What is like living while at Foothill?

All about accomodation

For accomodation, how did you manage? Are the living areas expensive to rent?

Disclaimer: I have no intentions of negatively portraying any Foothill affiliated homestay programs. If you or your company believe that you are negative portrayed, please contact me*. My intentions for this article is to outline the costs and benefits of accommodation options for Foothill students.

There are a few types of accommodation at Foothill. Depending on your living preferences and budget, you can make your own decisions on where and how you want to live. The two most common types of accommodation are: homestay families and living in an apartment. Since Foothill is a community college, there are no dorms. Mind you this article is geared towards international students, feel free to read on if you are a resident.

Homestay

This is usually the go-to option for most international students. My response is: consider this option extremely wisely. While staying at a homestay family has a plethora of benefits: cultural exchange with an American family, quicker assimilation to the US lifestyle and better knowledge of the education system and the town that you live in, there are downsides.

Most homestay families are located in Mountain View or Los Altos, which are both close to campus, with commute time ranging from 10 minutes to an hour. If you pay more each month, you would also receive a minimum of two meals per day (actual number of meals and quality of food can vary).

You would usually get a furnished, private (very important) room with a bed, a desk with a lamp, a closet, a trash can and other basic amenities in the kitchen and bathroom. Depending on who your host is, you may be allowed to cook in the kitchen. Normally you would at least be permitted to store perishable food in the fridge (Comment below if you want some life hacks on snacks and food if you live with a host family). Utilities (electricity, gas and water) and internet (not guaranteed high speed) included.

However, there are some caveats.

1. You have limited freedom and privacy.

Your freedom is certainly limited compared to living in an apartment. I wasn’t allowed to cook at my homestay family. Only a small space in the fridge was assigned for my food (the logic is I’m not allowed to cook, so there’s no need for a large space). For the past two years, California was in an extreme drought and water bills were quite expensive. To alleviate the costs, shower time was limited to 10 minutes maximum. Some of my friends were limited to 5 and were measured for their time and usage while they were showering! Luckily, the California drought has passed us starting this year!

Privacy is also limited since you are living on other people’s premises and you would have little say on what you can and cannot do. Hosts can negotiate the right to enter your room without your permission (usually they respect your privacy), but they can do it and it is your responsibility to negotiate effectively for your privacy rights.

2. You are guaranteed to receive food; but not quality or fresh food. It is possible to eat overnight pizzas from Costco (a big supermarket in the US). Luckily, I have eaten fresh food. I have experiences with bizarre dishes such as dumplings with rice and mini sausages with rice. For a short period of time, food was rationed amongst the three of us since one of us ate a bit more than the others. Our plates were labeled with our names! I literally felt that I was a puppy eating out of a bowl with my name on it.

3. You may get terrible hosts.

If you think limited freedom and substandard food are terrible, consider this: It’s cold in the winter at your host family. The walls are wooden and thin. Literally the cold climate passes through the walls at 6 degrees Celsius or 43 degrees Fahrenheit during the night. You will have to pay for your heater bill for the heater that you bought to keep yourself warm! Despite the stated self-bearing heater cost in the contract, I think it is still inhumane.

All in all, homestay families are trying to make money off from innocent international students and many don’t care about the students' well-being.

My advice: Stay in a homestay for two to three months only if you have to for your initial stable housing as a Foothill student. Find roommates on campus and off-campus* during this period and rent an apartment together and move out of your homestay family!

IMPORTANT: As a college student and an adult, you should acquire the ability to voice your concerns and opinions. A great thing with staying at homestays is to learn to communicate your concerns and dissatisfactions effectively. If you have negative experiences with homestays, please reach out to a member at the International Office* and your friends to help improve the program and the well-being of other students as well.

Current cost breakdown: (*Check with the latest rates at the end of the article)

Homestay Fees (as of January 1, 2016)

$1200/month with 2 meals per day

$1025/month without meals

$435 ISP placement fee (non-refundable)

You would typically apply for a homestay with the ISP Homestay Programs.

Living in apartments

Living in apartments is great right? All the freedom, good food and no more terrible hosts! Think again. The cost of living in an apartment can be higher than at homestay families and you have to choose roommates carefully. There are a few common types of apartment living arrangements: Single Private, Single Master (bedroom with bathroom), Shared Bedroom (2+ people sharing a room) and Living Room* (Single or Shared).

Benefits with living in an apartment:

1. Freedom and privacy

You get a good amount of freedom and privacy if you live in singles and perhaps for the first time you get to live independently. You would probably enjoy your alone time and gatherings with friends inside and outside of your apartment. Generally, you will be happier than you are at a homestay family.

2. Cooking

You get to practice and perform your culinary skills at the kitchen. You get to welcome, serve and impress your friends over dinner and Thanksgiving* (it’s special, look it up!).

3. Peace in studying and life

You can enjoy the quietness in studying and hanging out with friends. It’s all good!

Costs of living in an apartment:

Tangible costs: Depending where you live (more on this later), costs can vary. Generally speaking:

Rent: $1000+ per month (Lower budget would entail shared bedrooms)

Utilities: $50 to $ 70 per month

Internet: $30 to $50 per month

Food: $200 to $300 per month

Intangible costs: Communicaton with fellow roommates.

Time and emotional effort are devoted to resolving roommate conflicts over cleanliness, schedules and property ownership, etc. If you live with adamant roommates, your life can be equally as difficult as living with a host family.

Rent in Silicon Valley for typical Foothill students: Locations ordered by rent (Highest to Lowest)

1. Palo Alto, Menlo Park ($3,620, 2 bedrooms)
2. Cupertino ($3,369, 2 bedrooms)
3. Mountain View ($3,269, 2 bedrooms)
4. San Jose ($3,000+, 2 bedrooms)
5. Sunnyvale ($2,974, 2 bedrooms)
6. Los Altos Hills ($2,873, 2 bedrooms)
7. Fremont ($2,542, 2 bedrooms)
8. Milpitas ($2,322, 2 bedrooms)

Note that you will need to drive for Cupertino, Sunnyvale, San Jose, Fremont and Milpitas.

My advice: Look for people who are compatible with you as roommates. Rent according to your budget. Buy furniture and appliances in small numbers since you are only here for two to three years. (Comment if you would like an article on how to choose the best place to live)

Mountain View can be your go-to apartment location since it is close to campus.

Common Apartments in Mountain View, California:

1. Aviana Apartments
2. Palmetto Apartments
3. El Portal Apartments
4. Birch Creek
5. Avalon Mountain View
6. Eaves Mountain View
7. Arbors Mountain View
8. The California Apartments

• You may ask why is a private room so important? It is important because you don’t want any disturbances or disruptions with your studying. If you live in a shared space, you would have to accommodate your roommates’ schedule. It might be sensible to learn how to live with other people, but trading your grades and chances to transfer to a prestigious 4 year university does not worth it.
• There are Facebook groups for finding off-campus roommates. One of them is Foothill College Apartments/Sublets that I’ve created: https://www.facebook.com/groups/foothillhousing/?ref=group_cover
• Foothill ISP Homestay Program: https://foothill.edu/international/homestays.php
• Reach out to the Foothill International Office for any grievances regarding negative homestay experiences: https://foothill.edu/international/contact.php
• How can anyone live in a living room? Students usually section off the living room with curtains so that privacy is protected.
• Thanksgiving: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanksgiving