St. Louis, MO

[Taco Superior]

Congratulations paul! My visit is March 1-2, so I am also hoping to find a place during that time. I will be looking off campus, as I have already been told by the housing department that they have nothing that fits my needs (3 dogs)

You'll have to let me know how your visit goes!

 

Ok cool - since you're visiting first, I'd love to hear what you find out about housing etc. Give em hell!

[gambit19909]

I had an interview at the university of missouri-st. louis on March 1st. At the end the professor who organized the interview day, stated that he would get back to all of us (there were 7 interviewees including myself). It is now nearing three weeks since the interview day. Just wondering if anyone else has heard anything back? Does anyone think it would be a good idea to email my POIs at this point or just accept that Ive been rejected. Starting to get pretty anxious. 

[msmith1990]

So I figure I'll go ahead and get the ball rolling on SLU... I'll be starting in the Fall on a Ph.D. track in medieval history. I'm moving in May to find a job, apartment, etc. Anyone already there or starting this year?

 

Also, who else is a little confused by the whole Billiken thing?

[DStory247]

Paul, I have had a chance to visit both of my schools now-

St. Louis has a ton of housing options in the surrounding area. Lots of apartment complexes with only 2 or 3 buildings, a variety of lofts available, and these things I had never heard of before called "4-Families," which is basically a two-story version of the duplexes we have here in TX. All 4 tenants share a lobby/walk-in area, and then split off to their respective parts of this large house. They all share a backyard generally.

Of the two cities I'm considering, I feel a lot better about the idea of finding a good, safe, reasonably priced place to stay in St Louis.

 

How is your visit going??

[msmith1990]

I'll be at SLU in the fall, so I'm also working on apartment hunting. I only have one dog, so it's slightly easier -- you might consider this apartment, though, the person who lives there is moving out at the end of the month, and it's got no pet restrictions whatsoever. I'm hoping for under $500, so it's not my first choice, but it might be good for you!

http://stlouis.craigslist.org/apa/3716192512.html

[blackhawkdown]

Hi.. I'll be joining WashU this Fall 2013. I am looking for a 1BHK closer to the university. Can someone help me out?

 

Also when's the orientation program?

[Betty Botter]

Hello all! I'll be heading to WashU in the fall and I too am keen to know when the orientation starts so I can book my flight accordingly while ticket prices are reasonable. Any ideas? Based on previous year's dates, I sorta figure it'll be the 19th of August. But are there any special orientations for international / graduate / assistanceship students that might be earlier?

[blackhawkdown]

On 4/28/2013 at 12:35 PM, Betty Botter said:

Hello all! I'll be heading to WashU in the fall and I too am keen to know when the orientation starts so I can book my flight accordingly while ticket prices are reasonable. Any ideas? Based on previous year's dates, I sorta figure it'll be the 19th of August. But are there any special orientations for international / graduate / assistanceship students that might be earlier?

 

Which department are you joining? And what about accommodation?

I'll be heading to WashU this Fall 2013. I need help w.r.t accommodation.

[msmith1990]

I've successfully found an apartment in Carondelet, which I'll be moving into on Saturday! It is possible to find cheap, dog-friendly housing, but you sacrifice space to do it. I didn't realize how small 600 sq ft was until I was standing in it. But even though it's smaller than where I am now, it's more than enough for my needs. I'll be around all summer, working part-time, so if anyone wants to meet up, shoot me a message!

[sponge]

St. Louis is America’s best-kept secret and has often been referred to as America’s most hidden gem On any given day, there are a number of museums, music, theatre venues, fine dining and parks that are open to explore in a city that is very affordable. There are also a number of things that are completely free.

Some fun facts about St. Louis:

1. It treats access to the arts as a public right, not an exclusive privilege
2. Forest Park is bigger than Central Park
3. The Missouri Botanical Garden is the oldest Botanical Garden in the United States/
4. There are two downtowns; one of them is in Clayton.
5. There’s a gayborhood which is located in the Grove. It’s a very trendy area, but people of all kinds live in all neighborhoods.
6. Did I mention how affordable St. Louis is?
7. In 2012, Forbes ranked St. Louis has the happiest city for job-seeking college grads based on high average salary.
8. President Obama flew out the owner of Pi’s Pizzeria to th White House to make20 pizzas for him and his staff.
9. One of the best zoos and art museums? Both free.
10. T.S. Elliot was born here.

