the world -- commute is still manageable, but takes a bit longer.

Here are some of the well-known West Side Neighborhoods (going from downtown to uptown). Again, these are rough boundaries/neighborhood lines, which is always changing.

West Side Neighborhoods (West of 6th AVENUE)

Below 1st street - Tribeca

1-14th street - West Village

14-30 street - Chelsea

30-59 street - Hell's Kitchen/Fashion District/Times Square/Midtown - depending on which avenue you are on.

59-116 street - Upper West Side/Morningside Heights - MAIN COLUMBIA CAMPUS

117-145 street - Harlem/Manhattanville/Sugar Hill/Hamilton Heights

155-180 street - Washington Heights/CUSON area

Above 180th -- Inwood/Hudson Heights/Marble Hill

Generally speaking, the further uptown you go, the cheaper. Yey! Because this is Columbia area. These areas are also historically Black/Hispanic areas and have had a bad reputation (see my previous post about safety concerns) but they have also been gentrified in the past ten years and are generally "mixed" (let's not discuss now whether this is good or bad -- it is, what it is).

Again, depending on your comfort level/budget -- you can pick how far downtown or uptown you want to live. If you're interested in East side neighborhoods, just post a question (It's too long to go into it now).

Phew -- hope I haven't confused you guys too much. What can I say, I'm a life-long New Yorker and can go on and on about this city.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
[ATTACH]17470[/ATTACH]

That's where I got most of my info too. There's only one day that's 9-8. It shouldn't be too terrible. Thanks for posting so others could see too.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

@nursingfanatic and @harlem15, thanks so much for the information!!! super helpful.

harlem15, have you heard anything about on-campus housing vs. off-campus? i know on-campus housing is prioritized for people who live further away. i don't know where i'll fall under that since i'm from the tri-state area, but i very recently moved out to the bay. i'm thinking about putting an app in for on-campus housing just to make it easier for myself, but it doesn't sound like i'll know if i got a spot until it's pretty late (apps are due end of march?).. i was thinking about looking at off-campus housing if i visit for visiting day, but i don't know if the timing is right or how to go about with the search. buuut i guess it would be a good time to check out the different on-campus buildings (rates are suspiciously low for nyc lol, but maybe it's cause it's in washington heights).

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion