Nuevo East

Came here from a 1200 sq ft “semi-luxury” 2b2ba condo in a HCOL location expecting a noticeable drop in quality of life. Frankly it’s not bad at all and only slightly tighter on space. I was somehow able to fit a queen size mattress and a desk in the bedroom.

The sad part of this review is that I’m not spending that much less than I was before. But take a look around rentals nearby: I don’t think you’re gonna beat this price.

It's new and very clean. The grad housing has a lot of facilities for students: gym, swimming pool, laundry, shuttles to the campus, ... . The only thing about Nuevo East is that the units are unfurnished. The kitchen only has a stove and a refrigerator. No microwave oven, no dishwasher, no in-unit laundry. It also doesn't have A/C.

Pretty good experience living here

Reasonable rent right now, but it will be raised by ~200$/month/person soon. New construction, small but serviceable. Reasonable counter space in the kitchen, nice ceramic stovetop, slightly limited cabinet space. No hall closet for storage: we have to store things like the vacuum cleaner in the bathroom. If anything goes wrong, the maintenance folks are very fast if you call them, slightly slower if you submit an online request. Excellent location for UCSD students. If you can get a place here, it's probably much better than anywhere else nearby in terms of location and price. The gyms are small but serviceable, and there's more on campus if you want squat racks and larger equipment. There's a small pub and regularly scheduled food trucks (three days a week for dinner, and coffee carts for breakfast, I think three days a week also), and some very nice outdoor space with hammocks and chairs and so on. Most units don't have balconies. The walls are generally thick, I don't have a problem with noise at all.

No grocery stores close by. Closest is a 20 minite walk. Difficult if no car with you! Have to go by bus or something!

Perfect apartment except for no furniture

UCSD grad housing more specifically Nuevo east is a good place to live and very affordable.

Maintenance is fast, rent is cheap, and it's close (biking distance) to campus. The problem is that without a car, there's pretty much zero access to anything interesting to do, including groceries.

Pros:
Good fridge and oven/stove
Floor-to-ceiling windows in living room
Building ventilated and constructed well enough that lack of air conditioning is not an issue
Ceiling fans in bedrooms and living room
Pool, small game room with pool table, pub, and lots of outdoor community areas in the apartment complex
~10 minute walk to Executive Drive trolley stop
~30 minute walk to UCSD Price Center
Clean
Garbage disposal in sink
Trash chute room on every floor
Laundry rooms every other floor (coin-op or prepaid through Speed Queen app)
Good wifi
Rent easily payable online
Mail room that receives and signs out packages
Electric Vehicle chargers in 1-hour parking lots and parking structures
Thick walls and heavy doors

Cons:
No dishwasher or microwave in kitchen
No buzzer system, extra keycards cost money
Not much to do on a budget in the area
No grocery store or convenience store <30 minutes away on foot
Cats and dogs not allowed
No blinds/shades on windows and difficult to hang a renter-friendly curtain rod
No kitchen or bathroom closets
Management complains about very minor things
Shower only, no bathtub

Okayish experience. Ceilings are not painted, rooms are too small.
Bathrooms are way too big and there are no sinks in the washrooms, but only in common spaces. Kitchen size does not change with apartment size. No balcony. Window cannot be opened all the way.