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CityFlips

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  • Gender
    Female
  • Location
    Indiana
  • Interests
    dietary assessment; dietary patterns related to cancer risk; prevention of cancer recurrence
  • Program
    Harvard MPH

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  1. The parking pass is for the whole year. August to August. The pass will be for a "C" gravel lot. If you go to the transportation services website you can find more precise information. Many of the gravel lots are a little ways off campus - 15 minute walk to most main areas. I think that's why so many people just take a bus from their apartment. For your 2nd year, you can get a C-garage pass. You have to keep an eye out for this email during the spring of your first year. I think the deadline for garage applications is sometimg in March. Once you get a garage pass, you will be assigned a specific garage that is close to your academic building. The garage pass is more expensive, but I can't remember the price. I had a garage pass for one year, and then just for spring of a second year. I was a TA on top of my RA which means I was 3/4 time instead of 1/2 time funding. If you're 3/4 time, you can get an A pass and you can park just about anywhere! I have not had a pass this year, becuase I live down town. There is a Purdue App for Android and iPhone that has all the bus schedules in real time. In other words, I can look to see if my bus is going to arrive in 2 minutes or 14 minutes. I've done just fine without a pass all year. I also ride my bike from down town when the weather is nice. We do NOT have a bike friendly community, but I figure the more of us who ride the better it will get. What program did you apply to? Good luck. I think you will like it here.
  2. Sorry for the delayed response. I turned in my dissertation this week, so it was a little stressful. Let me address your questoins: Lafayette and West Lafayette and the surrounding areas make up a relatively small areal I wouldn't worry too much about the exact location unless you want to rely on public transportation. The buses are free for studenst which is awesome. You will probably want to live somewhere with no bus transfer. If you live far enough away to need a bus transfer, you might as well just drive. Driving to campus is easy enough. A parking pass is something like $250 for a gravel lot pass which is what you will be eligible for your first year. After that, you can pay a little more for a garage pass which is really nice. West Lafayette Housing: Most of my friends live in apartments in West Lafayette. there are some apartments that are primarily undergrads. You will likely be able to tell which ones those are by the price, amenitites, etc. If it's luxurious, has the word "lodge" in the title, or has a "parent's page" on their website, you probably don't want to live there. Willowbrook, Blackbird Farms, and Salem Court House are probably some of the best places for grad students. There are certainly others, but I have known peple in all of those places. The aparetments are nice, public transportation is easy, and you could bike to campus from all of these. Willowbrook and Blackbird Farms are really close to the trail system which is really nice for running and biking. Lafayette Housing: DOWNTOWN: I grew up down town in Lafayette. There are more and more apartments popping up in old houses and old buildings. Most of these would have character and have potential to be less safe if you pick the wrong street. Generally streets north of Ferry Street would not be very desirable. There are some streets south of South Street that are a little iffy, but you will probably be fine. Just don't be stupid. Most people I know who have apartments right around Main Street LOVE it. There is a bus called the trolly that goes between down town and campus every 15 minutes. There are several bars and cute restaurants down town, a farmers market all summer and fall, and other little events here and there. You will want to ask about parking for these apartments. Most have a spot, but the street parking is usually 2 hour parking from 7am to 5pm, so it could be a pain for visitors. SOUTH SIDE: The south side of Lafayette revolves around Veteran's Memorial Parkway. It's practically another city. Not in distance though. It's literally a 12 minute drive to campus from the furthest apartments in this area. Everything is going to be around 5 years old or less, becuase it's all new development. Ther'es a Super Wal-Mart, several restaurants, nice big apartments, etc. I would actually highly recommend this area. It's going to be cheaper and more quiet. It would requier a car, but the money you save can be applied to your parking pass etc. There are a lot of cheap houses as well. If you are in a position to buy a house, you can find a cheap one becuase sadly...a lot in that area are up for quick sale. They are nice houses in nice neighborhoods. It's just a product of the time when a lot of young people got in over their heads financially. I have 