What’s our story?
Martin and I met while we were graduate students at the Kellogg School of Management. Martin was completing his MBA program and was launching a real estate brokerage to help new Kellogg students find off-campus housing in Evanston, Illinois. As an incoming Kellogg student at the time, I was searching for an apartment near campus, but was struggling with the same set of challenges that motivated Martin to form his new venture.
Apparently, so were many of my classmates.
The trouble was that I was relocating for school and had limited knowledge of the campus and its surrounding area. I didn’t know where other students like Martin chose to live, what typical rent in the area was, or how attractive certain housing options were based on their distance to Jacobs Hall, popular bars or other key points of interest for a Kellogg MBA student. In addition, my opportunity to evaluate housing options was limited to a single 2-day campus visit (several of the international students were not so lucky!).
Our school administrators provided detailed information on University-managed housing options, but I preferred to live off-campus. The local leasing agents could only offer superficial answers to my questions about my program's housing profile. The Yahoo! Group discussion I joined (Facebook in today’s terms) focused heavily on a couple of the most popular apartments at the exclusion of many others options that more closely matched my needs. It turned out that there was no substitute for the opinions and experiences of students like Martin who had entered my program before me to help me make optimal relocation decisions.
Many of my classmates agreed.
The concept proved successful first at Kellogg then across other Northwestern University programs (JDs, MDs, etc.), then at University of Chicago, University of Miami and at other institutions. Students rented well-maintained properties in locations and rent ranges that were ideal for them. In turn, property managers were eager to have responsible tenants who often re-leased their place the following year. Martin and I felt that the time was right to offer Stu’s View to a much wider network of students across the nation.
Who is Stu anyways?
Stu is you – the student! Analysis has shown that the primary motivation behind sharing one's views on websites such as Yelp! and Amazon is not to seek a financial reward or to receive recognition as a contributor, but rather the belief that one's opinions and experiences actually help others to make important decisions. Without a doubt, this belief holds true at Stu’s View. It’s your questions, perspectives, insights and commentary on relocating for school—and school life in general—that truly matter to those who are following in your footsteps.
Darshan Desai
Managing Partner, Stu’s View