Columbus, OH

[micrograd]

Hi all,

It looks like i'll be going to OSU. I am an international and i will not be able to visit early. Anybody knows of the graduate housing -the non-traditional neil apartments and the neil avenue efficiencies?

[ravinraven718]

Hi all,

It looks like i'll be going to OSU. I am an international and i will not be able to visit early. Anybody knows of the graduate housing -the non-traditional neil apartments and the neil avenue efficiencies?

I've never seen the efficiencies, but the apartments in the Neil Avenue Building, from their floorplans, are just about identical to my boyfriend's Worthing Building room. I really like it there - for a dorm, it's pretty comfy and spacious. It kind of makes me wish I still lived on campus. Both buildings were built at the same time (they're the newest dorms on campus), so I imagine they're very similar. The kitchens in the efficiencies aren't as big from the look of things. That's the only real disadvantage I see. The Neil Avenue Building is on South Campus and close to the hospital and most of the biological science buildings.

There are other graduate complexes, but they're not nearly as nice (Jones Graduate Tower on North Campus in in serious need of repairs).

[liszt85]

I did my MA at OSU and lived with my spouse there. He worked part time the first year and then quit the second year to focus on his own MA (at another school) more, and we got loans to help us through the second year. It really depends on your lifestyle - what you want to be able to spend money, what sorts of bills you have. As far as cost of living, everything is very reasonably priced - food, utilities, etc. You would be looking at rent around 500-600 for a nice one bedroom apartment. I've known people who spent less, but they were more tolerant of living in areas that could be a bit more sketchy or filled with undergrads. I lived in Clintonville, which is a really nice area. It's not as trendy at Victorian Village or the Short North, but I found that the rent for a comparable place was much higher there. My husband and I were not able to manage on just my stipend because we had credit card bills to pay. If you don't have extra stuff like credit card debt, a car payment, etc., you may be able to scrape by on the stipend. Let me know if you have other questions or if there are specific things about the city I can tell you.

Thanks for the info.. I'll get to know the exact amount today and I'll get back here and let you know so that you can tell me how easy/difficult life will be on that amount. My offer letter says that my funding is guaranteed for the first five *academic years* where one academic year runs from Oct1 to Jun30. Could anybody tell me about what activities graduate students who don't get funded for the summers engage in? I'm an international student and I might not be able to afford to pay for my flight tickets back and forth from home in the summer. I do hope I get to work on some project or the other and thereby have some summer earnings.. With a wife to support, every penny counts. Thanks for all the advice!

[mechEgirl]

I am also considering OSU with no car. Right now I use a bike to get around, and I would be interested to know if this would work in Columbus. Also, are there farmer's markets or other natural food stores (e.g. co-ops) near the university? And what do you think of the public transportation?

During the summer there are a few to choice from. I typically go to Grandview on weekends, though I believe the North Market is open year round. There is a Whole Foods right by campus, and a Kroger in Grandview that has a decent selection of organic food. If you make friends w/ someone with a car, there is a Trader Joe's about 20 minutes away in Easton Town Center (aka giant Suburban strip mall).

As for a bike, I have a car but almost never use it because I live in Grandview right by West Campus. I am on the 84 bus line at Northwest and Chambers. There are a ton of grocery stores, fast food places, cleaners, etc in the area. You can either take the 84 to campus, just walk to west campus and take the campus buses, or ride your bike (about 15 minutes) when the weather is nice. The 84 takes you to the Lennox Town Center (PetCo, Target, Barnes&Noble, World Market, AMC movie theater, Old Navy, etc). You can also ride your bike the half mile to the Shops on Lane Ave (Whole Foods, Bed Bath & Beyond, Ann Taylor Loft, etc).

Depending on your stipend, roommates, etc, you could live in Colony Club (about 600 a month), Heritage (more expensive, not as nice, but allows pets), the Meridian (about 800-900 a month, but nicer), Drayton Court (even more expensive). I recommend looking on Craigslist or driving through though b/c there are a lot of For Rent signs in the area. Everyone that I know that lives in the area (somewhere between 5th and Lane to the West of campus) loves the location. Some apartments are nicer than others, but the convenience is amazing.

