As an International student, living in a new city that you probably have never visited before can be intimidating. Hence, you are supposed to live on campus at least your first year. However, a lot of students move to off-campus housing after their first year and international students may not get as much help from their adults as some domestic students might get.

Finding an apartment can be intimidating, especially at a young age, in a new city and country. Though, worry not! There are a lot of apartments focused on students around campus which makes our lives easier. There are multiple ways you can find a new apartment around campus and here are some:

Online Sites

Sites like Zillow and Craigslist are always available to you no matter what city you are in. You can filter the apartments based on number of rooms, the rent price, amenities, etc. Apart from these sites, UC also provides a platform to help you find off-campus housing. This is usually the first thing I check when I am looking for housing.

Your Friends

One of the best ways to get anything, including housing, is to ask your friends! Ask your classmates where they are living next year and if they have roommates. Ask your upperclassmen if they are leaving for co-op and subleasing their apartments. This way you get to know about their experience living in that particular apartment and have a better idea of the place you might end up living in!

Take a Walk Around Campus

This is an unconventional way to find an apartment, but hey! why not? There aren’t any rules to it. I love walking around Cincinnati since it can be so pretty, and I highly encourage you to do it, especially when classes get hard and you want to relax. And while you’re at it, see if there is any house or apartment complex that looks good to you, and take a note of it. Some houses also have board outside if they are up for rent next year. So take your chances and check that apartment out!