[Platonist]

Hi, I may attend Washington University in St. Louis for graduate study. I will have to live near or on campus because, very unfortunately, I do not drive cars. By living near or on campus, I will have no much difficulty waling to and from the university. But I have two main concerns regarding living near or on campus: safety and rentals. My questions are: Are there neighborhoods near campus that are safe enough but the rate for renting a studio is not high (say, within 600 per month)? Please give me you advice. Thanks so much. 

[Leighton]

Hello,

 

I just have been accepted to the PhD program at SLU, and while I'm still waiting to hear back from my other programs I would not be surprised if I ended up moving to St.Louis. What's housing like close to the SLU campus, and is it possible to live closer to, say, WashU and still have a relatively reasonable commute to and from SLU? I've been checking out craigslist and apartment websites for St.Louis and, coming from SoCal, it looks extremely affordable and nice (I'm into more "character" when it comes to apartments, which is hard to find where I am at now).

 

Also, any people here who are in the department at SLU? What's it like? I've been accepted for medieval, so I know they have a great reputation for that.

 

Thanks!

[Katia_chan]

Just wanted to give a shout-out and a hello.  I'm in the same boat, except medieval English--still waiting to hear from other schools, but St. Louis is looking like the top-runner.  If you're doing work with the center for medieval studies, perhaps we'll bump into each other someday.

 

I'm wondering the same stuff for housing.  I'd like to be within (safe) walking distance, or an easy bus ride  from the school, as I don't drive.  But I also don't want to be living in a crazy nest of undergrads.  I'm more of a sit-around-with-tea-and-cats kinda person, rather than a nightlife and bars kind, so I'd prefer a quieter neighborhood.  But I want to be as close as possible to campus.

 

And can anyone from the area weigh in on the public transportation thing?  How is it, what's the best way to get around sans car, what's safest, etc.

 

I'm visiting next weekend, so I'll report back here if I learn anything.

[Leighton]

Hey Katia,

 

Thanks for at least giving a shout out! I never received a notification of any sort about someone replying, so apologies. I would check out the SLU grad housing website (actually, I think it is for the medical school but still provides some helpful info on neighborhoods surrounding the campus): http://www.slu.edu/medicine/prospective-medical-students/about-st-louis/neighborhoods-and-living

 

After that, I'd start looking at craigslist for apartments. They seem to have some really great looking, affordable places. I also applied to Fordham, and while I'd be hard pressed to turn them down, the cost of living is way higher. 

 

Public transportation, from what I've gathered from other forums, is hit or miss. However, there looks to be a steady flow of it towards SLU and WashU, so that might be something worth noting. Either way, if I find myself in the medieval studies department then I will definitely remember your name! Good luck with your other applications and congratulations on your acceptance.

[Katia_chan]

Just curious if anyone lurking on here was going to be attending the visit weekend tomorrow through Saturday.

 

Unless Minnesota...does what it loves to do and snow, I'm headed out tomorrow.  Just curious if any GC-ers were going.

[Katia_chan]

Thanks for replying.  I did check out that site, and it was helpful.  I just got back from visiting there, so I was able to get some good information from students too.

 

The main consensus, save for a few exceptions, was that the area immediately around campus was a little...sketchy.  There are some alright areas, but I've been advised that if it's not, like, hugging the campus, you may want to go out a bit further.  Central West End and Tower Grove were the two places recommended to me most often.  Clayton is apparently also nice, but really expensive.  But if you're not there, then everything else looks really affordable.

 

I heard similar things about the public transportation--if you need it, pick your living place fairly carefully.  But it sounds doable.

 

And thank you for that info about Fordham.  I applied there too, and really love the school/being on the east coast.  But it looks like it can't beat St. Louis for cheapness...and even if I love New York, the ability to survive comfortably on a grad stipend sounds really nice.  Definitely something to weigh--especially when St. Louis really does seem to have a lot to offer.  Not to mention a really nice campus.

[Leighton]

Ah, thanks for the info. I have been scoping out some apartments in the Clayton/Tower Grove/CWE/and South City/Dogtown. They seem to have some really cool, affordable living there. I'd really like to get out there and visit the campus, but it's a bit tough coming from Cali and finishing up my MA. However, I did go to Fordham last month (family in the area), and it was absolutely beautiful. Good luck with the rest of your applications and thanks for the info, maybe we'll be meeting up at SLU next Fall! If you don't mind me asking, what was the campus like?

[Katia_chan]

Yeah, the apartment market looks really fascinating.  Lots of great apartments, with really interesting buildings.

