First Apartment: What should I know?

Yes...you need credit...or a a very qualified cosigner. You will also need to prove stable employment of at least one year. Also understand that most landlords in NYC will require that you make 4x's your rent in salary. Meaning that if your rent is $2000 a month, the landlord will require that your total income be at least $8000 a month. PLUS....in NYC, the fire marshal has laws too. You can not rent a 1 bedroom to three people, so you would need to rent a two bedroom.

living with one unrelated person is bad but living with two is worse. Never think you can afford an apartment as there are always things that come up and you get short. Make sure you have some savings. Know that you need to afford the entire rent or don't do this. Usually one or two people walk off and decide not to pay and then you must pay the entire amount or get evicted and then this huge judgment hits you which ruins your credit and gets too much to pay and then you can't get another apartment. Another thing to think about is everyone's style, for instance do they do drugs, do they or do they plan to have parties or loud parties or have bf's over overnight (and what if that gets you all evicted). The three of you need to put your own agreement together as to who does what and when with regard to chores, and about each others food in the frig, and do you each get a bathroom to yourself. Usually a person looks first for safety and well lighted places. And have a credit card for emergencies, only emergencies. And don't cut ties with family back home because you may have to return there. When a person is 18 usually they don't have much education so it will be difficult usually to get a good paying job. What you should instead be doing is stay living a home while you at least get two years of community college under your belt. Of course four years is preferable but college is super expensive these days and hanging around with two other people will cause you to spend money rather than save it. I think you're risking your future by moving in with those 2 friends.

You need to KNOW WHO your "Friends" are. Back Ground Checks all around. DO THEM. You might be hooking up with a serial Killer or rapist. The guy may be a Home Grown terrorist. NYC is not my idea of a place to raise a family. I love the country. I love a single family dwelling on 40 acres of land with pine trees and a spring that runs from a mountain lake. I like the sound of birds singing in the morning more than the sound of cars and gunshots. NYC has the nations Highest crime rate today. 400 shootings this year and the year is only HALF over

No credit needed. A landlord might want everyone to have a job for a year.

Full time income. Not some ying yang little part time job making minimum wage.