Originally Posted by GreenPatures

An option is to search for rooms for rent. That said be careful, a lot of scams out there you will have to sift through, asking for money and application before seeing the place and with no key, etc. But when you sift through the scams there are some that are legit. Craigslist and other sites list rooms for rent, then you have to find the right situation in a decent area that is not a scam, not easy but doable and way way cheaper than a hotel (even at the HA corporate rate) and also way cheaper than a whole place to yourself. Also if you know anyone in your class you can room with and just get a place that way, even if you reach out day 1 for that, you'd have to absorb a bit of hotel (check HA corp rate) costs for a day or two, and have a contigency plan of a room for rent with a stranger lined up as a possibility. I would guess that there will be a few folks who are in a similar situation in your class and scrambling to find a decent place in close. Not an easy solution either way, but with some effort doable.