tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5081278835254695050.post3776197698876731459..comments2023-08-29T07:19:11.199-04:00Comments on *my-grad-life*: The Convenience Store That Rips You Off & The Convenience Store That Saved MeBarbarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14349434439462556057noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5081278835254695050.post-40923113539160845902011-03-29T00:28:22.272-04:002011-03-29T00:28:22.272-04:00Hi again! Thank you so much for all the informati...Hi again! Thank you so much for all the information! It has been SUPER helpful in figuring out where I want to live and where to look. It explains why some areas are cheaper for no apparent reason too. Sorry, I should have been clearer that I wanted to look for a place with a lease that *starts* in September, not to start *looking* in September (a September start would coincide with the start of my program). It's really important to me to be able to room with grad students and not undergrads since I'm hoping to be able to talk to people going through the same thing. Anyway, I would love to be able to give you a gift card to Starbucks or something. Let me know if there's a way I can do that.Angienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5081278835254695050.post-35216335741337531872011-03-25T10:41:17.442-04:002011-03-25T10:41:17.442-04:00Oh, I just realized that links don't show up p...Oh, I just realized that links don't show up properly in this comment section. Oops, haha, sorry.Barbarahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14349434439462556057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5081278835254695050.post-77247327701423614432011-03-25T10:40:43.084-04:002011-03-25T10:40:43.084-04:00Hi Angie!
Congratulations on your acceptance at Q...Hi Angie!<br /><br />Congratulations on your acceptance at Queen's! :) And thanks for reading!<br /><br />First, have you looked into Grad Residence? There are 6 floors of rooms located in a building called the JDUC (across from the library), specifically just for graduate students. A number of people in my program live at Grad Res this year, along with Masters students in the Sciences, MBAs, Law, etc. And I have to tell you that it's REALLY REALLY convenient. It's located right at the heart of campus, and you can get to basically anywhere in a matter of minutes. So if you're looking for convenience, and at a place that houses ALL grad students, this is it. The only con is that it's a bit expensive: almost $7000 a year (I think). The pros: convenience and you get your own bathroom and shower? haha. Anyway, rooms at Grad Res are on a first-come-first-serve basis, so apply early if you're interested in living there. Here's a link: http://housing.queensu.ca/residences/gradresidence.asp <br /><br />Second, it isn't too hard to find off-campus housing, although if you wait until September, you'll probably find there are slim pickings. A lot of places around here have a May to April lease, meaning a lot of grad students this year on a two-year program already have places for next year. Granted, though, most of them chose apartments instead of shared accomodation though. When I searched for places last year, I drove to Kingston for a day in late June/early July, lined up about 7-8 appointments, and found a place just fine, so you may want to start looking a little earlier than September. <br /><br />There are a lot of off-campus houses that are strictly for graduate students, though, if you're specifically looking for shared accomodation with other grad students (vs. an apartment of your own). You'll find a lot of landlords prefer graduate students because they think they are more "reliable." I actually found my place (with Masters students in the MPA, Engineering, and Teachers College programs) through Craigslist Kingston, where my landlord specifically requested grad student tenants. Besides Grad Res, grad students live all over the place, but you'll find that very few (if any) live in the Student Ghetto. Many live at the apartments on top of the stores on Princess Street (the "downtown," though these are really expensive apartments), others live East of Barrie Street or just a tad West of Albert Street. Whatever you do, though, avoid avoid avoid University Avenue from Union Street to Princess Street. It's full of undergrads.<br /><br />Here are some search databases you might find helpful:<br /><br />1. Queen's University Housing (Search button on the left):<br />http://housing.queensu.ca/community_housing/<br />and this too:<br />https://listingservice.housing.queensu.ca/index.php/rental/rentalsearch/action/search/<br /><br />2. Varsity Properties:<br />http://www.varsityproperties.com/<br /><br />3. Keystone Properties:<br />http://www.keyprop.com/<br /><br />4. Craigslist Kingston/Kijiji Kingston<br />(a lot of landlords advertise here, so <br /><br />5. Here's a map that outlines where everything is in Kingston. Wait for all the markers to load! The Blue Square in the middle shows where the "Student Ghetto" is, meaning really expensive/bad housing for undergrads. Don't live there!! Here's the map:<br />http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=205491307328930651161.00048256627c2880570fe&ll=44.230318,-76.491194&spn=0.017282,0.035963&z=15<br /><br />Sorry for such a long reply! Haha, I just know how stressful it can be to find a place around here. My main advice, though, is to start looking a bit earlier than September, mid-August at the latest (though that's already pretty late). And, when you're searching, specifically look for "grad student shared accomodation." <br /><br />Let me know if you have any other questions. And congrats again! :)<br /><br />BarbaraBarbarahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14349434439462556057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5081278835254695050.post-33556077897976772612011-03-25T00:39:22.713-04:002011-03-25T00:39:22.713-04:00Hi there! Long time lurker finally commenting... ...Hi there! Long time lurker finally commenting... I came across your blog while googling for Asian grocery stores in Kingston, lol, and got hooked on periodically checking while waiting to see if I was accepted for a MSc at Queen's. I am finally accepted and was wondering if you could tell me a) how hard it is to find off-campus housing starting in September that isn't dumpy (is everything good taken early?), and b) where do most grad student live? I'm looking for roomies who are grad students too and not sure where to look since I'm from the GTA too. Thanks! I really appreciate your blog.Angienoreply@blogger.com