[liszt85]

Hi all,

I'm moving closer towards accepting the PhD offer from OSU. Need some more information:

1) My first year stipend is likely to be around $12960 for 9 months + $1610 per month for the summers. They are also expecting a slight increase in that stipend amount of 12960 after some review that is to take place soon.

I do not know about the taxes that will be levied on my stipend. If there are international students from OSU who are on similar stipends, could you please tell me the approx amount you receive per month after taxes? I expect to pay around $500-600 towards rent. Another $100-150 for utilities. $100 more maybe for internet, phone, etc. I would also be taking private music lessons which will cost me some $150-200 per month. $400 for groceries. So I'm estimating my monthly expenses to come to around $1300-1400. Is this a good estimate? My wife will accompany me on a F2 visa and will not work. So she would be living on my stipend as well.

2) How much would a decent second hand car cost (post 2000 model)? Tell me about how car insurances work.. I really have no idea about the system in the US.

3) Are there nice places in or near Columbus my wife and I could travel to during the weekends for little pleasure trips?

4) Safe neighbourhoods for graduate students and families? I gather Clintonville is one such neighbourhood, from some of the posts here. Any other suggestions?

5) Any advice about other expenses I may have to consider. Any other advice for an international grad student with a dependent (spouse). My professor tells me about this great health insurance plan. 85% subsidized by the university and says it would cost me just $209 per quarter to pay for our insurance (both of us covered). Is this the only health insurance we'd need?

Thank you!

[Sibilance7]

Hi Liszt85,

Congrats on your decision! I don't know about the tax question or the car question, but I can tell you a bit about the others. There are tons of interesting things to do within driving distance of Columbus. Some of the things my husband and I have seen are the Hocking Hills (which you really have to visit a few times so you can see all the different stages throughout the seasons), the Serpent Mound, Newport Aquarium just across the state line in Kentucky (about a 2 hour drive), and visit some of the many parks in Columbus. Even the lesser traveled areas have some interesting stuff. We visited a place in Mansfield (about an hour northeast of Columbus) called Kingwood Gardens - they have beautiful gardens and an old home to tour, and there are peacocks that wander the grounds. Cleveland is also only a bit over an hour away, and there's lots to see on Lake Erie, including the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Other than Clintonville, Grandview is a nice, affordable place for graduate students that's decently easily accessible by bus if you don't find a car right away (you get free unlimited bus rides with your student ID). Other areas grad students tend to live in are Victorian Village and sometimes Worthington, but they tend to be a bit pricier. I'd definitely check out Grandview, though - I was looking at apartments there on Craigslist recently and it seemed like you could get a better deal there for your money than in Clintonville.

It sounds like you have most of the expenses pretty well covered - the only other thing I can think of is a parking pass, since you mention getting a car. I don't know if you plan on driving to campus, but the parking there is insanely expensive if you want a spot near central campus. The cheaper parking will put you in a parking lot in the middle of nowhere where you'll have to catch a campus bus to get to the central area. Having a car is a good thing in Columbus because none of the suburbs are easily accessible by bus, but for everyday commuting to campus, I definitely recommend using the bus system.

As far as the insurance, yes, this is the only insurance you'll need, and it's amazing coverage. I never had to pay for doctor's visits unless they referred me somewhere off campus, and I even had some minor medical equipment completely covered with no co-pay. It's the best health coverage I've ever had. The only thing is that you have to watch out with prescriptions - you can sometimes get them cheaper at local places like Giant Eagle or Walmart that have special pricing for generic medications.

As far as that apartment complex, it's in a good area of Clintonville. It's right on High St, which is convenient if you want to take the bus to campus (High St has the most frequent and consistent bus route in Columbus, the #2, and it will take you straight to campus), and not too bad if you want to drive. It's also far enough North to be solidly in Clintonville - sometimes apartments advertise themselves as being in Clintonville when they're really south of it (in between campus and Clintonville, also known as north campus), and that area can be shady. Clintonville Commons is right near the Whetstone Park of Roses, which is beautiful when all the roses are in bloom, and it's also near the public library's Whetstone branch. Since it's a complex, you might want to do a search for apartment rating sites to see if past tenants have good or bad things to say about the management. I don't know anything about the management there, although I do have friends who live in Olentangy Village, another complex along High St, and love it. OV is a bit more expensive, but they do offer discounts for employees of OSU, which you technically are if you have a teaching assistantship.

