Apartment Hunting: What Should I Do?

I don’t know what to do. I am moving to NYC in two weeks (AHHHHH) and I need to find a place to live. I am torn between two apartments.

One is on the UWS. A place that I have friends. I liked much more when I visited. The roommates seems my speed/my age. The apartment is really nice and bedroom is a nice size. The lease if for exactly the time that I want. But the rent is EXPENSIVE.

One is in Washington Heights. It is MUCH cheaper. The bedroom is HUGE. The roommates seem decent. The apartment looks nice. But the lease doesn’t start till January (I get to the US at the end of November) and will go through September (I finish school in June). The roommate seemed really young. And the last time I lived in Washington Heights I HATED it. I found it really cold. I felt really old. I did not feel like I fit in.

Now, thinking about this all, I realize that I will not be in my apartment all that often. I will be in school most days of the week, and at least one weekend a month I will be away.

But then, I want to be happy where I am living. I have just spent 4 months, basically in isolation. I am usually very good at doing things for my professional life, but less so for my social life. But then there is the savings I will have if I chose to live in Washington Heights (the rent is about half of what it is in the UWS).

I need to figure this out- well, in about a day or two. But I really just don’t know what to do. Any suggestions?