Pullman, WA

[kahlan_amnell]

So, I went to as much as I could of the graduate school orientation. Anyone who missed it, you didn't miss much. If you want to see the PowerPoint presentations they showed, they gave them to everyone who attended on a USB drive and I would be happy to pass along a copy to any WSU grad students that want one.

[kahlan_amnell]

Does anyone know a good cat sitter?

I need to be away for a long weekend at the start of September, and I need to find someone to take care of my cats.

[paulie_e]

How has everyone's first week been so far?

The school of economic science's orientation was nice and the picnic was fun. We have a lot of nice people in the department. I anticipated lots of work, but this week has shown me how much I gotta catch up on. Looks like I will be on campus working about 12 hours a day.

If anyone wants to meet for a coffee during the week or weekend that would be cool. I'm up for it anytime outside of M,W,F 9-2 and T,Th 10-12.

[kahlan_amnell]

How has everyone's first week been so far?

The school of economic science's orientation was nice and the picnic was fun. We have a lot of nice people in the department. I anticipated lots of work, but this week has shown me how much I gotta catch up on. Looks like I will be on campus working about 12 hours a day.

If anyone wants to meet for a coffee during the week or weekend that would be cool. I'm up for it anytime outside of M,W,F 9-2 and T,Th 10-12.

My week has been going well so far. My classes seem interesting, and my TA assignment seems like it will be manageable.

I'd be glad to meet for coffee sometime, though I'm not sure when. It sounds like you're really busy!

[kahlan_amnell]

Ok, I'm getting a little worried.

I need to get to the Spokane Airport on Friday September 4th for an 8:25 am flight. I don't have a car. Wheatland Express won't get me there that early. The only other shuttles I've found cost over $100 one way. Does anyone know of any cheaper options that run early in the morning? Is anyone headed to Spokane on the evening of the 3rd or very early on the 4th and would be willing to give me a ride? I'd be glad to pay for gas. Also, I need to get back from the Spokane Airport to Pullman on the 7th at around 11:00 pm. Can anyone help me out with that?

Also, I am desperately looking for a cat sitter to check in on my cats while I'm away. Does anyone know one in the Pullman area?

Thanks everyone!

[kahlan_amnell]

Ok, at the risk of people getting completly sick of my posts I'm going to post again about my travel issue.

I have found a ride to Spokane, now I'm only looking for a ride back. My flight arrives at 11:05 p, on Monday 9/7. Yes I know it's late. Is anyone headed from Spokane to Pullman at that hour, or on Tuesday morning (9/8) in time to get to Pullman by 10:30 am? (That would mean leaving before 9:00)

If I don't find anyone I guess I might just take wheatland express, if the professor I'm TAing for is ok with me missing one class.

[kahlan_amnell]

So, now that most of us have been in Pullman for a month or two, what do you think?

I'm enjoying it so far, though I am hoping that the weather will cool down consistently soon.

Also my department is great and my classes are going well.

How are things going for everyone else?

[kahlan_amnell]

Does anyone know a good place to buy a winter coat in Pullman or Moscow? I don't mean a down jacket, I mean something professional looking, such as a wool coat. I've been told the Palouse Mall isn't that great, try Tri-State. However, that looks like an outdoor goods store, and I think they might tend more towards the down jackets than the professional looking jackets.

Does anyone have any recommendations?

[Sundance]

Now that it looks like I can say for sure that I'm going to WSU, it looks like a lot of apartments in Pullman are already rented.

DABCO seems to have no more one bedroom apartments available in it's new pet friendly complex. There are two bedrooms there, or there is one more one bedroom available at their luxury rental. But that is available earlier than I can move, and it costs a lot more.

So, any other recommendations for good rental companies or apartment complexes?

Any thoughts on the following companies:

http://www.apartmentrentalsinc.com/

http://www.coughousing.com/

http://www.helenespropertyplace.com/

http://www.wilru.com/

Would like to jump in here, as I work for DABCO. Birch Hills is the pet-friendly complex. The availability you see on the website is for what is available today, and we do have "modified" two-bedroom apartments that we are renting as one-bedrooms. Also, if you are moving to Pullman next year or even this coming spring, we expect to have apartments opening up that are currently occupied. I'm pretty confident this is true for all apartments in Pullman, as we are pretty much ruled by the semester/school year lease terms. So, if you know you are coming to Pullman any time after December 2009, October-November is the best time to rent an apartment for spring semester, and March-April is the best time to rent for Fall Semester. Of course I hope you rent from DABCO, but wherever you end up living, congratulations on your acceptance into graduate school and welcome to Pullman.

