RGN campus or Sandy hill area

[Candiens12]

Hi Guys,

 

I will start medicine at Ottawa in September but i really dont know anything about the city. I was just wondering is the RGN area ok to live in if i dont have a car, i have a bike, or would it be too much of a hassle to get anywhere. How is the bus service? What about the sandy hill area, is it quiet? Or do you tend to get a lot of noise there? Where do most med students tend to live.

 

Thanks Guys

[benge88]

You're going to get a lot of undergrads in Sandy Hill, and there is often a LOT of noise in that particular area. The bus service in Ottawa is actually pretty great, and there is a shuttle that runs from the RGN campus to main campus in addition to the city buses

[meera]

Hi there,

I was trying to find a good thread to post this under.

If you end up looking in the Sandy Hill area, I am planning on renting out my condo, furnished, starting Sept 1, 2012.

We are about a 5 minute walk from bus station (that can get u to the civic too) and about a 5minute walk to th free shuttle that runs from the main campus to RGN a few times/day. Here is the ad thats up on kijiji; let me know if you are interested:

 

2 bedroom, 2 bathroom, Fully furnished 2 level condo for rent. 2 Balconies overlooking park and Rideau river. Top floor of building, underground parking and storage. Right at Ottawa U, walk to Canal, Market, Elgin. Easy off and on Queensway and close to Major Bus Stop. Convenient location in the city combined with the privacy and peacefulness of living on the river. $2000 per month.

[qwerty002]

There are many neighbourhoods in Ottawa other than Sandy Hill and directly by the general hospital (where RGN is located) … they might even be nicer (though I'm sure some would debate that). Although Freedom Private is nice, Ottawa has an extensive bus system which you will automatically have access to via the U-pass which is included in your tuition (unless you decide to live on the Gatineau side).

 

Neighbourhoods like the Glebe offer easy access to small sustainable shops and beautiful parks. I would argue it's a much nicer place to live than the cold, suburban feel of Freedom Private or the noisy undergrad party town that Sandy Hill morphs into every September. Affordable rents are available in this neighbourhood where you can rent spacious apartments with easy access to transit and less than half an hour commute to school and a ten-fifteen minute bus ride to the market.

 

Other places you can look into are the hurdman complexes (large towers right at a main transit artery and incredibly convenient & quiet); the market (needs a bit more research, but many wonderful places are available at higher rent); the Lees complexes (very close to the Hurdman complexes and similar in nature, generally less expensive; I would recommend a visit since some are very nice others not so much). There are many apartments in centertown with excellent access to transit and good rent. In this case note that the transit way goes down Slater and Albert (both one way streets in opposite directions that cross the core and connect it to the entire city including to Hurdman station where you would need to take the 106 to the Hospital). Living close to those arteries may offer you more amenities (gyms, shops, theatres, etc.), less of a student-feel, and easy access to essentially the entire city!

 

If you're on a tight budget, I would recommend looking into Vanier (and doing your research, again a place with really nice spots and terrible ones too!).

 

I would recommend that you take the time to explore your options on kijiji, craigslist, etc.etc., and not necessarily limit yourself to only two neighbourhoods. PM me if you have specific questions about specific parts of town, or anything else.