Move from NoVa to MD burbs

raggedeannie

Nesties, I'm enlisting you for recommendations once again.  DH wants to go to grad school at U. Md sometime in the not too distant future, so we're thinking about moving from Arlington to somewhere on the MD side of DC so that he would be eligible for in-state tuition.  We are really not familiar with the Maryland burbs at all, and I would love recommendations on where to look.

I work at Foggy Bottom, so I'd like to keep the commute reasonable.  We're hoping to stay under $2k for an apt with parking.

I would love neighborhood recs and even specific apartment complexes to look at. TIA!! 

Sofka

I have no recs but happy anniversary!

 

living_insanity

I'd start with http://strathmorecourtapts.reachlocal.com and choose Maryland, PG county and parts of Montgomery County like Wheaton, Bethesda, White Flint, Rockville since they are all on the red line and they are all near places to eat and shop so I dont consider them the burbs.  I live in MoCo so I dont really have any PG county recommendations. 

justbeachy20

I think Silver Spring, specifically South Silver Spring, would fit the bill. There are a few apartment complexes in the area, and although I don't have specific recs, I think you'd find something that fit your criteria. They also have a neighborhood blog that might give you more info about living there. 

http://www.southsilverspring.org/

Sorry, I can't make clicky in Chrome.

 

 

nellieandmatt

Any idea of your timeframe? I may have a large 1br condo (with parking) for rent starting September - email me if you're interested. It's in South Silver Spring, right by the metro  and UMd shuttle, and in your price range.

 nelliechick at gmail dot com 

DCtoLowcountry

I agree with the south Silver Spring rec. The SS side of the Red Line is a shorter commute downtown, and you'll be closer to College Park if that's where your DH's program will be located.

Pam&John

I have no recommendations (hate to see anyone leave the commonwealth) but I will ask - are you sure he gets a tuition cut if in-state, bc not all grad programs are funded that way (and I admit I didn't look at the web site and know nothing about higher ed costs but I would worry that you moved and didn't get a financial benefit).

tomandcourt

Definitely South Silver Spring. DH and I lived in the Falkland Chase apartments for a while and liked them - walking distance to Metro and downtown SS. If you want a slightly fancier place, there are the Blairs (some of which are eco-friendly), Alexander House (has a pool and community room you can rent out) . . . these are all under $2K I think.

Dizzumm

I agree that South Silver Spring could be a good area for you. Also look at Takoma Park and downtown Wheaton.  Very different neighborhoods, but all right on the red line and easy to get to College Park.

FWIW, I did grad school at UMD.  I graduated (gulp) 10 years ago, so take this with a grain of salt, but I lived in the nicest of the apartment complexes near campus (there are some horrible ones).  It is called Daniel's Run, operated by Southern Management, and I liked living there.  10 minute drive to the green line (PG Plaza) and 5 min drive to campus.

I hear downtown Hyattsville has undergone a bit of a redevelopment. It is really close to campus and, again, PG Plaza metro.  I wouldn't have lived there when I was in school, but hear the downtown is much better.  I think Busboys and Poets is opening a location there soon.

As PP said, double check about the tuition.  Most schools require you to be a resident of the state for a certain amount of time before getting in-state tuition. 

Another thing to consider is that, depending on the grad program he is entering, he can most likely get a grad assistantship - either teaching, research or admin) that will pay his tuition through tuition remission and give him some spending money via a stipend.  Maryland is really good about this - I didn't pay a dime for my grad program and got paid to teach.  My roommate started her first year paying (she was School of Public Affairs through the Smith School) but then got an administrative assistantship on campus and got paid to do some admin work and mostly homework 20 hours a week! Even if his program doesn't have assistanships, he should check about others on campus.

Good luck!

SecretServiceWife

Pam&John:

I have no recommendations (hate to see anyone leave the commonwealth) but I will ask - are you sure he gets a tuition cut if in-state, bc not all grad programs are funded that way (and I admit I didn't look at the web site and know nothing about higher ed costs but I would worry that you moved and didn't get a financial benefit).

I have no recs but wanted to echo Pam... plus, some schools requite that you live in the state for a certain amount of time before you qualify for the in-state tuition rate.

raggedeannie

SecretServiceWife:

Pam&John:

I have no recommendations (hate to see anyone leave the commonwealth) but I will ask - are you sure he gets a tuition cut if in-state, bc not all grad programs are funded that way (and I admit I didn't look at the web site and know nothing about higher ed costs but I would worry that you moved and didn't get a financial benefit).

I have no recs but wanted to echo Pam... plus, some schools requite that you live in the state for a certain amount of time before you qualify for the in-state tuition rate.

Thanks, this is the exact question I asked DH when I suggested this idea.  I asked him to look into other funding opportunities to see if this would even make a difference.  I did a quick online search and looks like UMd requires 12 months of residency to get in-state tuition, but I have no idea if this also applies to grad school.

Moving to Md would also put us a lot closer to the campus, as well, and closer to BWI which is where DH usually flies out of on business.  He's indicated that he wants to go to school part time and keep working full time, so that might put him out of the running for any fellowships as well.

Thanks for all of the recommendations!!