#1MileyFan

I've been at LSU for a couple years now. Baton Rouge is a pretty lame town, but you can figure out the cool stuff...and if you really take advantage of the benefits of Louisiana, you can have a really good time. Important to know is that you generally live either south or north of campus...south is the ritzy area, north is the crummy area. Don't go north if you want to live someplace with no cockroaches/sealed moulding/etc (to be fair, the cockroaches will find you wherever you go)...I picked north because I a) didn't know better, and it's cheaper. Avoid Tigerland...it's a sort of student housing apartment area that gets very raucous. As far as safety goes, it's generally safe, although there's a bad side of the tracks that you hit rapidly if you go north of Aster and east of Iowa Street. But I've never really felt unsafe. Much more dangerous is the absolutely awful driving ability you'll find here...drive DEFENSIVELY. Stop signs seem to be optional for some drivers here, bikers go whichever direction they please when they please, etc. Because of the post-Katrina population overflow from New Orleans folk who stayed in Baton Rouge, traffic is terrible in the mornings, afternoons, and evenings. Get used to hitting traffic basically all the time, and just try not to go out from 4-7. Also, safety-wise, be aware that hurricanes are a reality, and take them seriously...get water ahead of time, and be sure to stock up on alcohol...if you lose power in the Louisiana summer for a week and a half, you'll want some red wine.

As for culture, Baton Rouge is a bit lacking in my mind, but it's there. There are some good bars and pizza places. Get to know po'boys...I thought they were just subs when I moved here, but I was wrong...they are miracles of cuisine. Crawfish, when in season, is spectacularly good. Get season tickets to Tigers football the summer beforehand...it's like $90 for students, and well worth it for the experience. I'd never encountered anything like the Saturday of an LSU game here, and I'll miss going to see the Tigers play. There are some nice parks to visit. And New Orleans is fairly close, and is an absolutely great city.

And LSU is the jewel of the city...the campus (the quad, anyway) is beautiful. If you've never seen live oaks, you will, and they're incredible. So you'll have a good time (just get ready for the humidity...it makes the summers hotter and the winters colder).