[kahlan_amnell]

Would like to jump in here, as I work for DABCO. Birch Hills is the pet-friendly complex. The availability you see on the website is for what is available today, and we do have "modified" two-bedroom apartments that we are renting as one-bedrooms. Also, if you are moving to Pullman next year or even this coming spring, we expect to have apartments opening up that are currently occupied. I'm pretty confident this is true for all apartments in Pullman, as we are pretty much ruled by the semester/school year lease terms. So, if you know you are coming to Pullman any time after December 2009, October-November is the best time to rent an apartment for spring semester, and March-April is the best time to rent for Fall Semester. Of course I hope you rent from DABCO, but wherever you end up living, congratulations on your acceptance into graduate school and welcome to Pullman.

I posted that back in the Spring, when I was looking for an apartment. At that time, you had no one bedrooms available, so I had to rent from another company.

However, I might consider moving once my lease is up. What is meant by a "modified" two bedroom apartment, and is it smaller than a regular one bedroom apartment?

Edited October 16, 2009 by kahlan_amnell

[kahlan_amnell]

Does anyone know a good place to buy a winter coat in Pullman or Moscow? I don't mean a down jacket, I mean something professional looking, such as a wool coat. I've been told the Palouse Mall isn't that great, try Tri-State. However, that looks like an outdoor goods store, and I think they might tend more towards the down jackets than the professional looking jackets.

Does anyone have any recommendations?

It turns out the mall wasn't so bad after all. I found a wool coat at Old Naby and some other clothes at Christopher Banks.

[kahlan_amnell]

What is meant by a "modified" two bedroom apartment, and is it smaller than a regular one bedroom apartment?

So, I e-mailed Dabco to find out the answer to that question.

They said:

The “modified” one bedroom apartment is a 2 bedroom apartment which has had one bedroom locked off. So if you look at the floor plan for our two bedroom unit you are seeing the exact floor plan but one bedroom is not available for your use.

Does that seem a bit odd to anyone else?

I don't think I would be comfortable with having a room in my apartment inacessable to me. I'd be a bit more comfortable if it were locked from both sides, with a padlock on the apartment side for example. As it is, I'd be worried someone might come in the window and get into my apartment.

I'd rather have a regular one bedroom.

Edited November 7, 2009 by kahlan_amnell

[eunicesl]

No problem. It's suuuuuuuuuuuper long and rambling, but here goes!

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OK well, I went to WSU for undergrad, so I can't speak too much about what graduate studies are like there. The graduate population is significantly less than the undergrad pop -- about 2,000 students compared to 16,000 students. But grad students still have a powerful voice on campus, I can promise you that. For example, recently when I was still a student there, there was a student vote for whether fees should be raised a few dollars a semester to increase the number of city buses and bus routes (WSU students use the bus for "free" by showing student ID). In order for the new fee to pass, the majority of undergrads AND grads had to vote "yes." An overwhelming majority of the 16,000 undergrads voted yes, but the majority of the 2,000 grads voted no, so the new bus routes didn't go into effect. I remember undergrads being quite upset over the power the grad students had in this particular instance, when they comprised such a small part of the population, in comparison. But hey, it goes to show WSU cares about making sure the grad students have a say in what goes on around campus, even if there's not too many of them!

So here's some info about the town:

Pullman, WA is a small town in the middle of nowhere. Where are you from? I'm an L.A. native, so it was a completely different world to me. Pullman is in the southeast corner of Washington, right on the Idaho border. The population is probably around 25,000 people or so, most of which are students and practically all of whom depend on the university's presence in the town to survive. So if you stay in Pullman during Spring Break ever, it's like a ghost town. The closest "big" WA city is Spokane, about 80 miles north. Seattle is a 5 hour drive west, and Portland is about the same distance, too. Pullman itself is totally surrounded by rolling wheat fields and hardly any trees and if you've never visited Eastern Washington, forget everything you think you know about WA based on Seattle, because Eastern Washington might as well be a different state. Summers are hot (several 100 degree days in a row isn't unusual in July), but it's not humid and the air is as clean as can possibly be, so the heat is never stifling or sticky. Winters are cold. Probably not by Midwest standards, as the temperatures in the coldest parts of winter usually hover around the 20-degree mark, but it can get to sub-zero temperatures (it was -8 one year when I was there, but that was a fluke). It does snow a fair amount, and the weather is totally unpredictable (so it can rain, hail, snow and be clear and sunny all in one day). It snowed in June this past year! But that's also somewhat a fluke.

