Living in the U.S.
Please note the information supplied on this page is for the benefit of Fulbright Scholars travelling to the U.S.A. to assist with travel preparations and also to support Scholars in their transition to life there. The information has been extracted from recent Fulbright Scholar Final Reports and does not necessarily reflect the views or recommendations of the Fulbright Commission. The information is from Australian Scholars who have travelled within the last four years.
I would advise commencing the program at the start of the academic year of the host institution. Most Universities run tours and have stalls for local banks, even social security representatives which makes getting established much easier. Also in University towns housing both on campus and in town is normally coupled to the academic year. That is, leases start at the start of semester and end when holidays start. Male PGS 2007
Housing was easy to find through the university market place website (tiger trade) however again due to it being a University town and Princeton itself being a wealthy campus renting was quite expensive relative to other areas in the USA. On-campus housing was subsidized however due to my visiting student status I was low on the priority list and many on campus housing options require a meal plan which I did not want. I bought a bike to get round however at Princeton the university ran a free shuttle bus to the shopping center on the weekend, there was also the zipcar, car share program on campus, which could be used for buying larger items. Male PGS 2007
Housing in Potsdam is difficult to find, on campus housing is available during the year except in the summer holidays. I found my housing by looking at classified ads at NorthCountryNow.com. Rent for the academic year cost $10000. Furnishing is available from the Clarkson University lending store for international students and at a few stores in the town. Male PGS 2007
Obtaining housing in Berkeley was a time consuming process. I chose to stay on campus which meant a lot of forward planning before I left but had the advantage of being hassle free when I arrived. On campus accommodation would however be tricky for a scholar whose program did not line up conveniently with the academic year as it is all arranged on a semester basis. My room came with partial board and I found that convenient. However, Berkeley had a lot of good and fairly cheap places to eat so it wasn't necessary. Female PGS 2007
I only made one attempt to buy clothing in America. At all but the expensive designer shops clothing is oversized, even the smaller sizes are cut assuming a large build and I was unable to find reasonably priced clothes that would fit. Female PGS, 2007
We secured a furnished rental online using sabbaticalhomes.com which settled our minds and gave us an immediate address. The downside was our lack of local knowledge and the poor cleanliness of the house. Initially finding healthy, nutritious food was difficult as many foods contain a high sugar (corn sugar). We utilized farmers markets and the occasional Whole Foods shop to top up healthy supplies. Budget in Baltimore is similar to home and we were satisfied with the Bank of America. Male PGS, 2007
If in New York, don’t trust the online pictures of apartments, and have plenty of options, they go quickly. Make sure you have extra available cash for the security deposit. In NY many places charge up to 3 months rent as security deposit if you don’t earn 40-80 times the monthly rent, or don’t have a very good credit score. Don’t bother to carry anything, just buy it. Everything is very cheap! This doesn’t hold true though if you are small (size 6 or less) then buy your clothes in Aus, because size zero petites USA seems to be size 8 Aus, despite what the conversion tables tell you. You easily can get tired of shopping in juniors as these clothes are not made to last. Fairway is a great NYC supermarket for food, probably the cheapest supermarket on Manhattan. Female PGS, 2007
Furnishing – check www.craigslist.org for 2nd hand postings in your area. I found lots of bargains that I could then resell at the end of my stay. Male PGS 2007
I rented an apartment through Harvard University and was very happy with it – all utilities were included in my rent and my rental payments were just put onto my term bill every month. Female PGS, 2007
We found it very difficult to live on an “Australian-dollar” stipend in the US, and at times we struggled to make the best of an unfortunate situation.Male SS 2008
I nearly always cooked food at my residence and I'd roughly estimate the cost was $60-70 per week. My rent was $480 per month and I lived in a pretty desirable part of town (West End). I would suggest future Fulbright scholars to contact current Fulbrighters living in the area they plan to move to-even though I couldn't locate a place a ahead of time, they were of great help to me. Male 2008 PGS
1) Go to the local library and become a member; pick up all information leaflets about events and organisations. 2) Seek out organisations or establishments in which you are interested, and visit them.
3) Read a good newspaper to be informed about American politics. Scan the events section for things to do. 4) Talk to as many different people as possible, including homeless people. I found Americans to be very friendly and open, and interested in Australia. Be prepared to discuss American politics. Male 2009 PGS
Housing really can be a challenge – I’d recommend looking for somewhere before leaving Australia. Be prepared to be homesick! It will happen, but it will pass, and the rewards are well and truly worth it. Female 2009 PGS
Most houses/apartments/rooms in Davis are leased on a September-August basis. There are some month-to-month rentals, but not many. Look at Davis Community Housing Listing. There are a few op shops (aka thrift stores) in Davis that have quite a lot of furniture, donated by a largely transient student population, and craigslist is handy too. Female 2009 PGS
For those in Washington DC, we found the Capitol Hill area superb, especially for those with young families. We lived near Lincoln Park, so there were lots of other young kids around for our girls to play with. The park was also ideal for teaching the kids how to ride their bikes without training wheels. We highly recommend the website sabbatticalhomes.com as this was where we found our terrace house – fully furnished and a reasonable monthly rental rate. Male 2010 SS
Food in NYC at least is very accessible both in the abundance of restaurants and also the amount of grocery stores, however fresh foods are more expensive and more difficult to come across than in Australia. I suggest WholeFoods and Fairways here in NYC. Male 2010 PGS