Belmont and other housing...

[Tally M.]

Yeah, I'm a freshman, so I have very little experience with off-campus housing. How's Belmont?

[Zedability]

I wouldn't KNOW, because they wanted me to pay my ENTIRE 8-MONTH CONTRACT UP FRONT, because clearly being an international student means I'm more likely to not pay rent and cheat them, or something. Also, they wanted copies of my visa and all my official documentation, which no other housing agreement has ever asked for. I get it, all Canadians are untrustworthy.

No, I'm not bitter.

[Tally M.]

So...we have one vote for no.

[Yarjka]

I'd also vote for no, but it's based completely on third- or fourth- hand hearsay from my freshman year at BYU. I remember nothing of what was said, but distinctly remember the impression that Belmont is no good.

[Tally M.]

No changes since then?

[Violet]

If you mean the apartments, then I've heard good things as they're cheap and close to campus. I didn't hear anything from them about the management (sorry Zed). I had friends live there and they only moved because they got in at Regency (which is notoriously difficult to get into).

The condos on the other hand...

[Tally M.]

Belmont apartments, yes. I'm just trying to narrow things down from the 14 on our list.

[Portia]

Haha yeah, I of course thought Belmont condos. I feel the way I did when I was like "oh, you know, Jackson Hole is where people have their second home" or when people talk about the one gift they got for Christmas (so Santa has room in the sleigh). #PrivateSchoolProblems

Belmont is sort of snobbish if you're going to go expensive. I'd suggest Alpine Village (always a par-tay), M. Night Shyamalan's The Village, or Condo Row if you have money to burn.

[Tally M.]

Here's what's currently on the list (narrowed down very scientifically =P ):
Alpine
Alta
Belmont
Brittany
Canyon Terrace
Elms
Foxwood
The Isles
Miller
Moon
Park Plaza
Southridge
University Villa

[Zedability]

University Villa has TINY kitchens. Also, the bedrooms are largeish in proportion to the living room, so I guess it depends which room you'll spend more time in.

I have a friend who lives in Moon and likes it.

Park Plaza looks quite good to me, but I've never lived there. They don't have dishwashers.

Belmont hates me, and I hate them back.

That's all I've got for you.

[Tally M.]

University Villa is off, then. I like my kitchens not-tiny.

[Zedability]

Figure out which ones are close to each other, then plan a few days where you visit a few apartments at a time. Choose early evenings and Saturdays and whatnot, then just knock and find girl's apartments and ask if you can see what they're like.

[UffishThought]

Yeah, checking them out always helps.

I lived in the Elms a long time ago, but I don't know if they still require weekly cleaning checks (too much for me!) and I think they've been remodeled since then, anyway. It was pretty okay, I guess, and the location's really convenient.

I also lived--not IN Miller, but in the ward. Miller wasn't beautiful, but many of my happiest college memories were in those apartments. It's close to campus, to Smiths, and to the Provo library, jut like the Elms. It's maybe not as nice as the Elms, though, since it hasn't been remodeled recently, I don't think.

Is the Terrace the one right by Elms? That one was comparatively swanky, but also pricier, too.

Are you moving with friends or with by yourself? How social do you want to be? I now prefer houses to apartments, but apartments were really nice when I was first getting my feet wet at BYU--there were always people stopping by and chatting in the entryways.

[krebscout]

I lived in Miller, then Regency (while my brother and cousins lived on Condo Row), then in the house with Uffish in the Miller ward again, then I got married. In my limited experience, I found a lot more kindred spirits in Miller. Keep Miller weird!

[C is for]

I also lived--not IN Miller, but in the ward. Miller wasn't beautiful, but many of my happiest college memories were in those apartments.

The one time I crashed a Miller ward party was when I met you! And I didn't know it was you. (I wasn't even reading the Board yet, which probably had something to do with my ignorance.)

[Katya]

I'll 3rd a very old recommendation for Miller. From what I understand, the management wasn't great, but the people were awesome. (Probably because it's one of the cheaper apartment complexes, so the residents weren't all there on daddy's dime.)

[Dead Cat]

I used to live at Park Plaza and liked it. If you and your roommates all try to not let the sink overflow with dishes all the time, the lack of a dishwasher is fine. The place is old, but I never minded. Oh, and don't plan on being able to use the pool more than a couple of weeks unless you're going Summer term since they close it really early and open it really late.

[Tally M.]

Are you moving with friends or with by yourself?

There's three of us.

[UffishThought]

Wait, who are you, C is for? I'm terrible at remembering people, so I apologize in advance.

And if there are 3 of you, than it will be easier to get into an apartment than a house, usually. (But I still love houses, so there.)

[C is for]

Wait, who are you, C is for? I'm terrible at remembering people, so I apologize in advance.

I just met you once, at one ward activity (and it wasn't even my ward). I don't think you even learned my name at the time so I don't feel bad that you don't remember me! But you were a person I liked (and remembered, I guess), and something you said in your blog/a Board answer sometime helped me make the connection. Don't recall how.

It was the ward activity up the canyon, with the hot air balloon. And then we all went and played Rock Band even though I'd rather have watched Mad Hot Ballroom.

/apparently remembering a lot about this night

You guys could always try Crown! I lived there for two years, and yeah there was that little issue about losing BYU approval for a couple weeks but I'm sure that's been resolved. I don't know what the dynamic is there now, so it may not be your scene.