University At Buffalo MBA

I went to UB as an undergrad. Hope this helps a bit:

Buffalo rents can be very economical so you might not need a roommate. When I was in undergrad I found roommates off craigslist. There’s also a lot of subletting during the first few months of school so an option is to get a temporary apartment and find roommates during your first month of school. The MBA program isn’t huge, so don’t shy away from undergrads in the business school for roommates. Everyone in the business school is a junior at minimum (you need to become accepted into the business school during your sophomore year) and a good chunk of your peers will be undergrads doing the 3-2 program.

There’s a lot of cheap apartments around South Campus so if you’re looking to save money on rent I’d check there. Most of the ads for cheap rentals are on Craigslist, often sliced houses where you’re renting out the room. Rents have gone up in Buffalo since I started but you should still be looking around $400-500 per month for hose kinds of rental. Plus there’s a free shuttle (UB Stampede) that takes you to Alfiero (the business school building). One caveat: It’s the main undergrad scene for parties, as lots of off campus frats own houses there. Luckily you should have no trouble during the week, but on weekends it’s going to be rowdy. I’d definitely recommend finding an apartment a few blocks south of Winspear.

If you do get roommates, you can rent an entire house very cheaply near South Campus. Think it’s around 800-900 now for a house, and these are massive Victorian style houses, so you could comfortably split among 4 people and save a lot of cash.

If you have a car, North Buffalo and Tonawanda are the cheapest rents in town and relatively safe. You can find an apartment around $600-700 per month.

Elmwood is the happening part of Buffalo. Most of the young professionals and grad students live near the area. It’s a very nice walking street with bars, organic co-op, coffee shops, etc. Definetly recommend the northern section by Buffalo State College for being quieter, cheaper, and closest to UB (just a 10-15 min drive off the 30) expect rents from 800-900 per month. 2 bds around $1200 so it pays to roommate here if you can find one.

Only other area to consider is Lockport. It’s directly north of UB. Used to be rundown when I was in school but it’s gotten a huge resurgence since several companies are located nearby now. Also a decen young professionals crowd. Still has cheap rent if you know where to look (anywhere from $400-600) It’s a 15 minute drive to UB but if you want to go downtown Buffalo and hang out it could be a schlep (about 35 min drive to Buffalo form Lockport)

Only other advice: AVOID EAST BUFFALO. It’s getting a massive resurgence but it’s in the early stages. It will take a long time to get it revitalized. There’s still a lot of poverty and crime in that section (most crime in the city is there). Since you’re coming as a foreigner I would be careful in choosing there even if parts are looking trendy, as you could easily end up in the wrong neighborhood.

Hi,

Did you accept and start MBA at UB? I am planning to apply for the Fall 2020 deadline? Please provide me with your email-ID or LinkedIn link, I'd love to connect with you and know about the program in detail!

Thanks!