OK so all of that probably sounds totally unappealing, right? But the fact is, all of it is actually really charming. WSU and Pullman has one of the fiercest senses of community you'll ever find, and it's a true college town with a ton of passion for the school. Everyone is friendly beyond belief, from the students, to the faculty, to the local residents. With very, very few exceptions, everyone is there because they WANT to be. WSU may not have the brand-name appeal of our cross-state rivals University of Washington, but WSU is a fallback school for hardly anybody who winds up attending. Believe me when I say Cougar pride runs deep! A lot of that has to do with the fact that the school is so secluded. People really become a tight-knit group because of that. And things like Pullman's crazy weather is part of the fun of going to school there, and you'll find that people have a great attitude about it all. The hot summers are an excuse to go to the nearby rivers and go cliff-diving, or camping or anything outdoorsy. The crazy winters are something everyone jokes about and even though people will complain when it's still snowing during Spring Break, you'll also find people hiking to the top of the wheat fields and hills (the town is FULL of hills, and you'll have super toned calves by the time you're done at school -- we call them Cougar Calves and joke that you can tell what year someone is by how defined their calves are) so they can snowboard, sled and ski down them. And the snow isn't nonstop, either. It'll snow for a week, then it will rain or be really sunny and everything will melt away for a week. And repeat. So it's really not unbearable at all (and that snowing in June thing I mentioned really was a fluke...just a few flakes out of nowhere that caught everyone off guard) and is kind of what makes the area so fun.

Also, Pullman is 8 miles from the Idaho border and from the University of Idaho. There are a lot of partnerships between the two schools, and being so close to another major university means that there's twice the amount of things to do. If you need big city shopping, you can go to Spokane (and those 80 miles fly by very, very quickly...it's a straight shot up the highway), or if your needs are serviced more simply, Moscow (next door, where University of Idaho is) was a strip-mall right next to the Washington border that has a Wal-Mart, Old Navy, Macy's, PacSun, Staples, Ross, and some other smaller stores, too. Moscow is also a small town, but it's slightly larger than Pullman and features a great little main street, and there's some surprisingly good coffee shops, restaurants, and wine bars scattered about. Pullman has a younger vibe to it, but both cities feel like an extension of each other, and students will hang out in both. There's a free bus that takes you in between the two, or the drive is only 15 minutes and zooms by as well.

So that's a bit about the area.

WSU's campus itself is really gorgeous. It's all brick and granite and glass, and looks really collegiate but sophisticated and modern. There's one main street that goes through the middle of campus (Stadium Way), and then a few smaller streets here and there but central campus is a pedestrian only and very cool. The Mall is the name of the main walkway, with the football stadium, library, and student union building on one side, and then the history/business/anthropology buildings on the other side. You'll always find people hanging out on the mall, free concerts going on, exhibits or displays, and lots of other random stuff. Really, campus is quite stunning. I'm sure I have tons of pictures if you ever want to see, and I'd be happy to share them with you. The library was one of my favorite spots on campus, and as a grad student, I imagine you'd spend a lot of time studying there! It's several floors built into a hill so the main level is the top level and on the roof is a grassy field that overlooks our football stadium and parts of town. Inside the library, the back walls are all glass windows and face out to a great view of our football stadium and practice fields, and there's cubicles that line the length of the windows for people to study. The library was definitely one of my favorite places to go.

I can't really speak for much beyond the English department, personally (although I know a bit here and there about other departments because I was a campus tour guide and office of admissions representative). I am confident in saying though that WSU piles resources onto its students, no matter the department. It's a school that truly cares about the successes of its students. We also recently got a new university president. At least among us student tour guides, President Elson Floyd really won us over when he joined the administration because you'll find him walking around campus, high-fiving students, sitting among us during basketball games and events, and really truly listening for our feedback. It's kind of a change from our last president who I don't think the students (or faculty) connected with very well.

Oh I should also mention that the cost of living in Pullman is VERY inexpensive and housing is generally easy to find. I lived in a brand new, spacious 1-bedroom apartment for $495 a month. I'm a serious student and I needed a quiet place to study, and it was perfect. There are, of course, the party apartment complexes, but there are lots of great places to live, too. If you do decide to go and what more tips on housing, let me know!

Alright I feel kind of dumb now because I didn't realize how much I typed until I just scrolled up to look. I don't even know if any of this helped you or if I've totally overwhelmed you with too much to read. But hopefully this helps even a little bit, and if you have any more specific questions, please let me know! It was my job to help new students before, and even though I've graduated, I'm still passionate about helping out a fellow Coug (even a prospective one)!

