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I'm thinking of moving back to NY after undergraduate. I'm trying to establish myself as a writer, and I would like to get my MFA, and network, there.
I used to live there as a kid, but I don't know anything about the cost of living, specifically, since that was 10 years ago. I only know that when I visit family, my pockets are drained by the transit alone, and I currently live in DC.
Any information for students trying to live in NY? Most affordable boroughs, etc.? Thanks.
I would imagine that the relative cost of living has gone up significantly since 2000. This is currently the most expensive city in the country to live in. The outer boroughs would be cheaper than Manhattan, though. Brooklyn and Manhattan in particular tend to be popular with students.
Are you currently in the process of having your network established? Try to get yourself established prior to coming to the city. It will make things like job placement and relocation so much easier.
NETWORK, NETWORK, NETWORK!
Did I mention network? I work in the finance field, which is probably different in terms of what you want to do and where you want to get your foot in the door, but before I moved to NYC I called/facebooked/emailed everyone I knew that was in NYC. I am actually good friends with a girl now who studied abroad with a friend of a friend in Australia - she set us up via twitter. NYC is the one place I've been that people are very open about what they do for work, their friends, and setting you up.
I live in Brooklyn (Williamsburg) and love it. What is your price point for renting?
Not to interject, but I'm kind of in the same boat. I'm getting a second degree in graphic design and want to move to NYC in a year. Is $5000 a good enough start to move and get going in NYC? Minnesota is fine and all, but I think a newer (more fabulous) city would be a great experience for me. I know 2 people that live there (one nice girl, the other one a kind of...well, you know the type).
Not to interject, but I'm kind of in the same boat. I'm getting a second degree in graphic design and want to move to NYC in a year. Is $5000 a good enough start to move and get going in NYC? Minnesota is fine and all, but I think a newer (more fabulous) city would be a great experience for me. I know 2 people that live there (one nice girl, the other one a kind of...well, you know the type).
Always better to start your own thread than hijack someone else's.
That being said, $5,000 is fine to move with IF you will be sub-letting a room in an apartment (ie, not signing your own lease which requires 1 month's rent in security deposit + 1st month's rent + possible broker fee of 1 month up to 15% of annual rent + $50-100 application/credit check fee ALL due at signing) AND you already have a job lined up. Depending on how you plan to move (either fly yourself & ship your stuff OR rent a UHaul/Penske and drive your stuff yourself), budget between $1,000-$3,000 for moving expenses.
If you plan to rent your own apartment (minimum $1,200-$1,500 for studio rent in a safe desirable neigbhorhood in Manhattan, Queens, or Brooklyn....on the higher end for Manhattan), you'd need $2,500-$5,800 to sign a lease (depends on rent & if you're paying a broker), plus the $1,000-$3,000 to move yourself. That would be a total of $3,500-8,800 IF you already have a job lined up.
If you don't have a job lined up, you need to bring 6 months of living expenses...or around $1,800-$2,000/mo BARE MINIMUM to cover rent, food, bills, & metro card. That would be another $10,000-$12,000 to cover you until you find a full-time job that pays ok.
So the answer is, it depends. You may or may not have enough money saved, depending on your plans for your living situation and how your job hunt goes.
I'm thinking of moving back to NY after undergraduate. I'm trying to establish myself as a writer, and I would like to get my MFA, and network, there.
I used to live there as a kid, but I don't know anything about the cost of living, specifically, since that was 10 years ago. I only know that when I visit family, my pockets are drained by the transit alone, and I currently live in DC.
Any information for students trying to live in NY? Most affordable boroughs, etc.? Thanks.
You should send a PM to Stinatado (I think, ??), who is a regular poster on here and works in NYC with a MFA from Columbia, if I remember correctly.
It's a tough life trying to break into your field in NYC. As for living expenses, budget about 25% more than DC costs.
I am doing my MFA at Columbia, but in the theater program. That said, the workshops the MFA writing division offers look phenomenal, but we theater kids barely have time to sleep, let alone take extra classes. I believe at least one of the CUNY's has a decent creative writing MFA, so it might be worthwhile to move up here and establish residency for cheap tuition. That was actually my plan until Brooklyn College canceled my program as I was working on the application, and I ended up at Columbia instead. It's more expensive, but I am in a highly specialized field with only half a dozen schools offering my program, so my choices were limited. Creative writing is a lot more common so you probably won't have the same problems I had.
As for the writing scene, unless you want to be a journalist, it tends to be more of a solitary profession. If you have the skills to land yourself a decent day job (ie, one that gives you enough time to write and still pay the bills), then it can be very rewarding and you'll be able to take creative risks while still paying the bills, which is key. I can tell you from experience that it's very hard to be creative when you're literally starving. I was very lucky and got an admin job that pays enough to cover my bills while I only work part time. Before school, I'd freelance in my free time and now I study. It works well, although it's definitely not easy finding a part time job to pay your bills and I do not have a lot of material possessions.
The nice thing about being in a creative field in NYC is that you can network like crazy. You can meet publishers at a mixer and become more than a face in the crowd- that can become invaluable when you're still learning who to take advice from.
As TurtleCreek said, you can totally PM me if you have other questions. I know theater isn't quite publishing, but I have learned a few tricks about living in NYC as an artist (tip 1- you don't actually need nearly as much stuff as you think you do).
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I work in the finance field, which is probably different in terms of what you want to do and where you want to get your foot in the door, but before I moved to NYC I called/facebooked/emailed everyone I knew that was in NYC. I am actually good friends with a girl now who studied abroad with a friend of a friend in Australia - she set us up via twitter. NYC is the one place I've been that people are very open about what they do for work, their friends, and setting you up. 
