My friend and I were lucky to share the apartment with two students and we all got along really well, hanging out and going out together.
However the apartment is far from the center, far from the metro, we had to rely on a bus to get to the closest subway station which was 20 min away by bus. It was a hassle to go around, even within the Bronx. Take into account that it will take you 1h20 to go to Manhattan and 1h40 to Brooklyn.