Baton Rouge, LA

[sjoh197]

13 minutes ago, Love3 said:

I'm in the same boat of trying to figure out where to live. I just accepted my offer to LSU a couple weeks ago but I have a habit of planning ahead. I've talked to people that said you don't have to start looking for places to live until the May/June for August move in dates. Do you guys agree? I was planning on making an apartment visit at the end of June. 

So, a lot of the apts around are college town apts, so a lot of the tenants wont even be out, meaning you wont really know what's available, but there's no reason you can't visit anyways.

[Love3]

10 minutes ago, sjoh197 said:

So, a lot of the apts around are college town apts, so a lot of the tenants wont even be out, meaning you wont really know what's available, but there's no reason you can't visit anyways.

I know they won't be out until like July/August but I feel like most places should know who is renewing their lease by then. At least that's how it worked at my undergrad. We had to let our complex know if we were renewing our lease by April.

I just don't want to wait too long. That'll be nerve wrecking for me. Do you attend LSU? 

[sjoh197]

42 minutes ago, Love3 said:

I know they won't be out until like July/August but I feel like most places should know who is renewing their lease by then. At least that's how it worked at my undergrad. We had to let our complex know if we were renewing our lease by April.

I just don't want to wait too long. That'll be nerve wrecking for me. Do you attend LSU? 

I did for my undergrad, and my mother is faculty there.

I am the type of person to visit sooner rather than later.

Also, the big thing with looking in may for an August start has to do with coordinating roommates. If you are not doing that, then it doesn't really matter how early you start

[Love3]

1 hour ago, sjoh197 said:

I did for my undergrad, and my mother is faculty there.

I am the type of person to visit sooner rather than later.

Also, the big thing with looking in may for an August start has to do with coordinating roommates. If you are not doing that, then it doesn't really matter how early you start

Okay great! Thank you for the advice! I would prefer a roommate but I am looking for 1 bedroom just in case. 

[sjoh197]

6 hours ago, Love3 said:

Okay great! Thank you for the advice! I would prefer a roommate but I am looking for 1 bedroom just in case. 

If you would prefer a roomie... There's a facebook page, I think its LSU marketplace, or LSU buy and sell, or something like that. People post roomie and apartment ads up pretty regularly, although more so at the end/beginning of a semester.

[rockchalk4253]

On March 29, 2016 at 4:09 AM, sjoh197 said:

If you would prefer a roomie... There's a facebook page, I think its LSU marketplace, or LSU buy and sell, or something like that. People post roomie and apartment ads up pretty regularly, although more so at the end/beginning of a semester.

What are some apartments you recommend on the south side? 

[sjoh197]

3 minutes ago, rockchalk4253 said:

What are some apartments you recommend on the south side? 

I've heard that southgate tower and sterling burbank were nice, safe, etc. 

Woodlands of baton rouge is also really nice. 

I lived in a house off of campus, so I never personally lived in any of the apts, I've just heard what others have to say. 

[rockchalk4253]

1 hour ago, sjoh197 said:

I've heard that southgate tower and sterling burbank were nice, safe, etc. 

Woodlands of baton rouge is also really nice. 

I lived in a house off of campus, so I never personally lived in any of the apts, I've just heard what others have to say. 

Any help is greatly appreciated so thank you! It's so hard to tell when there are so many options and the reviews are all over the place. And I don't know what BR is like at all so it's nice to have some help! 

[sjoh197]

2 minutes ago, rockchalk4253 said:

Any help is greatly appreciated so thank you! It's so hard to tell when there are so many options and the reviews are all over the place. And I don't know what BR is like at all so it's nice to have some help! 

Well, anywhere near campus is very college-town-y with lots of parties and such. The more expensive, the less likely to have lots of crazy parties lol. It is very much a party school, especially on game day saturdays. There's an area called tigerland with bars and some apartments... not very safe, I would never live there.

Also, there is not much around. The whole city is extremely boring unless you really like football, drinking, or stuff like fishing and hunting. I would suggest finding an apartment with a good gym in it or joining a nearby gym, because there aren't any outdoor activities to participate in. Hiking, climbing, beach, non-existent.  Also, the less time you can spend outside getting to class or just the university in general, the better. Not only is it really hot, 90's throughout the summer... its the 75+ percent humidity that hits you like a wall and keeps your body from cooling down. Makes it feel a lot hotter that it is.  Not sure if you are in Lawrence, Ka or at lawrence uni in wisconsin, but regardless, it will be a very hot adjustment if you haven't spent time in the south. 

