Apartment/Condo Hunting
This is probably the most frustrating task a future medical student must complete before beginning school – finding a suitable place to call “home” for the next four years. The current economic situation has made this a “buyer’s market” as of late, but the prices are still considerable. Regardless of where I go, I’ll be paying around $1,000 a month for lodging+utilities for a one bed/one bath… not too bad for the Texas medical center.
I don’t intend on bringing a vehicle with me to medical school, as the METRORail will be my means for transportation. This makes access to a METRORail station a top priority in searching for an apartment. Since my parents live less than an hour away back at home, they’ll visit me every two weeks or so to stock my place with food and other supplies. This way, I’ll have one less thing to worry about while I’m focusing on staying in the top 10% (more like 50%) of my class. 
Aside from access to METRORail, safety is another concern. Crime is an inherent part to any major metropolitan city, but I’ve lived in the relatively safe, cosy suburbs of Houston my entire life. Reading about break-ins, shoot outs, and other acts of crime in the apartment complexes surrounding Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) makes me a bit skeptical, but I guess that’s the real world. Apparently, these acts are randomly distributed throughout the medical center making one complex just as likely as another to witness one of the aforementioned crimes. Oh well, I guess I’ll stick to that old saying: “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” Most BCM students tend to reside in the Lanesborough and Greenbriar apartments, so those are the ones I’m most interested in. I’ll also be looking into the new UT Housing and possibly some surrounding condos.
I’m fortunate to have received an “early” acceptance to BCM, so I can start planning my lodging situation out before the waitlists begin to grow. My mom, brother, and I will be heading over to that area tomorrow afternoon to check out some places, and hopefully, this nightmare will be resolved soon.
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Posted 3 years, 5 months ago
sounds like austin… pricing and crime and parking and just… NIGHTMARE.
make sure you’ll be comfortable. i know that after a long day of class from 9-4, a lab for 2 hours after that, and then a test from 7-9… (which im sure is comparable to a med school day), i loved being able to come home to a nice, decently comfortable apartment. i have friends who have apartments with like… a bed and a futon. and while yea, its cheap and stuff, they hate going home. while i love it
also, if you can, look into whether or not its a “party apartment complex.” i dont know if thats an issue where you’ll be… but uhh yea. last night, as i studied, i felt like i was in a club with the thumping that was going on around me haha.
Posted 3 years, 5 months ago
@ kasey: You’re so right about the noise. That’s why I’m interested in certain complexes over others. They’re saturated with healthcare students (medical, pharm, PA, etc.) who share the same “be quiet so I can study” mentality. Birds of a feather should flock together.
Posted 3 years, 5 months ago
Rishi, out of curiousity why exactly aren’t you taking your car? I mean, I understand you will be going to class and such on the Metro Rail, but what if an instance arises where you just *have* to go somewhere like visit friends at HBU?
Other than that, best of luck! And enjoy your day out with your mom (because I remember you saying how close you guys are) and Ricki!
Posted 3 years, 5 months ago
Man, it’s exciting to see/read all the changes and decisions that you’ll be undertaking on this journey to medical school. I pray you get one heck of an apartment in a great area!
And yes… top 10%! You can do it, Dr. Rishi.
Posted 3 years, 5 months ago
Hey Rishi, tell me about the apartment hunting. I am graduating in May and hopefully working at MD Anderson. PLease tell me about the apartment hunting. I need a place to stay too. A coule of doctors I know said that the medical center is not the best niegborhood. They say just buy a gun and shoot the bastard. They Republician in totally support the second admentment
Posted 3 years, 5 months ago
FYI, I know the previous property manager of the Lanesborough -he worked there up until mid November. The property manager before him let the place totally go to $hit. He went in & got things running properly & then Ike hit. As much as he tried to do right by his residents, the Richdale Group is a bunch of cheapos and several residents ended up getting screwed. He eventually got fed up with the company and their evil ways (their is more than what happened during Ike that bothered him) so he left. According to him, the new property manager is a good guy but kind of lazy. This = no good for future residents. I just wanted to warn you because with cost being an important factor, you will probably lean towards the Lanesborough. I stayed with a friend at the AMLI (on Almeda) when I first moved to Houston. I never heard of any break-ins so you may want to put that one on your list. There is also Versailles across the street from AMLI. The only thing with these is that you would probably have to park & ride to use the METROrail since they are a bit further. Good Luck!
Posted 3 years, 5 months ago
You going to look at the UT-H apartments, Rishi? Let me know how that goes!
Is there a particular reason why no one else here is talking about the UT-H apartments?
Posted 3 years, 5 months ago
Well after today, I’ve decided that I’m going to be commuting to BCM from home for the first 18 months, and then I’ll get an apartment for my clinicals. The drive is around 45 minutes (with moderate traffic) which isn’t too bad. Plus, I’ll end up saving ~$25,000 on lodging. I realized that the actual process of commuting in undergrad gave me some time before and after class to unwind. I would crank up the music, drop-top the convertible, and forget about school for 45 minutes – this, ironically, facilitated my retention ability tremendously. Hip hop music does a body good.
Anyways, I’m looking forward to staying in my beloved home, enjoying the luxuries I’ve grown so fond of over the years, and focusing on my upcoming tasks at BCM.
Posted 3 years, 5 months ago
That’s what I would do. Just stay at home the first 18 months. You got it man. It’s almost like you dig in my mind or something. Just buy the Bose noise-cancelling headphones and study at home and school. Then, move out for clinicals.
Posted 3 years, 5 months ago
So I guess apartment hunting did not go so well with you. Thanks now I know what I expected to lied ahead.
Posted 3 years, 5 months ago
a lot of ppl are doin that at utpharm… and im jealous. its just a huge comfort to kno that a few extra things are getting taken care of at home, you kno? even if your parents dont do much for you, its still a good comfort. especially when you dont wanna change your studying routine. the only drawback students here have had is its a strain if you have a night test, but other than that they love it. me, i roll out of bed and barely walk to class on time and end up walking home at lunch to get stuff. im spoiled by my west campus living. haha.
but yea, im a firm believer in sticking with what works, and clearly this works for you! and now you’ll have the added benefit of watching what happend with people living in different places, so you’ll have all the more pros and cons to add to your list when you make your decision when your clinicals start.
Posted 3 years, 5 months ago
… its early and im operating on ab 45 minutes of sleep. when i say “it” up there, im referring to living kind of far-ish away from campus with relatives, not near everyone else. dont judge me. im studying for possibly the last exam given in the year 2008 because UT sucks.
Posted 3 years, 5 months ago
Hahaha, awwwwww Kasey! Hang in there! You’ve got Christmas to look forward to after this one last exam!
Posted 3 years, 5 months ago
Great choice Rishi!
Posted 3 years, 5 months ago
I did a demo run to BCM this morning. It took ~50 minutes to get there, and ~40 minutes to get back home. Fortunately, the “simulation” should be representative of what I’ll actually experience, since I intentionally left home around peak traffic hour (7:20 AM) and ran into red lights at some major intersections. Also, since all the lectures are video-taped, if there’s a rainy morning where driving may not be the best idea, I can stay at home and watch the lecture from my room.
Posted 3 years, 4 months ago
staying home to watch videos… that’s a dangerous trap to fall into!!
don’t forget to account for the time it takes to park at one of the remote lots and take a red/white/blue TMC shuttle into campus.
Posted 3 years, 4 months ago
I was going to say, but you got it: Very smart move in staying with the parents during at least basic sciences.
Posted 3 years, 4 months ago
Not a problem. Overall, it’ll probably take me an hour on a “normal traffic” day, and I’m fine with that. But out of curiosity, am I not allowed to park in TMC Garage 4 (the one close to DeBakey Museum?)
Posted 3 years, 4 months ago
of course you can park in the garage… for $12 a day. Students can’t get contracts for the Garages. Therefore, you have to pay the same daily price as visitors. When you’re talking about providing parking for the largest medical center in the world… you just can’t provide convenient parking for those lowest on the totem pole. Your best bet is to get contract parking in one of the remote lots (which is about $58 a month last time I checked… which was awhile ago.) You may want to go ahead and get your name on the waiting list as well…
hopefully this will help you out:
http://www.texmedctr.tmc.edu/root/en/Visiting/Parking/ParkingHome.htm
Posted 3 years, 4 months ago
Your help is very much appreciated. I’ll call them as soon as the “holiday season” is over.