On-campus or Off-campus housing of UAB (Birmingham, Southside: rental, house, dorms) - City-Data Forum

kourosh · 11-13-2009, 12:38 PM

Hi everybody:
I am an international student who wants to attend the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) for PhD for the first time. I hesitate over whether to choose on-campus dormitory or rent a house outside of UAB? My priorities are safety and low price. Any suggestions and help would be really appreciated.

Kourosh

Threestep · 11-13-2009, 12:51 PM

What is your budget for rent/utilities/transportation?

kourosh · 11-13-2009, 01:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Threestep

What is your budget for rent/utilities/transportation?

I have found an on-campus dorm with one room and two residents for $1800 per semester. Is cheaper off-campus rental house found? But, the problem of that on-campus dorm is that I should live with a person whom I don't know.

bluebeard · 11-13-2009, 01:20 PM

I believe part of the package is that you have to buy a meal plan as well. Either way $1800/semester for a single shared room is a rip-off.
It is much cheaper to live in Southside. Usually the program director or someone else in your department can help out. OR try craigslist.org

mcatp · 11-14-2009, 10:12 AM

you have to buy a meal plan but its only $200. It might be cheaper to live in Southside but parking at UAB has been really difficult this year (from what I've heard). It might be worth it living on campus so not spending an hour to park. Even in the dorms where you live with someone you can lock your bedroom so they cannot come into it. The only personal belongings they could mess with are those in the common areas like the kitchen.

southerngumdrops · 11-14-2009, 09:34 PM

i think you can get private rooms (1 person per room) on campus...that might give you a bit of much needed privacy (since you're going to be doing a lot of studying). and yes, parking on campus is TERRIBLE

bosshawk · 11-15-2009, 06:49 PM

Parking on campus is bad, BUT it is honestly not much better living in the dorms. Most lots for dorms are a little bit of a walk, and then you would need to walk 5-8 blocks to most classes - more than in any lot or deck. Parking at the deck off University puts you within 4 blocks of basically any class building on campus.

To put it in perspective, people cry about the parking siuation so much simply because it is one of the few places in the Birmingham area where parking is at a high premium. Add in the fact that almost any university requires several blocks of walking to and from classes. If you are coming from a university and/or outside the Bham area, the parking will not be much of an issue to you.

bluebeard · 11-16-2009, 12:53 PM

If you live on Southside you don't need to drive.
If you don't live on Southside, you can park in Southside for free and walk for 15 minutes.
There is no parking shortage.

Students here are ridiculous with their parking complaints. This is the only University where parking is perceived as a right. I've gone to a school where if you wanted to drive, you had to pay for an expensive parking permit, then wait for a shuttle to take you up to your classes.
And if you are searching for parking for an hour, you have incredibly poor decision making abilities. Let's say you need to live out of town for a legitimate reason (the only two I can think of are that you live at home or that you have children that need a decent school). You can park in Southside, say near the CVS, which is a 10-15 minute walk away from the campus.
There is no parking problem here. Just a bunch of lazy students that can't walk 15 minutes or bike for 5, but can drive for 30.
Take a look at many other colleges in other parts of the countries. There are actually grocery stores and other convenience besides bars and a few affordable restaurants within a walking distance of the school. We have a catch-22 at UAB. People need a car, precisely because everyone owns one. and feels the need to drive to the doorstop of the school building.

kourosh · 11-16-2009, 03:54 PM

Thank you very much to everyone for providing me information about Bham.
But, my concern is not about parking. 'cause. I don't intend to buy a car. Besides, I love walking and so this is not a problem for. The only concern is economical and safety aspects of the place I want to live.

A person advised me that I live at dorm for the first semester and after that I get familiar with Birmingham, I can decide better.

mcatp · 11-16-2009, 05:01 PM

I don't know if you are male or female but as a female I would not live by myself in southside. Walking at night by yourself isn't the brightest idea. It got better over my four years at UAB but I did have a few incidents when I didn't feel safe walking back to the dorm from one of the buildings after a night class. And if please no one bring up the call a ride van that can take you back b/c those are so unreliable you wouldnt know when you are going to be picked up.