Everyone at my school was really surprised to find out my training group was so resistant to the roommate thing. One of the local Chinese teachers suggested no one wanted to live with me because I was too pretty. Unfortunately I know this flattering suggestion to be untrue because my potential roommate (mentioned above) told me we could have a girls day to "help me with all of that," with a general hand wave at my appearance. Not sure if I looked particularly tragic that day or if her red flags were raised when I had no interest in contributing to the "what's your favorite make-up brand" conversation, but in any case I don't think her issue with me was my level of attractiveness.
Apartment shopping continued to be difficult after we went our separate ways because we had little time off during training, so most of us had to set up viewings for 8 at night or later. I had an especially tough time because my school is so far from general civilization that no matter where I chose to live I would have some sort of a commute, so I was insistent about living on the metro line that goes to my school. One of the other trainees gave me a hard time because "trains are made to transfer" but he quickly changed his tune when he actually had to transfer a line. Transferring in Shanghai involves walking maybe a quarter of a mile from one line to the next, interspersed with stair climbing and pushing.
I ended up settling on a place the night before I needed to hand in my signed lease. I live very close to the center of the city so while I have a commute, I'm really happy with the location and the apartment. I'm especially glad to be out of the Sky Rainbow International hotel and in my own place. Also, if anyone knows what the buttons on my washer mean please share. After two attempted washes it is still a complete mystery to me.