I hope all that helps, and feel free to ask me any more questions you might have here or via PM. I'm still waiting on a waitlist, but I will most likely be returning to OSU for my Ph.D. this fall, so I'm also in the apartment hunting stage.

[liszt85]

Hey all..

How's the beer in Columbus? I mean, I've been to Vienna and some other parts of Europe and the beer there was just awesome, so many to choose from. What brands do you get in the US and more specifically in Columbus, OH? I only drink a bottle occasionally but when I do, I like quality. I've not been drinking for a few months now because we don't get good beer here ? Recently though, Carlsberg set up a division here in India and so that is good.

[jennyfields]

I am looking at a place ($330 studio in a apartment community) that is 15 miles from campus, google says a 20 minute drive. I don't like the idea of renting a room in a cut up Victorian house (cooking is important to me and the kitchens look horrifying, if they are there at all), and all the "grad student" areas are beyond my price range. All I have is my stipend and I don't want to take out loans. Is the commute worth it? Does the traffic (I70 and 315) double the commute?

[liszt85]

I am looking at a place ($330 studio in a apartment community) that is 15 miles from campus, google says a 20 minute drive. I don't like the idea of renting a room in a cut up Victorian house (cooking is important to me and the kitchens look horrifying, if they are there at all), and all the "grad student" areas are beyond my price range. All I have is my stipend and I don't want to take out loans. Is the commute worth it? Does the traffic (I70 and 315) double the commute?

I'm assuming you'd have a car then. I'm an international student, so can't tell you about the traffic. However, you can get studios nearby for a little more than what you'd be paying for yours. I'm getting one for myself for about $450 (all utilities included!). Its a 10 minute walk to the building that houses my lab. As a a grad student, its always a good idea to remain close to the campus. So if you're willing to shell out $450-500, you can get a studio with all utilities included somewhere nearby. A 9month OSU grad stipend should be able to afford this but you may have other expenses, so I cannot comment.

[afeef745]

hello

I will be attending OSU coming academic year and my monthly stipend will be $1100 per motnh (i dont know whether tax will be levied or not). I have to manage residence, utilities, food and clothing in it. No insurance premium or books etc. So, if I spend $600 on utilities and rent, would I be able to live within this stipend in Columbus?

[liszt85]

Kindly comment on this as well...

I am paid $14000 for 9 months (summer separate $1400-1500 per month after taxes). I have to pay $280 per quarter for health insurance and possibly $1500 during the summer for the health insurance. I am bringing along my wife too. We are moving into a studio ($450 utilities included). Since you are alone, you don't have to spend $600 on rent and utilities. There are cheaper options. Studios are cheap, or you can even think of renting a room in a house shared by grad students. That will cost you ~$300-350. You can live like that for the duration of your first lease until you figure out your finances.

Even if you spend $600 on rent and utilities, you should do fine on $500 per month for food and other expenses. Depending on which country you are from, there may or may not be a tax treaty with the US. So your taxes will be figured out only after you get there, somebody will help you with that.

Which dept are you in and are you in for a PhD?

[afeef745]

I have been looking online for any efficiency style apartments, and those that I earlir found were around $600 per month for rent and utilities. But I dont want to spend such large portion of my stipend on residence alone.

Hence, I would really appreciate if you could tell me of a place/area where I can find an efficiency style apartment for around $350 for rent and utilities.

I hail from Pakistan and will be attending AED Econ dept. at OSU for my PhD studies.

P.S: On a more personal note, may I ask which program you will be attending at OSU and where have you arranged residence for youself?

