Help an incoming OU student! Any alumni or current students needed!

[Spec ops Grunt]

First, what's a good way to find off campus housing?



Second, financial aid, what other resources besides what's on the OU site are helpful?


Any other tips and tricks are appreciated.

 

[Dr. HK]

Well there are off campus housing areas. There are places that you rent the room with a shared bathroom and all the furniture for around $400 a month with all utilities except phone. There are condos for rent, houses, etc. For funding I would say find a part time job or a loan.

 

[DanB]

Lending. Stay with the FAFSA app and the financial aid office at OU. You really want to try to keep your loans all federal loans if possible. Easier to consolidate once you graduate.

Off Campus housing. Depends on how friendly you are. I had friends that lived in the Commons apartments. They liked them. I also had friends that managed to squeeze into a house just off campus. How they fit 5 guys in one house on College just south of Lindsey I don't know.

Renting a house in Norman is a racket. you take a crapy structure that is paid for and rent it out for a nearly illegal amount. It will rent. Not iff but when.

If I were you. Do you have any friends going to OU? If so get one to and be roommates in the dorms for the first symester or year. Use this time to make other friends that are in houses or apartments. You want a good set of friends to rent an apartment together. Nothing like getting a bad roommate.

 

[Spec ops Grunt]

So go for the dorm then?

 

[DanB]

Sounds like you are going in blind to me. So I'd suggest dorms. I did dorms for one semester until I found an opening in a house on Berry. I knew both of the other renters and could deal with them. These openings usually only come to be known through word of mouth.

 

[bratch]

At one point they were requiring all freshmen to stay in the dorms. Not sure if this applied to students not straight out of high school.

 

[338Shooter]

My advice: It's not too late.

 

[CodyC99]

My advice: It's not too late.

This ^

 

[Joeh]

I just graduated in 2009. First of all, from all of us alumni, good luck, study hard, and enjoy it while it lasts. There isn't anything quite like going to school at OU.

First, what's a good way to find off campus housing?

As far as off campus housing goes, first you ought to check into the housing requirements for incoming freshman. First, let me say that there's isn't a more interesting experience than living in the dorms as a freshman. Some of the best times I had in college were in the dorms. You meet tons of people you wouldn't otherwise meet, everything is close, and the feel of being on campus 24/7 is great. That being said, this requirement can be maneuvered around pretty easily, and if you're interested in some ways that I know of to get out of it, send me a PM.

As far as being off campus, you have tons of options. I lived in two different apartment complexes, and a house. Apartments have their pro's and con's just like having a house does. No yard work, trash runs whenever you feel like it, usually cheaper deposits, generally more efficient given the areas around campus and the homes residing there. But, there aren't very many that are close to campus other than the Reserves. You'll always be driving to campus and commuter parking passes can be kind of expensive, not to mention tickets or anything else you'll undoubtedly rack up (everyone gets them, don't worry). Some of the better places I remember from my days there: Post oak (recently rennovated), The edge condominiums, The greens/commons (owned by the same people) and Crimson Park. All of those places are going to be littered with college kids, and that's for a reason, the rent is about normal, and they're all relatively close to campus. I'd avoid the Reserves and the Traditions, as I've just had a few bad experiences there (your mileage may vary).

If you're not feeling up to the apartment life, house life is another option. I lived in a house my last two years in college and I wish I would have done it sooner. There's just something to be said for having your own place, without worrying about direct neighbors. There's a small neighborhood just off of lindsey and jenkins that I lived in, and it was great. The houses are older, so rent is a bit cheaper, and it's within really close proximity to campus ( I walked everyday ). The neighborhoods to the West of campus are a bit more expensive, but you get what you pay for there (bigger houses, newer houses etc). Your best bet for houses is just to grab a paper, or even go out for a drive and look around, as lots of land lords will have signs posted in the yards.

Whatever you do, make sure your situation is going to be livable for awhile. The last thing you want as a new college student is to be riddled with problems at home.

Second, financial aid, what other resources besides what's on the OU site are helpful?

I really can't help you much here as I was on full ride via the government. Hopefully someone else can chime in!

Any other tips and tricks are appreciated.

Tons of em! In no specific order:
-Enjoy gamedays as often as possible! The atmosphere is great. Just go walk around neighborhoods or on campus. There are always people grilling and playing games. This is what I miss most about moving out of Norman.
-Abuse your mean plan / friends with meal plans. College is expensive, so are all the habits college kids have. The more you can get free food the better, but don't pay for something you won't use either.
-Keep an eye out in the norman paper / boyd street magazine for any/all specials that are going on that week. Boyd Street Magazine is great about listing bar specials and events going on during the week.
-Look for a club on campus or consider going through rush. It's another great way to meet people who share common interests with you, and rushing a house, while not for everyone, can provide a great outlet.
-Use the huff and bizzel. Fee's for their use are included in your tuition.
-Avoid campus corner between classes, during the day. It's always incredibly busy around lunch time, so getting in and out is near impossible in the 50 minutes you have between classes. That being said, definitely go and enjoy sitting on the patio at the Library bar and grill after class on a sunny day.
-Don't overlook the small bars! I loved going to Bills (which is RIGHT on campus). It's usually not busy, since either nobody knows about it or they don't enjoy dive bars. But they have $1 beers and their pool tables are acceptable (although definitely not the best in town).

I've got a ton more if you're interested. Feel free to PM me rather than me taking up more board real estate

Hope this helps!
~Joey

 

[inactive]

I lived in campus apartments my last years there (Kraettli). They were not as snazzy as some of the others, but they were close to campus, had a bus stop right out front, fully furnished (not well, but sufficient) and had all bills paid (including phone and internet, excluding cable). My roommate and I paid something like 300 a month per person so they were cheap for Norman. Looks now to be $693 per month and that is split I believe. http://www.ou.edu/content/housingandfood/apartments/rates.html

Also of note is that they were always good about service or repairs if I had an issue. Much better than most apartments or slum housing right around campus.

The other campus apartments have been built since I left in 2004 (replacing Yorkshire and Parkview). They look pretty nice though, admittedly nicer than Kraettli. but a good bit more expensive.

Before the apartment, I lived in Cate (dorms). Overpriced, but RIGHT across the street from south oval which was very nice. Some people complained about community bathrooms, but it meant to me that they got cleaned every day which was a plus. Also cheaper than the towers and was easy to get a single room. In my opinion the best route if you to to the dorms, but I would recommend campus apartments over the dorms or even an off campus option. The convenience and location and relatively low price was worth it to me.