BionicKris

Does your department not set up the rotations for you? I'll be starting a Life Science program in the fall and it's required that we do 2 rotations per semester. We tell them who which labs we want to rotate through and they set it up if the labs are able. On the other hand I don't think it would hurt your case to e-mail each professor that you want to work with directly. This way you can start a conversation with them about possible research opportunities in their lab before you even get there. When it comes time for you to rotate your name should already be in their minds because you've 1 - demonstrated an interest in their work and 2 - spoken with them consistently over a few months. I hope this helps!

Hello everyone, I currently have the displeasure of searching for a decent apartment in the Purdue (Lafayette, West Lafayette) area. I'll be joining the PULSe program in the fall so I'm super excited. Naturally I contacted grad students there about places to live and while their answers were informative, they were all weirdly vague on where exactly the great places to live are. To make matters worse the department doesn't send out information on grad school dos and don'ts and places to live (per grad student polls) until the summer. Obviously all of the good apartments are gone by then. I'm wondering where I should live. I'd like to live within walking distance but I don't want to live near an extreme amount of undergrads if at all possible. I'm also avidly searching for a roommate. So, that being said, any advice? What are the best places to live, specifically (for those of you in the Purdue area)? How did you individually go about the roommate search and how did you go about ensuring that all parties survived the lease without wanting go into Hulk mode?

Hi Piccgeek - You are definitely not the only one that is having a hard time choosing between life sciences and literature. I was recently accepted to the PULSe program and I'm avidly searching for an apartment that is within walking distance to campus but not so close that I'm sharing living space with undergrads. I'd at least like to be able to study without being distracted by parties and such. Any advice? I've been looking at a place in downtown Lafayette (the Historic Lahr Apartments) and one in WL (the fairway). I've visited the school and I absolutely love it. I would really appreciate your advice on where to live/best neighborhoods. I don't want to have to move every year!