2 friends who just bought houses becuase it was better for their family, dogs, etc and mortgage payments were cheaper than rent in some areas. This is also a good area if you have a significant other who wants to work in Indianapolis while you go to school at Purdue. CAMPUS HOUSING I haven't had any friends who live right on campus. At least not for more than a year. There are some nice new apartments going up, but they are of the variety with "parent pages" on the website. If you want to experience the whop whop whop sound of helicopter parents, go for it. The main bars are close to these apartments, so you will have the roudy crowd close by. If you're going to work in a lab, and experiements need tending on a Saturday morning, this is not the area for you. Chauncy Hill is the area I'm talking about. Grad housing on campus is less than idea. Hawkins is a dorm. It looks like a dorm, and feels like a dorm. There are shared kitchen spaces, but you won't get a kitchen of your own. You also have to share bathrooms. For the price of apartments in the area, it seems silly to live in Hawkins to me. Purdue Village is not ideal either. A lot of international students like living there because of the community they have developed. The chinese students developed a thriving garden which was awesome! Often there is room for families to live together. The facilities are not that nice though. Cinderblock buildings with small bedrooms and ok kitchens. It's Still a 15-20 minute walk to most areas on campus. I had a friend from China who really liked living in Purdue VIllage her first year. It was her first time to live far away from home, and she appreciated the community there. She moved to an apartment of her own for her second year. I think you can find cheaper apartments with more ammenities though in other areas of town. I have never felt like the Greater Lafayette area was in the middle of no where. Lafayette is an easy 1 hour 15 minute drive from Indianapolis (1.5 hours to the airport) and about 2.5 hours from Chicago. I love being between the 2! You can do either as a day trip. My friends and I have driven to Chicago just to go out to dinner. We have cultural events down town as well as on campus. The public libraries are fantastic. Winters are unpredicable. Often very cold, but not Minnesota cold. Summers are hot and humid. You're going to be working 95% of the time anyway, so I wouldn't get too worked up about the social scene. We have one. It may not be the same scene as other places, but we have one. Any more questions, just give me a shout!
  3. I'd like to re-open this forum. I've recently accepted the invitation from HSPH. I'd be curious to get to know others who have been accepted as well. Is anyone else going for a visitation day? I think I will be going on April 2.
  4. I am currently a PhD student at Purdue and Lafayette native. I would be happy to answer any questions you might have about the area. I may have some ideas reageding where you might want to live or not live in the area.
  5. Congratulations on your Erasmus Mundus nomination! I cannot speak to the euSYSBIO MS in Systems Biology program, but I did complete an Erasmus Mundus degree in Food Science Technology and Nutrition. I had a fantastic experience, and I am finishing my PhD at a US institution now. I will advise you that Erasmus Mundus is not well known in the United States. That can be both advantageous and a disadvantage at the same time. The advantage is that no one needs to know any of the weaknesses of your program. For students from the US, international studies are a huge advantage. For students who are not US citizens, studies in Europe would still be considered good. The only real disadvantage of EM not being well known in the US is that not everyone realizes how big an honor it is! Regarding your decision. I am glad that I participated in the EM degree program. I learned a lot just by living in several European countries, interacting with students from different cultures, and from teh courses offered. The degree was not nearly as demanding as most MS programs in the US. For the students for whome English was not their first language; I don't think they got enough feedback on their writing skills. In addition, I understand that most EM degrees are course based with a research portion at the end. Your academic weaknesses may not be identified and corrected as quickly as they would in a US based MS program. I whitnessed this in a girl from Indian who was nearly finished with her Erasmus Mundus program, came to work in my lab in the US for her research program, and was completely unprepared. If I were you, I would apply to the program at UIUC. I would see what decision they make. This will give you an opportunity to get feedback on your previous studies, academic strengths and weaknesses, etc. I think it would be valuable if you were accepted, to ask if you could defer the acceptance for a PhD after you complet the EM degree program if that's what you decide. I'm sure you will succeed either way! Best regards!
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