[liszt85]

Hey Afeef,

I'll be attending the PhD program in Psychology. I'm from India. I'll be accompanied by my wife. Since my stipend is low too, we'll be staying in a studio at least for the first 9 months to see how we learn to manage our budget. We will most probably move in to a studio that is currently occupied by a friend of a friend who has agreed to assist us in getting that lease. The leasing company does not have a website and I really do not have their contact details. However, he tells me that studios for $350-400 should be available. Have you checked on craigslist http://columbus.craigslist.org/apa/? However, if you do find something, you should ask somebody there to check it out for you before you rent it. Do you have any contacts at OSU who might be willing to do that for you? We are moving only 2 weeks prior to commencement of classes, or else I could have looked around for you.

Another option is to rent a room in a house shared by grad students. You can try to email your dept and ask if you can get in touch with the incoming students to see if you can rent a house together. There is an Indian Student Association website http://isa.org.ohio-state.edu/. I don't know if there is one for Pakistan but even if there isn't, you can advertise on the indian forums for roommates (food, culture, etc being same, being roommates shouldn't be a problem).That will work out very cheap too. If you pm me your email id, I can also send you a few docs that the Indian Student Association sent me, some tips about shopping, vaccinations, life in America, etc.

Also check out the off campus listings here: http://offcampus.osu.edu/housing.asp

[jennyfields]

It seems like unless you're living in the undergrad area, things are expensive around campus (at least for the midwest). The impression I get from research is that the place I'm looking at is in a "bad" part of town, but I've lived in two of what are considered the most dangerous parts of my current town and have gotten along fine. In fact, you get more luxuries for your money if you live in a bad part of town I find. Just...don't leave you apt at night...or linger going from apt to car after dark

[carlstreator]

Columbus is all over the place as far as rents go. Since I don't come from money and had to pay my own rent as an undergrad, I lived in some cheap-ass places, but neither was bad by student standards. The first house I lived in was at 2067 N 4th Street, just on the fringe of what's still considered the campus district. I paid $190/month for rent. The second place I lived as at 1835 N 4th Street, and I paid $235/month. I thought the houses were about equal. My landlord was very fair, and I thought it was a good deal for what I paid. People who lived in the campus district (east of campus, from High to 4th) paid at least $350/month for similar spaces. The only difference was that I had about 5 more minutes to my walk every day. I thought it was worthwhile. The houses have typical banged up woodwork, squeaky stairs and older bathrooms, but everything functions, and it's no more than a phone call to get it fixed. My landlord was My First Place, at

http://my1stplace.com/

and I honestly don't work for them. I never had problems; I've heard other people complain about them, but my landlord, Bryan Dulles, was always good to me. He rented me both properties I lived in. Stay away from Buckeye Real Estate. They gouge people, IMO.

To give an example of costs, I had a close friend living on Chittenden, part of the Gateway area that's been revamped in the last 5 years. Chittenden was really ghetto my first year (there were execution-style murders there in 2003) but has since been spruced up with new condos, apts, restaurants, and shopping. Gentrification in the maximum way possible. You'd never know it was so ghetto there before. That said, my friend paid $550/month for his rent. I didn't think it was worth it. Sure, the house was nice, and he had a 10 min walk to class...but I had a 15 min walk to class for $300 less per month.

Additionally, people talk smack about 4th being ghetto. If you live on the west side of the street, between 15 and Oakland, you shouldn't have any problems. North Fourth is a 4 lane street, and the eastern side has a set of railroad tracks about 200-300 yards behind the houses. I'd stay away from that side of the street; somehow, the tracks bring in more riff-raff. In 3 years of living on North Fourth, I had only one incident--and it was a drunk guy stumbling home at 4 a.m. on a Tuesday. He fell off my porch after trying to get in and I called a cab--aka the Columbus Police, who gave him a place to sleep for the night.

