I cried when I first saw my assigned 'townhouse' - but I love it now. It's more like European student housing, not at all what Americans are used to (new, neat, shiny, climate-controlled, latest appliances, or even just appliances). And that's fine with me because I don't want to be around noisy undergrads. Sometimes there are families here with noisy kids but I have never been disturbed by them myself; and there is an 8 pm - 8am quiet policy. Good luck finding that in a town apartment.
It's an international community and you have the opportunity to meet people from all over the world. There are wide open spaces where kids can play safely (and I can walk or sit and read safely) and unless you want to drive to park, good luck finding *that* in a town or city.
Everything is decades old. If that bothers you, stay away. I was scared of the gas heaters and didn't use them for three years; now I wonder what I made such a fuss about. I've never had to wait for any kind of repair -- unlike most apartments I've lived in.
I'm totally glad I've lived here because it's changed my expectations about what is necessary for my happiness. I've felt safe (the surrounding neighborhood isn't that bad, avoid walking around it at night if it makes you nervous), I've learned I don't need a dishwasher, I've realized how important green spaces are, I've learned to downsize and use public transport and recycle and do all the things that just might keep us as a country from going through the financial hell we're facing right now.
Not for everyone. For the right person, AV is great.

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