fossildoc
01-11-2008, 05:35 PM
We recently went through a nightmare at the start of the current semester, caused by events beyond the school's control.
It seems that a record number of tourists decided to spend a short winter vacation here, from mid-December to mid-January. They rented every available car on the island and every apartment known to the housing office. The consquences of this were that when new students arrived, there wasn't a single car available, and no housing readily available. Compounding the problem was the fact that a record number of students went home for the break, leaving only a few -- including myself -- on the island, and even fewer to volunteer in getting new students settled.
Students were stuck -- sometimes with their parents -- in two-hundred-dollar per day hotel rooms, as they scrambled - without a car - to find a place to live.
There are many apartments available in Aruba, but the ones with which the housing office normally deals were filled up, and it proved impossible for the lone housing guy to go on an apartment hunt at the last minute.
If you are a new student and wish to avoid a similar catastrophe when you arrive, here's what you should do:
(1) Don't agree to any online car or apartment rental deal before actually coming here and seeing it, and in particular don't agree to allow one individual or company to control your apartment, car, and cell phone.
(2) Do not depend solely on the school. The key word is 'solely'.
(3) Contact the SGA (Student Government Association) at sgaxusom@gmail.com; this email address is not controlled by the school. Ask them to put you in touch with as many students as they can who will be on the island during the break and might want to volunteer to do some advance apartment and car scouting for you.
(4) Scour this forum for students who seem stable, and PM them (not me, BTW, because I'm in Med 4 and will be gone in April).
(5) Be willing to temporarily room with someone while you look at apartments after you arrive, assuming someone has made this arrangement for you.
(6) Don't come here the day before orientation and expect everything to fall into place. Students come here like they were driving to Disneyworld and could pull up to the nearest HoJo's and get a room. Orientation day is chaotic, classes begin the next day, and you won't have a moment's spare time to waste on apartment hunts.
It is frightening to be in a foreign country, possibly for the first time and possibly for the first time away from your parents, where you don't know anyone, can't speak the local language, have no phone, no car, no place to live, and limited funds. The school's logistics infrastructure is, well, under development, and you will do much better relying on students who are already here and willing to help.
You will save a lot of money if you have pre-arranged temporary quarters -- like rooming with someone -- and can take some time looking for your own place. If you simply show up, and if the standard apartments are available, you will get stuck with a 6-month lease on a place that costs double what you would pay if you did your own legwork. The way to find apartments is to first get a car, then go to every small shop -- Dunkin' Donuts, MacDonald's, video store, grocery store, computer store, pizza joint, car wash -- and ask the manager if s/he knows of anything for rent. It won't take you more than a day to find something suitable.
It seems that a record number of tourists decided to spend a short winter vacation here, from mid-December to mid-January. They rented every available car on the island and every apartment known to the housing office. The consquences of this were that when new students arrived, there wasn't a single car available, and no housing readily available. Compounding the problem was the fact that a record number of students went home for the break, leaving only a few -- including myself -- on the island, and even fewer to volunteer in getting new students settled.
Students were stuck -- sometimes with their parents -- in two-hundred-dollar per day hotel rooms, as they scrambled - without a car - to find a place to live.
There are many apartments available in Aruba, but the ones with which the housing office normally deals were filled up, and it proved impossible for the lone housing guy to go on an apartment hunt at the last minute.
If you are a new student and wish to avoid a similar catastrophe when you arrive, here's what you should do:
(1) Don't agree to any online car or apartment rental deal before actually coming here and seeing it, and in particular don't agree to allow one individual or company to control your apartment, car, and cell phone.
(2) Do not depend solely on the school. The key word is 'solely'.
(3) Contact the SGA (Student Government Association) at sgaxusom@gmail.com; this email address is not controlled by the school. Ask them to put you in touch with as many students as they can who will be on the island during the break and might want to volunteer to do some advance apartment and car scouting for you.
(4) Scour this forum for students who seem stable, and PM them (not me, BTW, because I'm in Med 4 and will be gone in April).
(5) Be willing to temporarily room with someone while you look at apartments after you arrive, assuming someone has made this arrangement for you.
(6) Don't come here the day before orientation and expect everything to fall into place. Students come here like they were driving to Disneyworld and could pull up to the nearest HoJo's and get a room. Orientation day is chaotic, classes begin the next day, and you won't have a moment's spare time to waste on apartment hunts.
It is frightening to be in a foreign country, possibly for the first time and possibly for the first time away from your parents, where you don't know anyone, can't speak the local language, have no phone, no car, no place to live, and limited funds. The school's logistics infrastructure is, well, under development, and you will do much better relying on students who are already here and willing to help.
You will save a lot of money if you have pre-arranged temporary quarters -- like rooming with someone -- and can take some time looking for your own place. If you simply show up, and if the standard apartments are available, you will get stuck with a 6-month lease on a place that costs double what you would pay if you did your own legwork. The way to find apartments is to first get a car, then go to every small shop -- Dunkin' Donuts, MacDonald's, video store, grocery store, computer store, pizza joint, car wash -- and ask the manager if s/he knows of anything for rent. It won't take you more than a day to find something suitable.