Students are preparing to go back to school, but some may still be figuring out where they’ll live. Here’s YR Media Brontë Sorotsky on how the housing crisis affects college students.
I grew up in Los Angeles, but always dreamed of moving to San Francisco. My vision of the city was a dream — based on the sitcom Full House and my dad’s wild stories of living in San Francisco in the 1970s.
So when I was accepted to San Francisco State for college, I was elated. My parents tried to warn me about San Francisco’s steep housing prices, but I tuned them out.
SF State doesn’t guarantee housing — even for freshmen — and I was put on a waiting list. I was lucky to get into the dorms my first year.
The next year, I moved into a two bedroom apartment with five other girls, thinking I’d save money. Three girls split the master bedroom, I shared the smaller bedroom with another girl, and a sixth person slept in the living room.