Honestly, there are more break-ins closer to campus and further South. Not to be racist, but the housing projects are on Summit and 4th Street from 5th Avenue to 10th Avenue. You don't want to be close to those areas, and don't think about walking around there at night. I know people who got jumped down there walking to the liquor store. If you're looking for cheaper rents, I suggest looking on 4th, in the middle-to-north section, like where I lived. Very cheap, and while they're not top-notch places, they're a lot better than some of the scum places undergrads live. There's far more townies on 4th where I lived. Not to mention, if you have a bike, it's all downhill to class--I could get to class through the Iuka Ravine in 5-10 mins. If not, the Campus Bus system goes all the way up North Fourth and you should be able to catch a bus to campus without much problem. Mine came at 11, 26, 41, and 56 on the hour. It ain't great living, by any means, but you could do a lot worse.

Otherwise, look into other areas of Columbus for better housing. I highly suggest getting roommates to save costs. Utilities in Ohio are cheap--I paid about $100 every month, with digital cable, internet, gas, electric, and water, split 4 ways. Places like German Village and Victorian Village have beautiful homes with reasonable rents; they also boast great corner bars and restaurants. People often graduate from OSU and move on to these places; they are the 23-40 crowd, closer to the Short North arts district and the Arena District.

The Clintonville area is also fantastic for students, especially grad students--my friend lived in a beautiful house on Clinton St, and paid $225/month...remodeled kitchen, fenced in yard, washer and dryer...the works. These three areas are the best balance of housing, affordability, social life, and safety. For a student, I'd rank them 1) Clintonville 2) Victorian Village and 3) German Village. German Village is further south off of High Street, so that's the knock I'd have on that area. You can take the #2 Bus either north or south to get to campus. For a student, though, I'd say Clintonville is where you should look.

Any questions at all, and I'd be happy to answer questions. Columbus is a great city to live in...it's cheap, and there's plenty of stuff to do.

[carlstreator]

Oh, and in my haste, I also forgot Grandview area for grad students. It's pretty close to campus as well.

Also, I'll just weigh in with a few restaurants you have to go to at some point in your first year in Columbus:

1) The Blue Danube (my favorite restaurant, based on variety and uniqueness)

2) Hound Dog's Pizza/Ravari Room (great bar and better pizza)

3) Thurman Cafe (home of the Thurman Burger, best burger I've had)

4) Adriatico's Pizza (some say the best pizza in Columbus, I like Hound Dog's)

5) Schmidt's (German food)

6) Flying Pizza (2 slices and a drink for lunch for $4.50)

7) North Market (ethnic foods and great prices)

I'm sure there are more, but seriously, these are fantastic restaurants.

[jennyfields]

How convenient is Reynoldsburg to campus (w/ a car)? It's 15 miles away and google says 20minute drive, but I was wondering if traffic made it more like an hour or something.

Also, anyone heard of Northland Arms Apartments? It looks to be northeast of Clintonville.

[carlstreator]

jennyfields said:

How convenient is Reynoldsburg to campus (w/ a car)? It's 15 miles away and google says 20minute drive, but I was wondering if traffic made it more like an hour or something.

Also, anyone heard of Northland Arms Apartments? It looks to be northeast of Clintonville.

With traffic it'd definitely take longer, especially dependent on time of day. You'd have to take 270 to 670, then most likely get off at either Fourth or take 315 to the campus exit if you're in a campus parking lot. That mean's there's a good chance you'll have to take 3 freeways to get to campus. Any reason you're looking in Reynoldsburg? I mean, would the rent be that much cheaper, given how much more you might have to drive? OSU students get to ride the COTA buses as part of their fees.

[chemdoc]

Hi, I got into the Chemistry graduate program at OSU. Now I am looking for a place to live. Can someone inform me on a safe quiet part of campus? I am looking for a peaceful neighborhood.

Thanks!

[liszt85]

On 2/2/2010 at 3:03 AM, chemdoc said:

Hi, I got into the Chemistry graduate program at OSU. Now I am looking for a place to live. Can someone inform me on a safe quiet part of campus? I am looking for a peaceful neighborhood.

Thanks!

I'm not quite sure where exactly the chemistry department is. Anyway, you should look to live on the west side of high street. The east side is considered not so safe. I find the south campus area better in terms of safety (or the perceptions of it). I live near King Ave. Its quiet here too. So Neil Ave takes you from south campus to the perpendicular King. So any place around that area (Neil and King) should be good. If you arrive a little early (or if you visit to arrange housing), you should be able to find plenty of options around here in the summer.