[rockchalk4253]

28 minutes ago, sjoh197 said:

Well, anywhere near campus is very college-town-y with lots of parties and such. The more expensive, the less likely to have lots of crazy parties lol. It is very much a party school, especially on game day saturdays. There's an area called tigerland with bars and some apartments... not very safe, I would never live there.

Also, there is not much around. The whole city is extremely boring unless you really like football, drinking, or stuff like fishing and hunting. I would suggest finding an apartment with a good gym in it or joining a nearby gym, because there aren't any outdoor activities to participate in. Hiking, climbing, beach, non-existent.  Also, the less time you can spend outside getting to class or just the university in general, the better. Not only is it really hot, 90's throughout the summer... its the 75+ percent humidity that hits you like a wall and keeps your body from cooling down. Makes it feel a lot hotter that it is.  Not sure if you are in Lawrence, Ka or at lawrence uni in wisconsin, but regardless, it will be a very hot adjustment if you haven't spent time in the south. 

Totally used to that weather, Kansas has awful summers exactly like that. I keep hearing about tiger land is that just a general area somewhere? What is like the furthest away you could probably live from campus like a few miles before the commute is bad? I'm hoping to be within walking distance or so but I've heard traffic is really bad there. Do you have any other tips? 

[sjoh197]

7 minutes ago, rockchalk4253 said:

Totally used to that weather, Kansas has awful summers exactly like that. I keep hearing about tiger land is that just a general area somewhere? What is like the furthest away you could probably live from campus like a few miles before the commute is bad? I'm hoping to be within walking distance or so but I've heard traffic is really bad there. Do you have any other tips? 

So tigerland is just an area... if you google "tigerland baton rouge" it will actually pull up on google maps. 

What's your definition of a "bad commute" because we used to drive an hour+ to get to LSU lol. 

The Union food gets old really fast. There aren't really any healthy food options on campus, so if you are health conscious, be prepared to bring your own food. 

None of the Starbucks on campus are legit Starbucks... so they don't take gift cards. 

There is a dairy store in the middle of campus. It has some of the best ice cream whatever god you believe in has allowed to be created. 

The academic buildings close on game day saturdays because of the campus-wide tailgating. You wouldn't be able to drive there on those days anyways.

The howe russel atrium, business building atrium, and art building atrium (no outlets) are all pretty great places to drink a quiet cup of coffee and take a breather. 

[SgtP3pp3r]

Alright, so I've been living in Baton Rouge for the past two years and it's not as bad as some would make it out to be. 

It does get very hot in the summer, and is pretty warm most of the year. The humidity is pretty high regularly as well, but I grew up in places with high humidity, so for me that's a plus. There are lots of places to live that are near to campus, but as far as walking distance you'll want to check out the places just south of campus. Sterling Burbank is in that area but is very pricy, they opened up last year and have really high rent. There are plenty of other options in this area that can be agreeable. Look for University View and Embassy Apartments as a good starting point in that area. These are cheap and are usually in pretty good shape. Very close to campus. There are a few other apartment places nearby that are probably a bit cheaper, but the quality is less. You have El Cid (there's like 3 of them) and Gaslite in this area as well which I personally didn't like too much, but which aren't horrible either. I think all of these have mostly 1bd-1br options, and some 2bd-1br. All around Parker boulevard you will find nice places that are individually owned and rented. There is also the Nicholson Apartments provided by LSU. I wouldn't call them horrible, but they are kind of pricy for what you get. They are small, and pretty old. The biggest advantage they have is the closeness to campus. This is all walking distance.

The university has some additional graduate apartments in the north part (Edward Gay Apartments) which aren't bad, but the main problem there is that just south of this is a part of Baton Rouge that I would consider unsafe to walk through on a daily basis, and this is exactly where you would walk through to get to campus. Also on the north side of campus you have places like Campus Crossing, and Tiger Manor. Tiger manor has very nice 1bd-1br, but they are expensive. I've never been to Campus Crossing, but they seemed more Undergrad infested. 