Hi! I'm glad I found this site. I'll be attending WSU Pharmacy in Fall 2010.. I'm from CA so I have no idea about how Pullman is. I've done hours of research though. Question - have you heard anything on these apartments: Terre View Crossing on 1540 NE Merman Rd ? (www.terreviewcrossingapts.com). How does it compare to Dabco? Rent at Terre seems cheaper bigger and pretty close to campus!

Any advice you have for me regarding this is greatly appreciated...

Best regards!

[Christian]

Please, what do you know about Pullman, I am an international student who wants to know Pullman

[gradtheory]

Hi! I'm glad I found this site. I'll be attending WSU Pharmacy in Fall 2010.. I'm from CA so I have no idea about how Pullman is. I've done hours of research though. Question - have you heard anything on these apartments: Terre View Crossing on 1540 NE Merman Rd ? (www.terreviewcrossingapts.com). How does it compare to Dabco? Rent at Terre seems cheaper bigger and pretty close to campus!

Any advice you have for me regarding this is greatly appreciated...

Best regards!

Hi Eunice,

I am attending in the Fall as well, and have made contact with a number of grad students and faculty regarding housing and the general area. A few of the grad students warned me about Terre View, and to avoid places on Military Hill if you are not the partying type, since there are lot of college students living there, as it is closest to WSU.

If you have an idea of what kind of housing/environment you prefer, let me know, and I will see what I can do.

[eunicesl]

Hi Eunice,

I am attending in the Fall as well, and have made contact with a number of grad students and faculty regarding housing and the general area. A few of the grad students warned me about Terre View, and to avoid places on Military Hill if you are not the partying type, since there are lot of college students living there, as it is closest to WSU.

If you have an idea of what kind of housing/environment you prefer, let me know, and I will see what I can do.

Hi,

I did complete a pre-app for the Emerald Downs Apt; it seems closer to campus but I'm not sure whether they are considered 'loud' like Terre View are...

I am planning not to have a car for the first semester or so, and since I'm totally unfamiliar with the area I would want to be close to several outlets such as coffee shops, grocery, etc. and the closer the apt is to the bus stop and the closer the apt is to school, that would be best.

If things don't go well with Emerald Downs, I was gonna go with Terre View (formerly North Campus Heights?) but Terre View does seem shady!

Oh yeah, I'm also on the waitlist for on-campus Fam/Grad housing but I've heard it's hard to get a spot, and also the rooms don't seem as nice as off-campus, and convenience wise, I've heard it's not much of a difference (perhaps more inconvenient since it's more walking to get to the pharmacy school building, and they are not on the Express Bus route?)

Thanks! Any info is so greatly appreciated!

Best regards...

[gradtheory]

Hi,

I did complete a pre-app for the Emerald Downs Apt; it seems closer to campus but I'm not sure whether they are considered 'loud' like Terre View are...

I am planning not to have a car for the first semester or so, and since I'm totally unfamiliar with the area I would want to be close to several outlets such as coffee shops, grocery, etc. and the closer the apt is to the bus stop and the closer the apt is to school, that would be best.

If things don't go well with Emerald Downs, I was gonna go with Terre View (formerly North Campus Heights?) but Terre View does seem shady!

Oh yeah, I'm also on the waitlist for on-campus Fam/Grad housing but I've heard it's hard to get a spot, and also the rooms don't seem as nice as off-campus, and convenience wise, I've heard it's not much of a difference (perhaps more inconvenient since it's more walking to get to the pharmacy school building, and they are not on the Express Bus route?)

Thanks! Any info is so greatly appreciated!

Best regards...

apologies for typo earlier (can't edit my post), WSU is located on College Hill, so for proximity purposes, places located on College Hill would be a good bet.

I have heard of bad experiences from other grad students who have rented from some of the management rental companies, but none from Dabco though. And re: graduate housing, I hear similar things from the grad students as well; plus the prices seems to be a bit steep compared to off-campus housing.

[captiv8ed]

Hey everyone! I will be moving to Pullman to get my PhD in sociology. I am moving with a husband, 3 kids, and 2 dogs. I have found and rented a house for the fall. I wanted to share this site that I finally stumbled upon. It lists all of the landlords in town. Some of the links are dead, but this is where I found our place, so maybe it will be helpful for someone else.

http://www.pullman-wa.com/housing/mapapts.htm

Incoming students, have you gotten a chance to visit? We have been out there twice and were really charmed by it. I am moving from the west side of the state and the other contender was Iowa. I am really excited and confident about the choice I made.

