Best dorms around Waseda Campus..

Hello all,

I am a graduate student who will be moving to Waseda University in September in order to pursue my studies.
Gradually, I am collecting all infos on dormitories given by Waseda international office.
But I would love to hear from students or even former ones what in their opinion is the best dorm in the aerea..
Believe me .. its really difficult to make up my mind..since I don�Lt know the real reality there, if you know what I mean.
Plus, what leaves me a little bit doubtful is the seemingly strict division between females, and males.
Unfortunately, the coed dorms are a little bit too far from Waseda Campus therefore I don�Lt feel like they might be an option..
46 minutes to get to Waseda Campus is a definitely too much ( for me ).
so, the options available due to my knowledge are Female dorms which are closer,
but here again, there is something which leaves me uncontent..( I know it�Ls difficult to have it all ): the gates !!! which close at specific hours..
Totally fine as for safety,
but I am asking you is there a dorm with eletrict badge or where keys are being handed?
THANK YOU!!!

How about rent?
It is more expensive, but more convenient.
Check out this website:
http://tokyo.apartment-office.com/p_waseda.html

you have the same concerns i had when i went there as a student:

1. Strict division between males and females
2. Distance from school
3. Curfews

For number one, i don't think there's a very strict division among members of the same dormitory. The story changes though if you want to invite some people from outside to your room and chances are they are absolutely not allowed to stay overnight.

Number two, is not as bad as it looks, you'll get used to it. It's pretty normal for a japanese to make 40 minutes of commuting time, some of them make even more.

And number three. Really, don't worry if your dormitory closes at midnight, if it doesn't, train stations will and you'll have to stay all night out anyway. that's why the party starts earlier in tokyo and you'll also get used to it after some weekends.

i would only recommend you to go through all the tedious process of renting an apartment if for example you have a boyfriend/girlfriend with who you want to share some private time.

if you still wish an apartment, i recommend you these:

http://www.tokyocityapartments.net/

Dear Kalli,

Thank you very much for having shared me with me your experience.
Reading your post relieved my..concerns, which yes..are still lots.
Sincerely my options range from renting a room equipped with everything in a female dorm (choice due to campus distance) which is walk distance..
A plus is that meal plans are being served,
but also on this subject I have my concerns..
Wouldn�Lt it be nicer to eat at dining halls? Therefore I am asking you..
Do you know if at cafeterias or dining halls is possible to purchase a weekly, monthly meal pass or something related?
If it were to be so, then I wouls switch to private housig..
Which yes has it prons and cons, but it would sealthe deal in me being totally indipendent.
Its not that I want to throw lavich cocktail parties, or invite people to stay over every day or night, it�Ls simply the way I would feel most confortable.
and..yes!
What about the washing machines?
How much would you expect to pay for elect, heating, water.. per month?
THANK YOU!

kalli here. sorry for my incredibly late reply.

If the dorm has a meal plan i think it's better to take it. I haven't seen any meal passes or something similar at any cafeteria or restaurants, which means you'll have to cook on your own. On the other hand, i think most of the times you will be having lunch at the university's cafeteria, which generally has cheaper prices. For the other meals you can always cook something easy and fast.

Now, for the pros and cons.

For the dorms. Pros:
- I liked that i would never be alone. I just went to the kitchen or knocked on my neighbor's door and chilled out for a while.
- There was no need to worry about paying services in time, only about paying the dorm monthly fee.
- There was a big kitchen with everything you'll ever need in great conditions.
- The whole place and the room itself were clean and in perfect conditions.
- The managers would throw some parties and cultural events from time to time.
- Relatively cheap
- Washing machines and dryers available inside the building.

Cons:
- Guests were allowed only during office hours and had to be registered. They were not allowed in your room, only in common areas. Absolutely impossible for them to spend the night there.
- Toilets and showers were shared and were far away from my room. It's fine now and then, but not for a whole year.

Apartment. Pros:

- I felt much more independent.
- More privacy
- I had my own toilet and my own shower, which i really appreciated.
- Guests totally allowed to stay or to live there.
- I had my own kitchen
- I had my own washing machine (but not every apartment does).

Cons:

- I had to take care of paying the apartment monthly fee and all bills.
- The room was really really small. I could barely fit all my stuff there.
- It was way more expensive than the dormitory.
- I had nasty neighbors and roaches would sometimes appear outside or even inside my room.
- The room was not as nice and new as my old dorm.

All in all, you'll have a much more independent life living in an apartment by yourself, which i really enjoyed, but there will be much more hardships. I only moved to one because i made a girlfriend there and it was frustrating not to be able to share some private time as a couple, if not, i would have stayed in the dorms.

I don't remember how much i paid for each service, but all in all, i was paying around 80,500 yen for the room, and about 15,000 yen for all three services (water, gas, electricity).

well, i hope my answer hasn't been so late. if you need anything else, please don't hesitate in asking me.

Kalli, thanks!!!!

It has been so informative, thank you!
So, some time passed, and I made my mind about sharing an apartament with other students. Sincerely, i would not like to live alone. I think I would be scared..I did in the past, but in an English speaking country, plus..I was sorrounded by friend all over the place.
I denied the dorm application, so even i happen to regret it, there is no way back, This is their fancy policy.
I would like to ask you, is it is possible to share mails?

Thanks again, and there is no problem about the delay

ciao ciao

you mean exchange e-mail addreses? of course!

here's mine: xxxx@sophia.ac.jp

write me anytime!

looks like mods modified my e-mail address, maybe is not allowed to publish it here....
if you sign up for an account in the forum, maybe i can tell you by private message.

Kalli, here I am!!!

I did try to send you an email but..nada!
so try to contact me by private message :)

Thanks

looking forward to hear from you