Guest Oliver Sacks Posted May 17, 2006 Report Share Posted May 17, 2006 I'm going to be starting at MUN in the fall, and I was wondering if some current students could help me out a bit... I'm hoping to go to St. John's by mid-July to check out some apartments and hopefully decide where I'm going to live. Is that likely too late to find a nice bachelor apartment (location-wise, price-wise, size-wise, etc.) given that I'm competing with thousands of other current students? More importantly, are there any good sites online where I might do some searching before I go? Are there specific areas of town where most students tend to live off-campus? And one other thing: is it really necessary to have a car during the pre-clerkship years? Do most students in 1st and 2nd year have cars? How far away do most students live from campus? How far away is the local Dominion grocery store from where most students live? Sorry for all the questions; it's just hard to know where to start since I've only been to the city once. And I'd like to avoid making the same mistakes (ie. signing onto an apartment, site unseen) I have in the past when it comes to arranging these kinds of things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest yves m Posted May 17, 2006 Report Share Posted May 17, 2006 Hey, It is hard to tell you exactly where to live. Alot of people live around the Elizabeth Avenue area or around University Avenue in apartments in houses. They are good walking distances from the university. Others really like the downtown area which is really nice and you usually get a house to yourself or with others. It is a great area but getting to school will be tougher. Buses in the city are not bad however and could get the job done. Most of these areas are not too far from grocery stores. We have alot of them. Most 1st and 2nd years do not have cars for the most part but many do. 3rd and 4th years tend to get cars. It usually isn't too hard to find an apartment in St. John's as far as I can tell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ronin Posted May 17, 2006 Report Share Posted May 17, 2006 You could try looking at the classifieds in The Telegram www.thetelegram.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest yves m Posted May 17, 2006 Report Share Posted May 17, 2006 If you are looking to see where exact streets are located in St. John's you can use this link: www.stjohns.ca/access/maps/index.jsp It takes a bit of fooling around to find areas but you can find exact houses with this interactive map. The university is located around the east end area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Oliver Sacks Posted May 17, 2006 Report Share Posted May 17, 2006 Muchos gracias, guys! Funny you should have mentioned the interactive map, Yves. I was just roaming around the Net looking for precisely that (a map of SJ's with enough specificity, I mean). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest queenoftrauma Posted May 17, 2006 Report Share Posted May 17, 2006 I'm in a similar boat. I'm from Ontario, but may be going to MUN in September (still considering one other school!). One website I found really helpful is the MUN Offcampus Housing Listings www.munhousing.ca/housing...w-listings Each listing has a link to a map, so you can see where the apartment or house is relative to MUN. Hope this helps! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest stevetilley Posted May 18, 2006 Report Share Posted May 18, 2006 Congrats on getting in. Almost everyone here has a car during pre-clerkship. When I was in 1st year, there were maybe 4 or 5 people in the class who didn't have cars. It is possible to get by without one although it makes life more inconvenient. Your call. Cheers, Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Oliver Sacks Posted May 18, 2006 Report Share Posted May 18, 2006 Hi Steve, I'm curious: what is it exactly about living in St. John's (during pre-clerkship) that necessitates having a car? Or what makes it so inconvenient not having one? Wouldn't most things be within walking distance if you're living near MUN? Also, do you know what most med students do about arranging for an apartment starting in August (since orientation begins ~August 22nd)? I mean, most places want you to move in and start paying rent in either September or June. Do you just pay rent for June and July even though you're not living there? It seems I'm in a bit of a predicament.... Furthermore, the people I've contacted so far to inquire about apartments are telling me that all their places will be gone by the time I could get there at the end of June to see them ("apartments around MUN are at a premium"; "people are booking places now for September"). But I don't really want to sign onto a place before I've seen it, nor shell out $1200 in rent just to hold the place until August....sheesh. I hate figuring this stuff out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest melNB Posted May 18, 2006 Report Share Posted May 18, 2006 Anyone in the first year class looking for a roomate? Send me a PM. I would like to live within walking distance from the hospital/school. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mednl Posted May 20, 2006 Report Share Posted May 20, 2006 Hey Oliver Sacks, My parents have a few houses here in St. John's so I'm familar with how apartments go and whatnot. I really wouldn't believe anyone when they say that all the apartments you would like to look at would be gone by June. And I highly suggest looking (or at least getting someone else to look) at a place before you sign into anything. However, saying all of that, from my experience I would guess that if you're hoping not to move in and pay until Aug you'll be somewhat disappointed. My suggestion is to wait until you see the places in June and then agree for something and start paying rent as of July 1 or whatever it is they want. Also... as a little free advertisement. I have a friend who has a Bachelor, ground level basement apt for rent. Its on Grenfell Ave which is probably a 15 min walk to mun (a little more to the hospital). Its 450 a month + 40% oil and own electricity. If anyones interested just wend me a private msg. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest stevetilley Posted May 26, 2006 Report Share Posted May 26, 2006 I agree completely with mednl regarding apartments, if you find one starting July 1st that's your best bet. Its pretty easy to get a nice apartment for a good price these days, especially since over the past few years a BUNCH of new 2 apartment homes have been built around the city. Regarding the car, St.John's is a suburban type of city. The public transportation sucks and takes forever to get from A to B. Also, out weather isn't the greatest making walking a pain. You will likely have to go to one of the other hospitals or to one of many community based clinics as part of the the preclerkship clinical skills program. You can try to hitch a ride with someone else I suppose. Also, you'll have a 2 week rural visit in each of 1st and 2nd year both of which are hard to do without a car. It has been done to go through years 1 and 2 sans car, but it wouldn't be me! Cheers, Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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