Outpost Club shared apartment: My honest experience

Being a masters student is difficult enough without the added stress of worrying about housing out of state. Finding housing is stressful regardless of where you live, but in New York City, it’s a whole different ballgame: From sky high prices, sketchy roommates, and ever-changing availability, renting in the city is not for the faint of heart. But when you’re a student who wasn’t able to get student housing for the year, you have no alternative but to push up your sleeves and start searching.

After careful research, I decided the best option for me was to try a co-living company. For those unfamiliar with co-living, it is a model of housing in which you rent a private bedroom in a shared apartment. Of the top contenders, I decided on Outpost Club, as they had the best reviews and offered fully furnished apartments as well as a monthly cleaning service and the convenience of paying all utilities and services directly to them. 

When I saw the Central Park Manhattan House on Outpost Club’s website, I instantly fell in love! Not only were the furnishings chic, and the rates reasonable, but the location was only a 10-minute walk from Columbia University, where I am pursuing my MA in International and World History. As an aspiring citizen of the world who is constantly seeking to understand and unite people across cultures (oh, and as a frugal student), it made no sense for me to seek private accommodations. Having roomates offers an opportunity to connect with others and helps to build character as you learn to deal with different personalities and respect each other.

Luckily for me, my roommates were fascinating and wonderful individuals, and one even happened to also be a Columbia student! We were able to share experiences about our school and even walked together when our schedules lined up. The Upper West Side of Manhattan, where the Central Park Manhattan House and Columbia University are located, are a wealth of culture, and my roommate and I often visited the nearby museums together. We rotated between the American Museum of Natural HIstory, the Frick, MoMA, and the Guggenheim. It was truly special exploring and learning more with her and enriching the education I was receiving outside the classroom. Not to mention the many lovely tea places we enjoyed visiting afterward to discuss our favorite exhibitions! 

Outpost Club’s housing supported my education by enabling me the peace of mind of having safe, centrally located housing for my needs, as well as creating an environment for me and my now best friend to connect as we appreciated all New York City had to offer. And, as an exhausted student, there is nothing quite like coming home to an apartment that has been professionally cleaned (because who has time or energy to vacuum after exams?).

The second year of my degree is in England at the London School of Economics, and as I’m searching for housing abroad, I find myself deeply wishing that there were Outpost locations there, too.