[crimsonengineer87]

Hey everyone! I will be moving to Pullman to get my PhD in sociology. I am moving with a husband, 3 kids, and 2 dogs. I have found and rented a house for the fall. I wanted to share this site that I finally stumbled upon. It lists all of the landlords in town. Some of the links are dead, but this is where I found our place, so maybe it will be helpful for someone else.

http://www.pullman-w...ing/mapapts.htm

Incoming students, have you gotten a chance to visit? We have been out there twice and were really charmed by it. I am moving from the west side of the state and the other contender was Iowa. I am really excited and confident about the choice I made.

Speaking from a student's perspective and a westsider as well (I've been in Pullman for 4 years for undergrad and am starting my grad work here now), I think and have heard that Pullman is a great place to raise a family. Now, that doesn't mean you're gonna stay here forever (although some people really enjoy it), but we have a great school district, since profs want their students to be smart like them! Haha! But it's very quaint. Sure, some people think it's boring. No. Pullman grows on you, in a good way. There's so many outdoorsy things to do in both the summer and winter. Plus, in the winter, it's really cold and snowy, so staying in doors and studying is the way to go! But there's concerts on campus, and other fun events around the Palouse that are worth going to!

[captiv8ed]

That is good to hear! Can I ask why you chose WSU over your other options?

What were the biggest adjustments? How different is the weather from the other side of the state? It seems like every time I check Olympia's weather and Pullman's, they are very similar! Am I missing something?

[crimsonengineer87]

That is good to hear! Can I ask why you chose WSU over your other options?

What were the biggest adjustments? How different is the weather from the other side of the state? It seems like every time I check Olympia's weather and Pullman's, they are very similar! Am I missing something?

I chose WSU for undergrad because it was the furthest I could get away from home, but yet still in-state. However, I also enjoyed the change of seasons instead of the dreary rain and gray the westside of the state has. Yes, Pullman gets extremely cold and stays cold for a long time and the snow/ice gets really old, but I think it's nice sometimes. Because summers in Pullman can get hot. It's going to be like in the 90s this week. Compared to other graduate schools, WSU/Pullman wasn't my first choice, but it was where I got the best deal for funding and I don't mind staying here. I get a little sad thinking about my friends going off to amazing places (like Boston), but I think my heart lies in Pullman. It's a quaint and fun town. You can find what you want if you look for it.

In terms of weather, I think in the summer Olympia and Pullman would have the same hot, dry weather, but winter time, I'm pretty sure Pullman gets much colder and way more snow since we're like 1/2 a mile up from sea level. It stays cold from mid-Oct to like mid-April. This year was a mild winter, but in the past, we've had negative temps and snow in June.

BUT, Pullman is a great place. I don't deny that!

[Minnesotan]

Re: Emerald Downs

Yes, it is loud. Everything in that development is student housing, and is therefore a bit rowdy.

[E.C.D.]

Yo this place is a complete dump and the college sucks - except the vet program and maybe some of the hard science stuff. You'd have to be insane/naive/desperate to come here for anything lib arts related.

[Argonaute]

^Wow, that's a bit harsh, E.C.D.

I received an offer from WSU's School of Molecular Biosciences and I might end up accepting it. I found the earlier posts about Pullman and WSU very informative. I was wondering though if there are any additional info that current grad students can provide.

Will I be able to survive with a $20,000 RAship? How much do you guys think can an individual save from that amount (just a rough estimate for someone with a simple lifestyle)? Also, anybody tried staying in the university's graduate housing/apartments? I am an international student and won't be able to visit WSU until August. And since it'll be my first time going to the United States, I am planning to stay in an in-campus apartment/dormitory.

Thank you very much!

[anonymous10]

Hey, where exactly do you live ... or which complex? I'm looking for housing in Pullman as we speak!

Thanks.

So, I e-mailed Dabco to find out the answer to that question.

They said:

The “modified” one bedroom apartment is a 2 bedroom apartment which has had one bedroom locked off. So if you look at the floor plan for our two bedroom unit you are seeing the exact floor plan but one bedroom is not available for your use.

Does that seem a bit odd to anyone else?

I don't think I would be comfortable with having a room in my apartment inacessable to me. I'd be a bit more comfortable if it were locked from both sides, with a padlock on the apartment side for example. As it is, I'd be worried someone might come in the window and get into my apartment.

I'd rather have a regular one bedroom.