Vidita tells about the cost of living and finding a suitable accommodation in Jersey City, USA

Study expenses - tuition and others

Always focus on getting a good GPA; which can help you in getting a teaching or graduate assistantship. I earned teaching assistantship because of which my fees for the entire master’s program was waived off and on top of that I got a stipend of $500 which helped me with my living expenses. I never ask my parents to send money to me. If you are not having any of these - your expense would be around $40-45K per year for your master’s fees. Living should be somewhere $600 per month (including grocery and rent). Also, it may take another $100 a month for commuting.

Average monthly expenditure

My monthly expenditure is somewhere around $500-$600. It depends on which part of the USA you are living in. Cities like NY, Boston, and California will be much more expensive as compared to FL, NJ, and Texas.

The average cost for a student to live in the city

As stated, New York City is always expensive. Rent will cost you $400-$450 and grocery, electricity, and internet ($150/month) and commute ($120/ month).

Money spent on basic requirements like cooking gas, electricity, internet, laundry, movies, and dinner

New Jersey was cheaper than New York. I always recommend to look for good deals on movies. Because of the increased competition, mobile operators offer half the prices on certain days. So try to watch movies accordingly. Cooking gas in New Jersey cost $2.31 per gallon. Electricity and internet will cost somewhere around ($30-$50/month) depending on the weather. Further, grocery will cost you around $70-$80/month. Again all these expenses are on sharing basis. If you have your own plan of the internet it can cost you more.

Food expenses

My monthly expenditure on food come across $100 maximum.

Details of travel expenses

It depends on where you are living and the mode of transport you are using to commute. A bus will cost you $1.5-$4.5 per ride. Trains will cost you $2-$9 per ride. So this depends on where you are living. I used to take 2 rides that cost me $2 per ride and I used to commute 5 days a week.

Details of unforeseen expenses

Books, any specific material which you may need during your program. Any specific material for preparation for a certification exam. Apart from this, you need to pay fees if you are pursuing any extra classes and also commuting charges for the same.

Any special discounts for students

Try to be in touch with your seniors and professors. Always be active in knowing more about the developments going on in your field. Do you need to attend any conference, workshop or special classes which can differentiate you from others? And always make sure universities have a special fund for participating in such an activity. They sometimes waive the travel expenses (in case you need it). If you are using any special material which is helpful for the entire course - University may order it for all the students, so always try to create a unique personality and ready to learn each and every single moment. One should always aspire to do things differently! I earned teaching assistantship and got an internship and a full-time job through campus interview. My two research papers were published at the Long Island University. As a student, I worked as the President of International Student Association. When I graduated, the university nominated me twice as Class leader of LIU-Alumni chapter. Also, currently, I am working with Regulatory Affairs Advisor Committee. USA has plenty of opportunities to offer, be ready to grab as much as you can.

Pros and Cons of On-campus or off-campus accommodation

Well, if the student is coming for bachelor/undergraduate, I will certainly recommend for on-campus accommodation. One of the reasons is that the student will be new to the surrounding, culture, and atmosphere. For their own personal growth and career perspective, I would strongly recommend staying on-campus. Here, they can focus and participate in the day to day university activities, use the library and work closely with professors and seniors. For students who are coming to pursue the master or any postgraduate course, I will recommend staying off-campus. It will certainly help to learn the importance of sharing, how to prepare for household stuff, basic necessities like electricity, public transport, and finding the house etc. I stayed in the sharing apartment for 4 years during my master program which was 40 minutes away from my university but that helped me a lot in my own personal development. I learned so many things like; how to start your routine, plan for it; how to deal with inclement weather, how to set up electricity or internet in your home, and how to live with other people. I learned the concept of sharing. In addition, I have come across many new people and that helped me to establish a network and professional contacts.

Best off-campus option: PG, home-stay or shared apartment

I will never recommend staying in an apartment alone. You will never learn the importance of sharing and never create friends. The more you exchange your views, meet people, I guess you will learn many things.

PG: It depends on how you find it; I heard people having difficulties with food; sometime PG owners won’t serve good food. I have friends who are staying with a family and they are treating her like their daughter; serving good food, and also allow the tenants to cook.

Sharing Apartment: Again, how you are living; shared room or shared apartment, that's also a huge topic of discussion. Well, I stayed in the shared apartment, but, we all have our own personal rooms and I have framed a rule that grocery will never split so we took dinner and lunch together. We celebrate all the festivals, summer and holidays with roommates and create our good memory. To all the students who are planning to come to the USA, one should always make sure that you need to learn to give and put your attitude on the side and neglect the small things. These are very small things; you are here to shape your career.

Finding a suitable accommodation on arrival

I never faced difficulties. There are so many ways now a days, like university blog, Indian student group, international student group, and town group. You just have to post your need and you will come across with many options. Social networking sites like Facebook, WhatsApp, Craigslist, and Sulekha will certainly help you. Also, I stayed in the same house for 4 years so, I never faced any difficulties.

Negotiating for rent/lease

Well, if you are nice and keeping the house clean I don't think the owner will ever ask you to increase the rent or cut the lease. Generally, people saying it is hard to find parking space in Jersey City, NJ. In this case, our owner gave us a free parking spot. So that also depends on your nature.

Facilities you can expect/ask from a PG, home-stay, or shared apartment

For vegetarian students, it’s a challenge to share the apartment as they might have to face the smell of non-veg food in the house. Again, it's your way to look out. I always wanted to stay with vegetarian students (no offense); just that we never split our grocery and live like a family. So, I always came across with those people.

Factors to consider before selecting the location

If you don't have a vehicle, always make sure you can get public transport easily. Also, laundry should be nearby (in case you don't have any inside the house) and a small grocery store nearby. So, in rough day/inclement weather at least you can get milk, potatoes, cookies, and basic food too.

Are you satisfied with your present accommodation (city)?

Yes, no doubt.

About the Author:

Vidita Desai completed her M.S in Drug Regulatory Affairs from Long Island University, Jersey City and Bachelors in Pharmacy (K.B. Institute of Pharmacy), Gandhinagar. Currently, she is working as Regulatory Affairs Specialist focusing on international markets.