In the part of town called Tigerland you have lots and lots of apartment complexes which are on the cheaper side. I wouldn't call it unsafe since I have personally never heard of problems, but it does look kind of sketchy in parts. Just south of Tigerland you have Brightside, for me this is a big improvement with respect to Tigerland and there are a couple of nice complexes that have ok pricing. Villas on Brightside are probably the nicer ones and best bang for your buck in the area, they also offer up 2bd-2br. I checked them out when I was apartment hunting. Blox on Brightside is not bad either, but they are a lot smaller than the Villas. There are also plenty of individually owned places you can rent. There are a few other places that are more undergrad-y but not bad over all like Campus Crossing, or Jennifer's Landing. There is one complex that I would definitely stay away from, I think it's called The Zone, on Brightside. It's pretty badly kept, I haven't seen the apartments from the inside, but on the outside they look like they are falling apart. 

Personally I wouldn't think that you should just stick to something that is within walking distance to campus, what you should do is make sure that there is a tiger trails bus route. The tiger trails buses are pretty reliable, and run pretty regularly within regular hours. Everything in Tigerland, Brightside, is on the bus route. There is another place in Nicholson called Oakbrook, and one beside it called Brookhaven which are not bad at all either. Oakbrook has some pretty good pricing for what they offer, also having lots of variety in apartments and lots of 2bd-2br. This is also within tiger trails. 

Also on the southern part you have the Highland Crossing apartments, also on the tiger trails. I consider them to be alright, and would never call them horrible, and they are quite on the cheap side. Their biggest advantage is being right next to the neighborhood walmart.

There are several Campus Crossing housing complexes, these seem alright, but they seem very much for undergrads. Kinda like Sterling Burbank, or the Towers. Other than what i've mentioned you'll have a lot of other housing complexes scattered everywhere, but will be pricier and most would require a vehicle. If you aren't nitpicky you will find lots and lots of places to live that are great here in BR close to campus. 

Try checking out LSU off campus housing with your myLSU account. Thats how I found my first roommate and apartment when I first got here. They have a small social-network-like website that's useful for apartment hunting and roommate recruiting before you arrive. The better part is that it is pretty trustworthy since everyone on it has to be registered as a student at LSU, and the postings for places are (I think) approved by the university. So you won't have to worry about scams or rip offs.

Good luck!

[sjoh197]

How have you lived in BR for 2 years and never heard of Tigerland being unsafe? Everybody and their mom knows that you don't really want to live there unless you can't afford to go elsewhere. What's happening to Tigerland is the same thing that happened to the bar scene north of campus 30 years ago. 

1 hour ago, SgtP3pp3r said:

In the part of town called Tigerland you have lots and lots of apartment complexes which are on the cheaper side. I wouldn't call it unsafe since I have personally never heard of problems, but it does look kind of sketchy in parts.

Crime soars in Baton Rouge’s Tigerland area; bar owners, landlords struggling to keep peace

http://theadvocate.com/news/14486122-133/crime-soars-in-baton-rouges-tigerland-area-bar-owners-landlords-struggling-to-keep-the-peace

 

http://theadvocate.com/news/15350908-31/report-uptick-in-violent-crime-alcohol-offenses-in-tigerland-cause-law-enforcement-to-increase-prese

In January, LSU tight end Dillon Gordon was stabbed multiple times at Reggie’s bar in Tigerland. The owner of Akasha Market, who was born and raised in the Gaza Strip, took an indefinite leave from her business after being terrorized at gunpoint and robbed of $5,000 on Jan. 4.

There were also a string of incidents in Tigerland in 2015, including and a man allegedly pointing a loaded gun at customers outside a bar, an apparent parking lot rape and a report of shots fired in the air just outside one of the taverns.

[sjoh197]

@SgtP3pp3r But otherwise good advice

Other than our disagreement about how bad it is  But that's because I'm a mountain girl. 

 

[rockchalk4253]

On March 31, 2016 at 9:23 AM, SgtP3pp3r said:

Alright, so I've been living in Baton Rouge for the past two years and it's not as bad as some would make it out to be. 

It does get very hot in the summer, and is pretty warm most of the year. The humidity is pretty high regularly as well, but I grew up in places with high humidity, so for me that's a plus. There are lots of places to live that are near to campus, but as far as walking distance you'll want to check out the places just south of campus. Sterling Burbank is in that area but is very pricy, they opened up last year and have really high rent. There are plenty of other options in this area that can be agreeable. Look for University View and Embassy Apartments as a good starting point in that area. These are cheap and are usually in pretty good shape. Very close to campus. There are a few other apartment places nearby that are probably a bit cheaper, but the quality is less. You have El Cid (there's like 3 of them) and Gaslite in this area as well which I personally didn't like too much, but which aren't horrible either. I think all of these have mostly 1bd-1br options, and some 2bd-1br. All around Parker boulevard you will find nice places that are individually owned and rented. There is also the Nicholson Apartments provided by LSU. I wouldn't call them horrible, but they are kind of pricy for what you get. They are small, and pretty old. The biggest advantage they have is the closeness to campus. This is all walking distance.

