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UCLA students begin search for apartments as winter quarter begins

By Cassie Smith and Kavitha Subramanian

Jan. 7, 2010 10:15 p.m.

Since the start of winter quarter, students have been trickling through neighborhoods surrounding UCLA hoping to find that perfect apartment for the ideal price in a prime location.

Students who already went through the process of apartment hunting in previous years suggest getting an early start.

“It’s pretty easy as long as you go early and jump on getting a lease and put down your payment,” said Andrew Melcer, a fourth-year history student who lives in a shared two-bedroom apartment at Midvale Plaza. “I signed (the lease) around April or May last year, but if you look now, you’re being smarter. … You can compare spaces and prices.”

Apartments catering to university students range from about $1,000 to upward of $3,000 per month. Studios, single bedroom, double bedroom and triple bedroom apartments are available for rent.

California law sets limits on the maximum number of occupants per apartment depending on its size, said Marie Ehrhardt, resident manager of the Midvale Plaza apartment complex.

Ehrhardt said that the heaviest traffic of students looking for Westwood apartments occurs during the first few weeks of winter and spring quarters.

“At this point in time, (students) are looking for two- or three-bedroom apartments because it is usually a multiple occupancy situation with four, five or six people,” Ehrhardt said.

Jerry Chen, a second-year biochemistry student, started looking for an apartment on Tuesday. The next day, Chen signed up for the waiting list for an apartment currently owned by some of his graduating upperclassman friends.

“If you know someone who’s leaving you can just take over their apartment,” Chen said.

Some apartment complexes, Chen said, allow previous renters to pass on their apartments to their friends.

Students look for an array of apartments based on price, size and location, said Jorge Gonzalez, general manager of Midvale Plaza.

He also added that while undergraduates often seek out larger apartments for many occupants, graduate students and young professionals look for single occupancy apartments.

“Recent graduates are ready to move on and live without roommates,” Gonzalez said.

Overall, about 35 percent of undergraduates live on campus, according to the UCLA housing Web site. Currently 54 percent of third-year students who lived on campus during the 2008-2009 school year chose to live in university housing during the 2009-2010 year.

Students living on campus with meal plans pay approximately $10,000 to $15,000 each year. Many residents find that when monthly rent is split between multiple roommates, the cost of living in an apartment can be less expensive than living in on-campus housing.

“It is definitely going to be cheaper,” Chen said. “I think (apartments are) overpriced compared to other colleges, but it is reasonable because we’re in Los Angeles, (which) is more expensive.”

Besides lower costs, other factors motivate students to move into apartments.

“Apartments have a greater social life, and there are no RAs,” Melcer said. “There’s also cheaper food and you can cook, but you don’t get the easy access to food like you do on campus.”

Another option students may choose to consider is living in a fraternity or sorority house. Troy Bartels, Greek adviser for UCLA, said that approximately 25 percent of Greek students live in Greek housing while 75 percent choose to live in apartments or on campus.

Students living in sorority or fraternity houses pay $9,500 or less per year, which includes meals, Bartels said.

“I really liked living in a sorority house,” said Kayla Staples, a fourth-year sociology student and member of Kappa Kappa Gamma. “It is taboo for the older girls to live in the house; it is more an experience for the younger girls. The seniors before us passed (apartments) down to us. It is a lot more convenient.”

Priscilla Vu, a third-year biology and anthropology student and Phi Sigma Rho member, currently lives in her sorority house but is looking to move to an apartment next year.

“I want to get all the experiences,” Vu said. “Apartments are also a lot more lenient about what you can do.”

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