[rankrhythm]

I've lived in Columbus my whole life and also attended OSU for my undergrad and I'm about to ship out elsewhere, so here's the skinny on a few major points.

Car or No Car: Unless you never want to leave the campus area, you are going to want a car. We have a city bus system that is free for students, but it is far from awesome. It can get you to and from the Short North (which is an artsy/hipstery affluent urban type area with some solid dining and libations as well as some galleries) and downtown and then up into Clintonville which is where a lot of grad students live. The bus routes offer very limited hours and if you like to get a little sauced on the weekends, don't count on any buses after the bars close. Also there aren't very many grocery stores that it would be at all convenient to use without a car near campus. The city is large, but it isn't a true 'urban' city. Everything is spread out and very suburban. To sum it up, you can live and stay pretty much in the campus area and you'll be fine without a car, but it will really cut into your flexibility.

Where to live: There are three areas where most grad students live: 4th/Summit East Residential, Clintonville & Grandview. 4th/Summit area is just east of campus and is easily accessible on foot, via bike or the Campus bus system, which runs a route through the area and drops you off all over campus, it runs fairly late and is actually super convenient. This area though is a little sketchier than the other two. It's bordered to the south and the east by two pretty crime-laden areas and is generally where people have issues with break-ins and mugging. It's not rampant, but it exists. There are a lot of undergrads here and if you're looking for peace and quiet, probably not the best bet.

Clintonville is just north of campus and is a nice area that has a decent grad population as well as an older crowd. It has its own pretty decent bar/dining area on High St. and is pretty convenient to campus. This area is my recommendation. Housing is affordable on most grad stipends, there are a lot of dog-friendly parks and extremely liberal and tolerant people. It's where grown-ups live to go to school.

I can't comment that much on Grandview, it's a little pricier and a little less convenient to access campus without a car, but otherwise it's a lot like Clintonville, if not a bit more affluent. Everyone I know who has lived there has liked it, just make sure you can budget it.

Cost-of-Living: Columbus is a relatively cheap city. If you're going to live by yourself you can find a studio for as low as $350 in a not-to-ghetto area but for a decent one bedroom expect to spend between $500-600/mo. Lots of cheap eats. Columbus is also the home of every chain restaurant/store/bar ever it seems. We have some nice local establishments around the campus area, but we are dominated by the chains, so there are places to buy anything relatively cheaply from the man who is undercutting our local businesses. I survived living on campus making less than a $1000/mo for a long time.

Just a few things answering a couple of questions I've seen

Gay & Lesbian community: Columbus has a pretty large and active community in this regard. The Short North in particular caters to this crowd and you'll see a lot of business owners flying the rainbow flag, the same is true to a slightly lesser extent in Clintonville. Columbus is a Mecca in the Midwest for the Gay community and only rarely shows the lack of tolerance typical to the rural midwest.

Beer: Columbus sports a couple of Ohio-based brews, the best of which I would say is Great Lakes and they make some pretty solid beers, their IPA, Burning River is one of my favorites and it's not at all rare to find this on tap in the area. There's also Columbus Brewing Co. which makes some decent brews, but nothing to write home about. We've also got Gordon Biersch, which is decent but more prevalent in the downtown area than anywhere else. But don't worry a lot of bars carry microbrews from elsewhere, Bell's abounds.

Hope it helps, I'll check this every so often if anyone wants a local's spin. I know the place, so if you have questions that venture more than 5 miles outside of campus, I'm your guy.

[ScreamingHairyArmadillo]

I'm going to bump this one with a quick question.

I see there are a ton of places to rent, but what about buying a condo? If I go to OSU, my bf's dad wants to buy a place for us for the long haul. I would pay rent as if it were an apartment. What are some good areas to look for, or are they similar to the areas previously mentioned? I would prefer to be able to walk/bus to campus, though I will be buying a car (field-work intensive program plus I will be commuting to the Wooster campus occasionally).