The university has some additional graduate apartments in the north part (Edward Gay Apartments) which aren't bad, but the main problem there is that just south of this is a part of Baton Rouge that I would consider unsafe to walk through on a daily basis, and this is exactly where you would walk through to get to campus. Also on the north side of campus you have places like Campus Crossing, and Tiger Manor. Tiger manor has very nice 1bd-1br, but they are expensive. I've never been to Campus Crossing, but they seemed more Undergrad infested. 

In the part of town called Tigerland you have lots and lots of apartment complexes which are on the cheaper side. I wouldn't call it unsafe since I have personally never heard of problems, but it does look kind of sketchy in parts. Just south of Tigerland you have Brightside, for me this is a big improvement with respect to Tigerland and there are a couple of nice complexes that have ok pricing. Villas on Brightside are probably the nicer ones and best bang for your buck in the area, they also offer up 2bd-2br. I checked them out when I was apartment hunting. Blox on Brightside is not bad either, but they are a lot smaller than the Villas. There are also plenty of individually owned places you can rent. There are a few other places that are more undergrad-y but not bad over all like Campus Crossing, or Jennifer's Landing. There is one complex that I would definitely stay away from, I think it's called The Zone, on Brightside. It's pretty badly kept, I haven't seen the apartments from the inside, but on the outside they look like they are falling apart. 

Personally I wouldn't think that you should just stick to something that is within walking distance to campus, what you should do is make sure that there is a tiger trails bus route. The tiger trails buses are pretty reliable, and run pretty regularly within regular hours. Everything in Tigerland, Brightside, is on the bus route. There is another place in Nicholson called Oakbrook, and one beside it called Brookhaven which are not bad at all either. Oakbrook has some pretty good pricing for what they offer, also having lots of variety in apartments and lots of 2bd-2br. This is also within tiger trails. 

Also on the southern part you have the Highland Crossing apartments, also on the tiger trails. I consider them to be alright, and would never call them horrible, and they are quite on the cheap side. Their biggest advantage is being right next to the neighborhood walmart.

There are several Campus Crossing housing complexes, these seem alright, but they seem very much for undergrads. Kinda like Sterling Burbank, or the Towers. Other than what i've mentioned you'll have a lot of other housing complexes scattered everywhere, but will be pricier and most would require a vehicle. If you aren't nitpicky you will find lots and lots of places to live that are great here in BR close to campus. 

Try checking out LSU off campus housing with your myLSU account. Thats how I found my first roommate and apartment when I first got here. They have a small social-network-like website that's useful for apartment hunting and roommate recruiting before you arrive. The better part is that it is pretty trustworthy since everyone on it has to be registered as a student at LSU, and the postings for places are (I think) approved by the university. So you won't have to worry about scams or rip offs.

Good luck!

This was extremely extremely helpful thank you for all of the help! ?

[Sbrail2]

Anybody coming for the fall??

[Krun]

I am!

[DrGirl]

I wanted to revive this thread! I'll be attending LSU in the fall for the Clinical Psych PhD program. I wanted to know how/when people went about looking for apartments, also wanted to see who else was attending in the fall?

[skyxgambler]

I will be attending LSU in the fall. I just want to know which one is better, staying at campus or outside? 

[Monsif]

I will start my PhD fall 2017 and I am from Egypt

I am not sure when to start looking for a roommate

 

[wandering95]

Hi, 

Reviving this thread as I have some questions. I am an international student starting this fall and would like to know if it is possible to pay rent/bills/federal tax????/groceries on a master's student stipend....

And do international students have to pay federal tax? I've emailed the accounts office to check but any answers here would be good as well. 

Thank you!

[Tomiwaa]

I would be applying to Louisiana state university this fall 2018 for the 2019 cycle. Here is my profile:

GPA- 3.23/4.0

GR- 301 q 151 v 150

Research experience- 6months. 

please who knows when the application portal is going to be opened?