new students - accomodation

On-campus housing.
The suitable housings for grad students is given on the following page. You can visit the main web site of Department of Housing to get more information about rates and application procedure etc. However, be warned that there is a long wait for on-campus housing, and it could take up to an year to get an opening on-campus, so you should not count on it for immediate needs.

Off-campus housing.
The first thing to do is to select your roommates. Roommate selection is important because things are different here. Some students find it difficult to adjust while some adjust very well. Take into consideration, the study/work habits, studiousness, general interests, smoking and drinking habits etc. The city of Boulder has laws that govern the density of population in different areas. It may be illegal for four unrelated people to stay in a two-bedroom apartment. This information will be available with the apartment manager or the leasing agency. Generally, 2,3, or 4 persons stay together. Co-ed living is common here and should not be a problem if one respects the privacy and freedom of the other person. There are several ways to look for accommodation:

• Ask your seniors if they can help in finding and reserving an apartment
• Take the help of Off-Campus Housing Office
• Look in the newspaper and college boards for ads and call those people
• Housing Helpers

• Boulder Property Management (Tel: 303.473.9559)
• Four Star Realty (303.440.8200)

• Dick Gilbert's Guide
• Apartmentassistant.net
• Boulder Apartments
• Fourstarrealty.com

• Sterling University Peaks - Approximate rent for one person per month (twin sharing basis)- $365.00 - $400.00
• Creekside Apartments - Approximate rent per month (twin sharing basis)- $300.00 - $ 365.00
• Wimbledon - Approximate rent for on person per month (twin sharing basis) - $385.00
• Kappa Canyon - Approximate rent per month - $ 400.00
• Sinton Apartments
• TimberRidge Apartments - Approximate rent for on person per month (twin sharing basis) - $385.00
• Brookside Apartments
• Kensington Terrace - Approximate rent for on person per month (twin sharing basis) - $425.00

Insights Into Accomodation

Kappa: 2228 Kappa Canyon is located very close to school. It’s just off Folsom street and on the hop route. There are 3 bedroom apartments for 1200 dollars. Place is really big and very good for four people to stay. Lease agreement is for 12 months.

- Ashish Shah

I have never seen anyone or heard of anyone spend more than 650 bucks on normal monthly expenditure. This includes everything from rent to groceries. I would recommend that you turn up in Boulder with at least $2000 in hand to meet the immediate expenses. Please write to me incase you want a better idea about this.

Boulder is a relatively safe place. There are various patrols assigned by the university for the same purpose. Transportation is via the public system, which again is very adequate, and its cost is covered within your fees. The place is really beautiful and very scenic. Can’t think of anything else.

- Aditya Mathur

I stayed in the university dorms (Williams Village) for a year. Fantastic place if you like to meet new people and socialize with the american crowd. If however, you prefer the company of desis, dorms is not a good place to be in. I was sharing an apartment with 1 room mate and I used to pay around 300 dollars then. Now I stay in a 4 bedroom apartment abt a stone's throw from campus and I pay abt 350 dollars per month. I definitely have a better experience staying off campus rather than in the dorms. Choice of room mates is also important. Makes sense to stick around with people of the same wavelength. having more roomies is better for solving cooking problems. Bt then studies cant be done at home then. Its a good idea to hunt for a place thats well connected by buses here.

- Sheetal Kumar Doshi

Stayed at 2900 East College Ave. since arrival (thanks to my seniors). The most important thing is Location! Anything between 280 and 350 is reasonable in Boulder...but location is paramount, I feel.

- Dhruv Bhate

I stayed in on-campus housing (efficiency apartment) for two years in Reed Hall, just across the Engineering Center. The advantages are (1) affordable - about $1110 per semester including utilities, phone, internet and cable (2) kitchenette with fridge, stove etc so that you can cook your own food (not available in other dorms) (3) extremely convenient - a minutes walk from the engineering center. The disadvantages are (1) only one room (2) sharing with a roommate (or pay double) (3) compulsory moving out after May 12th or so for three months of the summer. I would recommend staying there for a year or two at the most (may be from fall 03) but you will have to keep an eye on the application dates because the rooms go out fast. I will be happy to answer relevant questions. Please contact me at Praneet.Athalye@Colorado.EDU or at (303) 444 5653.

- Praneet Athalye

Sterling University Peaks is certainly a good place to move into for a newcomer . It is fully furnished and a 10 min walk away from campus . The rent covers most of the utilities like electricity, central heating/AC, and cable connection. Each apartment basically consists of 2 bedrooms (bath attached) with a shared kitchen/living room . A single bedroom is spacious enough for 2 people with study tables/closets for each person. The common computer room is certainly a plus for students who want access to the computer from home and don’t own one. They also have a laundry room in the basement which can be accessed with a laundry card . Other frills include a swimming pool, Gym, Jacuzzi, and a common TV room. Sterling has a website with photographs and floor plans which will help you decide. The rent should approximately come to around $385 /mnth if 2 people are sharing a bedroom ,which is comparable to other places around boulder.

Things to look out for:

• There is an initial deposit of around $ 250 per head which is a standard procedure everywhere. The deposit will be returned when you complete the period of your lease.
• Rent has to be paid around the 3 rd of each month otherwise they have a fine of $45 with 10$ additional for every day you delay it.