Moving to Dallas for Dream?

March 31st, 2010dream0 comments

Many of you have a lot of questions regarding moving to Dallas before you apply for Dream. So without further ado, here’s the questions answered.

The Dream program runs from September 20th, 2010 until June 24, 2011. Eids will be off , as well as possibly a one week break at the end of December.

You will find a video below, along with written answers to the questions listed here. If you are still considering applying for Dream – or already have, this is vital information and is worth the 20-30 minutes it will take to process all the information contained here.

Questions related to the instructors/curriculum are addressed in the video directly – most specifically concerns about the immersion aspect of the program and it being the first year of the program.

1. What are the living costs?
2. Can Bayyinah help me find a roommate for Dream?
3. What if I can’t afford the tuition/living expenses?
   
4. What are the apartments like in the area? Muslim families?
   
5. Do I need a car?
6. Are there halal restaurants nearby? Is it easy to find biryani and shwarmas in Texas, or do they only have non-zabihah BBQ and beef jerky?
   
7. I have kids, is child care going to be provided? What are the schooling options for my other kids?
8. Can I work a job in the evenings during Dream?

1. What are the living costs?

There are a lot of apartment buildings within a 5-15 minute radius of the campus. It should not be difficult to find anything between a 1 bedroom apartment [or even a smaller studio for cheaper] up to a 3 bedroom apartment.

We are recommending that anyone looking to rent an apartment utilize JW Ellis apartment locators. We have already spoken to them and explained the situation with Dream. They already know to look for properties nearby the campus, and also look for properties that will let you sign a lease of 6-10 months.

Please keep in mind apartment availability will NOT be known until mid July. As a rule of thumb, they won’t know if an apartment is available until 60 days before you need to move in.

USE THIS PDF FILE FOR INFORMATION ON APARTMENT PRICING IN THE AREA, AS WELL AS THE CONTACT TO THE APARTMENT LOCATOR.

The nearby cities for looking for an apartment are: Euless, Irving, Valley Ranch/Las Colinas.

Aside from the rental costs outlined in the brochure above, keep in mind your other general utilities: Electricity, Gas, Water, and Internet/phone.

2. Can Bayyinah help me find a roommate?

YES. Once accepted, if you need a roommate, please reach out to us. We’ll facilitate putting you together in groups of 2-4 depending on your preferences. But this should significantly cut down expenses for most. If 4 people share a 2 bedroom apartment in the area (roughly $800-900) they could each pay 200-250 a month.

3. What if I can’t afford the tuition/living expenses?

We would still encourage you to go ahead and apply. We are working on a document that can be presented to local communities and masajid to encourage them to sponsor students for the program.

4. What kind of apartments are in the area?

There’s a large concentration of Muslim families in the immediate vicinity of the campus, and thus a lot of them in nearby apartment complexes as well. In regards to things like safety, crime, and so on, then you can always get the vital statistics from local Police Departments. Overall though, the nearby areas are nice and there should not be much cause for concern.

5. Do I need a car?

In general, yes. Public transportation is not very common here, and neither is walking. Everything is bigger in Texas, including the distances between places, so having a car is very much a way of life here. Most of the students – especially if they’re living together should be able to carpool. Our advice though, is if you have a car, you should probably drive it down here for Dream. It would be best if you ended up rooming with a student that has a car and perhaps chip in for fuel etc.

6. Food?

The campus will have a small kitchen area available with microwaves and such, but we will not be able to provide full meals. There are a few halal restaurants and halal grocery stores in the immediate vicinity. As always, you can consult zabihah.com for more information. Within a 5 minute radius of the campus there are at least 4-5 halal restaurants and 1 large halal supermarket.

We are in also looking to set up restaurant and non-restaurant catering options that take advantage of our power in numbers. The idea is to take care of a couple of days of the week in terms of lunch and dinner at a fraction of what it would cost at the restaurant.

7. Kids, daycare, and school?

We haven’t yet decided on childcare at Dream, but most likely we will not be able to provide it. We will make accommodations for families with young children though. A mother’s room will be available where audio of the class will be broadcast, along with a screen displaying any instructor presentation.

Charter Schools: Manara Academy (also offers Arabic as a second language)

Public Schools: The local public school districts are Irving ISD, and HEB ISD. At a bit more of a drive are top-ranked Grapevine-Colleyville ISD and Carroll ISD.

Islamic Schools: Irving Islamic School

8. Can I work while doing Dream?

Class is 6 days a week [Fridays off], from roughly 8am to 4pm. While it is possible someone can work evenings and Fridays, it will still be difficult to balance with studies. Also keep in mind that one of the goals of Dream is to also hold some elective courses in the evening time 1-2 times a week.