[straightshooting]

If you want to reasonably walk/bus/bike to campus, there are only three options that I would consider: 1) Short North/Victorian Village (southwest of campus), 2) South Clintonville (sorth of campus), 3) Northeast campus (south of Clintonville, but north and a bit east of the most concentrated undergrad areas).

As someone who likes living in neighborhoods with a degree of economic diversity, I am very fond of the Northeast campus area. Many, though, especially ultra-suburban types, tend to think of it as a little rougher around the edges than they would prefer. That said, I know at least two graduate students who have recently purchased very nice houses in the area for far less than they would have paid in most parts of Victorian Village and Clintonville. There is also a campus-operated bus that runs through this part of town, which tends to be a little more convenient than the city's main COTA system, since it goes directly to and from the central OSU campus.

That said, most graduate students live either in Victorian Village or Clintonville. The former (VV) is closer to most of the nightlife in Columbus, so if that is important to you, you might want to avoid going as far north as Clintonville. I don't really have too much to say about these areas, as some others have covered the major points pretty well.

I'm going to say this, and some others may disagree, but simply don't move to Grandview, which is significantly southwest of campus. It's a nice area -- like Clintonville in many ways -- but the buses that run from there to campus are far less frequent, and walking/cycling are pretty much out unless you are quite dedicated. From Northeast campus or most (northern) parts of Victorian Village, you can be on campus in fewer than 20 minutes if you walk. On bicycle, you're looking at between 5 and 10 minutes.

There are those who opt to live in German Village, but I would definitely avoid it, as it's simply too far. The main bus option is the #2, which runs very often, but most stop very frequently, making the trek through downtown, the Short North, and campus quite long. I should note, however, that as an OSU student with an ID, COTA rides are free.

If you're looking to purchase housing, you're not likely to find a great many condos that aren't absurdly expensive, since the vast majority are quite new. Of course, houses aren't dreadfully cheap either, but you'll pay less than you would for the hyper urban bourgeois condos that are going up in the Short North right now. Just to give you an idea of the price of these newer developments: http://www.jacksononhigh.com/price7.html. If you have any specific questions, you can message me privately.

[rooster34]

Thanks to all of the posters; there is a lot of great information on where to live. It seems like VV, Grandview, and Clintonville are the names I see mentioned the most.

What I didn't see any information about was parking. I looked through the OSU transportation and parking website and there are a lot of different levels of passes. It seems as if funded grad. students can buy an orange faculty pass. From what I can ascertain, these passes range from pretty cheap (~$80/yr.) to really expensive (~$600/yr.). I think that the cheapest gives you access to the lot on Western whereas the most expensive allows parking on campus and in the garages on campus. Is it worth it spend a ton of money to get a surface lot and/or garage pass? That is, can you find a spot in either case or are you just wasting money? Any advice on the parking/transportation front is welcomed and appreciated.

[liszt85]

Thanks to all of the posters; there is a lot of great information on where to live. It seems like VV, Grandview, and Clintonville are the names I see mentioned the most.

What I didn't see any information about was parking. I looked through the OSU transportation and parking website and there are a lot of different levels of passes. It seems as if funded grad. students can buy an orange faculty pass. From what I can ascertain, these passes range from pretty cheap (~$80/yr.) to really expensive (~$600/yr.). I think that the cheapest gives you access to the lot on Western whereas the most expensive allows parking on campus and in the garages on campus. Is it worth it spend a ton of money to get a surface lot and/or garage pass? That is, can you find a spot in either case or are you just wasting money? Any advice on the parking/transportation front is welcomed and appreciated.

If you park on Neil (a little away from campus, which is free), its a 10 minute walk to the oval. I don't know exactly where the statistics building is. So if you park around 1450-1480 Neil (free off street parking), you probably can just walk to your department. Also, its probably best to just take the bus which is free so that you don't have to worry about parking. Better yet, find a place that is at a walking distance from your department (plenty available right now).

I haven't heard anybody complain about not getting spots to park on those permits, so I'm guessing the cheap ones should do the job but I really don't know for sure since I don't own a car yet.