Relocating to ATL and need assistance :) (Atlanta, Sandy Springs: apartment, transfer, school)

[Brainiac2012]

Hello Everyone!

I am 25 years old and relocating to Atlanta,GA this august to attend Clark Atlanta for graduate school.
I am a single hispanic male and I am seeking a one bedroom apartment and I do have a vehicle but seeking an area that will range between 500-800/monthly rent. I would like this area to be near the malls, marta and the airport which I am aware that the marta does link to the airport. I prefer the suburbs but don't want to be too far from the school to the point where if my vehicle is not working one day I will be stranded. These are the areas I am interested in and in this order but would like some input from people who live, have lived or are originally from Georgia to assist me in this. If you have not ever been to Georgia please do not comment because I can't go off someone who hasn't actually experienced the cities I've listed.

* Decatur
*Sandy Springs/ Dunwoody
* Buckhead
* Riverdale
* Ellenwood
*Smyrna
*College Park
*Bank Head

[MattCW]

Your top 3 choices would all be good for the transit access. Clark Atlanta University does have shuttle service from the MARTA stations into the campus. Decatur would offer you a one-seat ride to the Vine City or Ashby stations, but transferring at Five Points from your next too choices wouldn't be too bad. In terms of suburbanness, in my opinion, your top three choices are in order from most suburban to most urban, but there isn't too much difference. For Malls access, your second two choices are the better bet however as they have one-seat rides to both Perimeter and Lenox Malls. Going solely off what you've described, I'd say the choice would simply boil down to if you can find a place within your budget. I can't really speak to that short of looking at the apartment sites myself.
Information about shuttle services to CAU and the other universities around there are at this link:
shuttle services schedule