Student Housing
If you are not planning to live in the dorm or with your parents, you are probably looking for student housing. For many students, the main criteria is CHEAP. While rent is of course an important factor, there are other things you should also consider. You're going to be living in this place for months and you don't want to be either unsafe or miserable. Remember, once you sign the lease, you're stuck.
Some universities have developed their own rating programs for off-campus housing. Ask the student services department if your university offers this service. It can be an easy way compare properties. The ratings usually apply to things like fire safety and other housing code issues, neighborhood safety, vermin control, maintenance and so on. A responsible landlord will welcome housing inspectors. A slumlord won't, and there are plenty of those near college campuses. They just want you to shut up and pay the rent, and you might as well, because a landlord like that is not going to address your complaints.
Complaints like what, you say? Like the heat/air conditioning doesn't work. The kitchen is teeming with cockroaches. The water is brown and smells bad. There's a broken stair halfway up to the second floor. Shall I go on?
So before you head out to go apartment hunting, do some research. Take a look at Apartment Renting Basics, for instance, which you can get on Amazon. Make a list of things to check, like the light switches work, the refrigerator is cold, etc. Ask when the last code inspection was. Knock on some doors and ask other tenants if they're happy here. Don't sign until you're sure you'll be happy, too.