Baby Steps: Housing at USC, Los Angeles

ADVISORY: The information shared here may NOT be factually accurate. All the information used here is may be freely reproduced. The Author is NOT responsible for any outcomes based on using advice listed here. Heck, its a personal blog!


#‎HousingatLA‬

Decide a budget
-less than 400, shared with a few people
-greater than 750, single room
-shared upscale living 900-1100 (Lorenzo, Gateway, Icon Place...)
-Individual apartment 1500+

Usually you pay separately for Utilities (Water, Electricity, Internet, Cable) varies from 80-150$ a month per apartment. Housing prices are fairly stable +-100, you could find a great place at very cheap rates or pay outrageous rates for a dump. The above are mainly right next to USC. Call on lady luck. Location and price are interrelated. Craigslist is the Housing bible of LA. Also ZIlliow and other sites.

Decide a location (close to/far from; I prefer as close to Uni as possible), furnished/Unfurnished, check-out places, talk to people, then decide. If you are not sure you can come here and find a place, please don't sign shitty deals from home.

Ellendale is mini-Indo-China and considered super secure, but I think its over rated. Off Figueroa is commercial and fun, South Vermont is quiet but sketchy. Lorenzo is in a sketchy area but like freaking palace. So make decisions based on your preferences.

Happy home hunting.

BTW I'm new too so asking: Neil, Is 1699 Hogwarts a good place to live, may not get you the ideal answer! By the way if any one from USC Cinematic Arts, Undergrad, screenwriters... looking for a fully furnished room in a 2BHK bang opposite USC, message me. Cheers! 

Baby steps: Life in USC, Los Angeles

#LifeinLA

-The West coast of the US is generally very casual. Shorts and Tees are the norm. You will understand that when you're here, so lease carry some shorts. 

- Safety is very relative. From what I see the American standards of safety and that of our own are very different. More so I've not heard of an Indian getting mugged ever. (May be because those mugging know we aren't worth. There are like 3 police forces: LAPD, Highway Patrol and USC Private Security. Duh!

- A great pair of polaroid sunglasses, invest your rupees & you will save quite a few $.

- A car would be awesome but not needed, a zip car would be great. LA is a car-city; Every Tom, Dick and Ramamurthy has a car here.

- A telephone is like basic necessity. I think you should reach drop bags, open bank account and get a connection if possible on the same day! Could be the best thing ever!  

Baby Steps: Touchdown LA

I reached LA yesterday. Sleep as much as possible based on the time in LA; it would be easier to adjust! 

The first thing I did was open an account; the main options are Bank of America (BoFA), USC Credit Union (CC) & Chase Manhattan (Chase). 
If you are a USC Student below 23 years BoFA offers a college account, and USC student below 24 then CHASE offers a college account. College accounts are free and you only have to pay for incoming wire transfers and additional cheque leaves. I opened with Chase, though there's not much of a difference between them. MOst Indian students use BoFA.

Form the airport terminal, once you are done with your formalities (verifying i20, claiming baggage) you walk out to the right of the terminal... keep going straight and you find a "Super/Prime Shuttle boarding area". Prime is a little more expensive 20$ while Super Shuttle costs 15$ to the USC area. You can ask the attendant(Mr.Mahmood Suba for Super Shuttle) for the other places like Culver city. The costs are pre-fixed, you also have to tip the driver about 3$. The shuttle's are big vans that take people around.

Any other doubts, feel free to shoot.  And today I'll be getting a phone and also checking out Housing! 

PS: This place is BEAUTIFUL!