• move in late july/early august--grace found a room in a week
• LOOK MYSELF
• a window is reasonable, a desk is not (which works out--i just need to find places where i can do work on campus, and the less stuff i have to buy and physically move, the better, especially if i'm supposedly going to be moving every year due to increases in rent and most buildings are walk-ups without elevators)
• there probably won't be a closet
• place must have air conditioning and heat
• must be near a train station that goes to NYU (A, B, C, D, E, F, M, N, Q, R)

location-wise

• don't go past Avenue C if looking in alphabet city
• otherwise, downtown is fine
• don't go above 110th street
• per diane, check out: the area north of union square and outside of the east village proper area (more toward the east river)

be aware of

• scams, as broad and general as this seems
• people looking to sign a lease together when it's a potential flex apartment (i.e., an apartment that will be divided further into more space than actually built) UNLESS it has already been "flexed", officially, because if it isn't officially done yet, how they plan to "flex" the apartment may lead to a very unfortunate living situation/space for you.