You can sublet or rent apartments for a range of time. Many dance studios have postings on bulletin boards for rentals and sublets, and craigslist: new york city online community, and the Village Voice and The New York Times are great resources for finding apartments. Many apartments require that you go through a broker, and this entails an additional (and often substantial) fee. Some “no fee” apartments are listed in publications, and there are also websites dedicated to “no fee” apartments, but they usually require a registration fee.

Some Thoughts on Housing:

1. Always check out your potential neighborhood in the daytime and night time before signing a lease/making a commitment. Think about walking home by yourself at midnight from the subway.

2. Ask your potential neighbors (or roommates, if you are leasing a room) about their experiences with the neighborhood and the landlord.

3. Neighborhoods can change quite quickly, both in terms of what is safe/what isn’t, and also in terms of price/popularity.

4. Distance is not always the best measure—an apartment that is advertised as “5 miles from Manhattan” may actually require a long commute by the time you take 3 forms of public transportation!

5. Good deals (nice apartment, nice neighborhood, nice price) can be found, but are probably going to take patience and hunting!

Cheaper areas to live: This list was created to help students who are new to NYC, but please know that it is: 1) not comprehensive; 2) opinionated!

MANHATTAN: Inwood, Washington Heights, Harlem, Morningside Heights, and some sections of the Upper East Side. Since safety varies by area, check out the apartment and the neighborhood thoroughly. In general, the western side of upper Manhattan is safer than the eastern side, and the areas around City College (130’s), Columbia University (110-120’s), and the northern part of Inwood (200’s) are reasonable places to find an apartment.

QUEENS: Astoria, Rego Park, Long Island City, Jackson Heights, Kew Gardens, Woodside, Sunny Side. Jamaica and southern Long Island City are really not safe; Rockaway is a good 1.5-2 hours from Midtown Manhattan.

BROOKLYN: Sunset Park, Prospect Park area, Bay Ridge, Clinton Hill, Williamsburg. Park Slope rents are usually high, but you can find a good deal. Stay away from Bed-Stuyvesant, Crown Heights, East NY! Coney Island is 1.5 hours from midtown Manhattan.

BRONX: Safety is questionable.

STATEN ISLAND: A substantial commute.

NEW JERSEY: Areas of Jersey City and Weehawken are safe and affordable.