There's no doubt that Austin,Texas is a popular place – recently topping the list of the fastest growing cities in the U.S. With such a dynamic environment, it's no wonder that many students choose to pursue acupuncture school at AOMA.
In our first post in the Moving to Austin series, we covered the basics of the Austin rental market. However for students looking for alternative housing in Austin, many opportunities exist including roommate arrangements, house shares, and cooperative living.
For students seeking to limit their housing costs, finding a roommate is one of the best options. New residents have a variety of resources available when seeking roommates, including well-known sites like craigslist.org and roomster.com. These sites provide an opportunity to screen and to connect with potential roommates online.
AOMA offers support in the form of a biweekly Housing Digest that enables new students to connect with future classmates and potential roommates in a secure platform. Throughout the year, current students also post openings for roommates online via AOMA's Housing Opportunities page and LinkedIn group.
When considering a potential roommate, it's important to be clear about your housing preferences. Taking time to consider lifestyle factors like school and/or work schedules, cleanliness, socializing, pet ownership, and personal habits is essential to ensuring a harmonious living environment. Additional factors to assess include the terms of a lease and/or approval from the landlord or property manager.
Housing cooperatives (or “co-ops” for short) are member-ship based legal-entities that own residential real-estate. Becoming a member typically grants one the right to live within the co-op house or building.
A number of housing cooperatives and co-housing communities exist in Austin. Many of these co-ops feature communal living environments where multiple residents occupy a single house or building and work together to manage/maintain the property. For residents, the benefits of co-ops can include reduced housing costs and increased social interaction with roommates. When considering this type of living situation, it's important to account for personal privacy and space needs.
Information about housing cooperatives in Austin can be found through the Austin Co-op Directory.
Alternative housing may not be for everyone. Depending on your personal or family needs, more traditional housing may be a better fit. No matter your preferences, Austin has a wide variety of options available to support your lifestyle.
Article Contributors:
Justine is the Director of Admissions for AOMA's graduate programs and works regularly to support new students in their transition to AOMA & Austin. A native to of the east coast, she relocated from New York five years ago. Since moving to Austin, she has lived in four different zip codes and is happy to share her personal knowledge of the city with newcomers.