Almost all American colleges or universities provide dormitories for students. These dormitories are located on or near the campus, and are generally single students, not couples or families. Dormitory is a good place to meet American students and make new friends. Dormitory rooms are equipped with simple furniture, and many dorms also have restaurants. Some dorms may have kitchens. Generally speaking, student dormitories have public recreation rooms.
The biggest advantage of campus accommodation is that classes are convenient and campus safety can be guaranteed. Under normal circumstances, students have a great demand for student dormitories, and it may not be so easy to want a dormitory. Fill in the housing application form and send it back as soon as you receive the admission notice from your favorite school. You may need to pay a deposit. Some university dormitories are very tight, and the school needs to draw lots to decide who can live in them. First of all, the dormitory is closest to the school, so it is very safe. The second point is that the dormitory in the school is cheaper and the facilities are particularly good. In addition, many school dormitories will also provide a living room (if you live outside new york, you will definitely rent out the living room, otherwise the rent will be too expensive), but schools generally don't let people live in the living room. At that time, the school will sign the contract according to the number of bedrooms, and you are not allowed to secretly add a person to live in the living room. One of my classmates found out and was asked to move out immediately. But if your friends come, it should be no problem to stay for a few days.
Some campus dormitories are closed on holidays; Dormitories in other schools are open all year round. If you need to live in the dormitory during holidays and festivals, you must ask in advance whether the dormitory is open during these hours. If your school dormitory is open all the year round, you can rent out the room when you go home during the holidays, but remember to apply, otherwise there may be disputes.
Many rooms in the student dormitory are shared with one or more other students. Your roommate will be of the same sex as you don't know. Of course, you can also apply to live with friends and classmates, but you must do it earlier. There are few times when roommates are not suitable. If you don't get along well with your roommate, you can discuss your situation with your dormitory counselor or anyone in charge of housing in the school. In extreme cases, it is possible to change dormitories or roommates.
2. Off-campus housing
Housing types include furnished and unfurnished apartments and houses, privately-run dormitories, cooperative apartments and rented houses in private houses. To find off-campus housing, please ask the university housing office, or look at the classified advertisements in the local newspaper (also known as "demand advertisements" or "classified advertisements"). Now many American newspapers have Internet addresses, so you can check off-campus housing before you come to the United States. You can also look at the campus advertisement column to see if anyone is looking for a roommate to rent an apartment. Ask someone who knows the local situation for help or ask the teaching secretary for information.
1) off-campus dormitory
Sometimes there are private dormitories near the campus. These are specially designed to provide accommodation for students. They operate in a similar way to university dormitories, but they are privately owned. Its cost is generally a little cheaper than that on campus. Our school has a special apartment building for international students, high-end atmosphere, basketball court, recreation room, restaurant, study room and so on.
2) Shared apartment/room
Generally speaking, a cooperative apartment is a big house rented by a group of students, who share the expenses and daily chores. Residents take turns cooking, cleaning the house together and doing outdoor maintenance of the house together. Because cooperative apartments are generally cheaper, rooms in cooperative apartments may be difficult to find. Some houses rent rooms to individuals, but sometimes two people can share a room. This kind of place often provides facilities for practice. Living in such a room is probably the cheapest, but sometimes there will be friction between tenants (sharing bathroom, kitchen and so on). If you are considering renting a room in a house, you must be very selective and ask many questions.
3) American homestay families.
There will be some families in the local community of the school who want international students to live in their homes, and the school usually has a list of these families. Sometimes American families expect students to do some housework, such as babysitting or housework. In exchange, families provide students with free housing or lower rents. Living with an American family may be a friendly and rich experience, but you should consider the family and related arrangements very carefully to make sure that you know what is expected of you. Check whether you provide services in exchange for your housing and meals. This arrangement may be regarded as employment by the U.S. government, so it needs to be bound by relevant regulations. There are many homestay services in America. If you choose a homestay, you can ask the other party or intermediary to provide their family details, credit records and other information for your reference.