This is the time of year when many of us are applying for internships in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and everywhere in between. When I received my dream internship in New York City, I realized I had nowhere to live. I have no family on the East Coast, and at the time, I had no friends there either. I had no idea there were housing options specifically for summer interns until a friend told me about Columbia University’s summer internship housing program. I then researched other options at NYU and The New School. To save you the anxiety and stress of finding somewhere to live during your summer internship, I’ve compiled a few options for the U.S.’s three most popular cities.
New York City
Columbia University
Columbia offers summer housing for interns in the city who are at least 18 years old. Housing is available for a minimum of four weeks and a maximum of 10 weeks with the earliest move-in date May 27and the latest move-out date Aug. 4. Residents staying 10 weeks have the option to live in a single or double room, but those staying less than 10 weeks only have the option of living in a single room. Applications are available at housingservices.columbia.edu/.
New York University
NYU’s summer internship housing program also has a maximum stay of 10 weeks with the earliest move-in date May 27 and the latest move-out date Aug. 4. THE minimum stay is eight weeks. NYU offers interns two accommodations: traditional, which has no kitchen or does not require a meal plan, and apartment style, which has a shared kitchen and the option of a meal plan. The only problem with this housing is that non-NYU students are not guaranteed rooms, so it’s recommended to apply as early as possible. Applications are available at nyu.edu/summer/housing/.
The New School
The New School dates are the same as the two above. Summer interns can enjoy a private single room or a double suite from May 27 until Aug. 4. They have the option to stay an extra week if needed, but the minimum stay is eight weeks. Applications are available at newschool.edu/studentservices/housing/summer-housing/.
The Fashion Institute of Technology
You guessed it: FIT has the same move-in date as the other university summer housing programs. You can move in May 27, but the move-out date is Aug. 5. Its suites consist of singles, doubles, triples and quad-style apartments. Applications are available at fitnyc.edu.
The Webster
The Webster is a women’s apartment building in Herald Square that houses college students as well as young professionals. This housing establishment is different than the others as it is rented weekly and there are no set move-in or move-out dates. Each resident gets her own room with a bed, desk, chair, dresser and closet space, but she has to share a community-style bathroom. The weekly fee includes maid service, two meals a day and the use of practice rooms and gardens. Applications are available at websterapartments.org.
Chicago
The Buckingham
The Buckingham, an apartment building located in downtown Chicago, offers single bedrooms and shared bedrooms in studio, one-, two-, three- and four-bedroom apartments from May 28 until Aug. 11. Each apartment has a living room, full kitchen, washer and dryer, and cable and Internet in every bedroom and living room. Applications are available at thebuckinghamchicago.com.
School of the Art Institute of Chicago
SAIC offers summer intern housing in downtown studio loft-style apartments from May 20 until Aug. 17. Each apartment includes a twin bed, full bathroom, a cable box with a remote, and private phone and Internet lines. Applications are available at saic.edu.
University Center
University Center offers apartments, shared suites, semi-private suites and fully private suites from May 4 until Aug. 28. Each is located in the downtown area and can be rented on a weekly basis. Applications are available at chicagosummerhousing.com.
Los Angeles
University of California Los Angeles
UCLA has a community-housing database that allows non-UCLA students to search for housing in the L.A. area for free. The database has rental listings of vacant apartments, rooms in private homes, studio apartments, guesthouses and short-term sublets. Find out more information at housing.ucla.edu.
University of California Irvine
UCI is located about 40 minutes outside of Los Angeles, but it offers summer housing for those looking for short-term accommodations for the summer months. Find out more information at housing.uci.edu/summer/.