University Commons — Local services in Atlanta

The Good: Generally, major maintenance requests are addressed within 24-48 hours, which is faster than most of the local landlords. Incredibly secure, you will not see anyone that shouldn't be there. Housing amenities include a free laundromat, though it may take a while to complete laundry since there are so many students. The GSU green route stops just outside commons, and when those are taken out for the night the Ambassador golf carts make it so that the long walks to class can be easier and safer. Utilities are free. You can keep the AC on in the hottest part of summer and never see a bill. The GSUPD frequently patrols streets near the commons, making it safe for students at all times of day and night.

The Bad: Many of the laundromat washers and dryers are consistently broken, although the ones in building A were recently upgraded, other buildings still can take up to three hours to complete a load of laundry. Two-person dorms do not have couches, but rather two armchairs, which makes having anyone visit hard. Walls between rooms can be incredibly thin. At the moment I can hear it when my neighbor's phone vibrates, as well as everything else she does.

The Ugly: Rooms in the commons are $5000 a semester. If you do not have a scholarship to cover this, I suggest you find an apartment elsewhere that is more affordable. Most apartments you find can be half this price, and with roommates to share the burden of rent and utilities, this comes down substantially for an apartment that may be larger and cozier than the commons. GSU staff members can be incredibly...

For interns, or anyone not a GSU student. GSU students may have different experiences. The building was literally falling apart when I stayed for the summer - there were wires dangling from the ceiling, exposed ceiling tiles, and 2 / 3 elevators were not working for more than half the time I was there. Sometimes the elevators would not work at all, and I lived on the 9th floor.

The staff is nice enough but the entire building is run poorly and mailroom staff has attitude and accountability issues. I've emailed multiple people trying to do something as simple as pick up the packages, and they can't do anything. I've had packages turned around by the courier because the mailroom was not there to sign for anything, I've had multiple notifications for delivered packages only for the mailroom to say they don't have it. So essentially in a nutshell, I would discourage any companies or interns to avoid GSU for summer housing. Mail gets lost all the time, the management at the building is incompetent to the point where they struggle with basic residential services (work orders, parking, mail), and the building itself is old and in serious...

I am the parent of a student that lives there and let’s just say the dorm apartment was filthy upon moving into the unit. There was still trash and debris left from the previous occupants. The bathrooms were absolutely disgusting with dirt and body hair in the tub and floor. The kitchen was even more nasty with food spilled over in the fridge, crumbs in the cabinets and floors. It had not been cleaned at all for the next tenants to move in. As much money that is charged, you’d think the property management would do a better job to make sure the spaces are cleaned and disinfected for the next occupants. I called the student housing to complain about it, and were told to email the Resident director J. Burick, in which I did and he has yet to respond and that’s been over two weeks ago. It goes to show they don’t care and all they’re concerned about is you paying the housing fee before moving in and getting the money for each semester. If only they were just as concerned with making sure their units were cleaned before students moved in, maybe it would be a...