 

Apparently in our department, there's a woman who knows a lot about the city.  So if you're looking around and need an opinion on a place, I may be able to help you out if you PM me.  But all those neighborhoods you mentioned look like great places, from what I've heard.

 

I hope you get the opportunity to visit, but I can certainly understand the difficulty.  I'm a short flight away, so it wasn't bad.  But I really enjoyed the campus.  There seem to be a lot of things to do--restaurants and cafes and such, and the library resources are fantastic.  We didn't get an in-depth tour, but we did get to see the Vadican film library, which was absolutely amazing.  I hope to be able to spend a lot of time there.

 

I definitely hope we can connect in the fall--good luck finishing up your degree.  It sounds exhausting--but the end is in sight.

[glow_gene]

Hey! 

 

I'm a current graduate student at WashU (I started in 2013). Please feel free to ask me if you still have any questions about housing in the area or the city in general. I'd be happy to help! 

 

~glow

[Katia_chan]

Thanks for the offer.  I did have a few questions.

 

First, I was wondering how early I should start apartment hunting?  I know places like New York, there's no point in looking further out than a week or two, but there are also places where if you start looking in late June/July, you're kind of hosed and are scraping the bottom of the barrel.  So I'd like to know when to be looking so I have a decent pick.

 

And, beyond that, do you have any idea how hard it is to find a pet-friendly place?  Some cities are worse than others, and I don't know if you have any clue, but it'd be helpful to know if you have any insight on that.

 

Thanks again!

[glow_gene]

Hey Katia, 

 

If you want to live anywhere in close proximity to SLU or WashU, I highly recommend you start looking early. Many of my friends had put down deposits several months ahead of time. There will be a lot of leases ending/apartments available between June and August and they can go fast. That being said, my fiancee and I took our time and found a great apartment one metro stop away from the WashU med campus in Debaliviere 2-3 weeks before we arrived. There were other, closer options as well, but we weren't as fond of the options we were left with. We love our current place! It's nice to not have to deal with central west end and parking. I can metro in to lab and I can basically cross the street and stroll into Forest Park.

 

As for pet-friendliness. I think pet un-friendliness is an exception, not a rule. A large portion of my friends have cats or dogs and had no trouble finding housing. There's the odd place here and there but it shouldn't  be too much of a problem (at least in Debaliviere, Central West End, The Grove, Tower Grove, Soulard, Benton Park <--places where I have friends/looked for apts). A fair percentage of places have a pet deposit or a small (<$30) monthly fee but I think that's fairly standard. 

 

I hope that was helpful! Let me know if there's anything else I can help with. (If anyone else has questions, feel free to post here and/or pm me and I'll publicly post the response and question if it's generally helpful. I keep forgetting to check this thread regularly.) I really love this city and I'd like to do what I can to get others properly situated for maximal enjoyment

 

~glow

[Aremik]

Hello

 

I do not know if I'am on the rigth forum, but I am having troubles to choose where to go: Tulane or WashU. My PhD is in Spanish. Do anybody have any recommendations? 

[glow_gene]

Hey Aremik, 

 

I don't know much about the spanish program at WashU. This forum http://forum.thegradcafe.com/forum/39-languages/ might be able to give you more input on your specific program. 

 

Please let me know if you have any questions about the school as a whole or the city of St. Louis.

 

Best of luck in your decision!

 

~glow

[wiggy1325]

Probably attending SLU this upcoming fall. Will be looking for somewhere to live near campus. Anyone looking for a room mate?

[mahmad]

 

If you want to live anywhere in close proximity to SLU or WashU, I highly recommend you start looking early. Many of my friends had put down deposits several months ahead of time. There will be a lot of leases ending/apartments available between June and August and they can go fast. That being said, my fiancee and I took our time and found a great apartment one metro stop away from the WashU med campus in Debaliviere 2-3 weeks before we arrived. There were other, closer options as well, but we weren't as fond of the options we were left with. We love our current place! It's nice to not have to deal with central west end and parking. I can metro in to lab and I can basically cross the street and stroll into Forest Park.

 

Hey,

I'll be attending WashU, the Danforth campus, and you mentioned not wanting to deal with CWE, is there a reason? I would like to find a studio or 1 bedroom for $650 or less. I have a background in art, so I'm a sucker for the architecture in that area. Is there a certain area in CWE (street crossings) you can recommend or anywhere else that has a similar vibe? I like Brooklyn types in urban settings, (local cafes, people milling about, etc.)  but not Manhattan or Chicago busy. Sorry if that's a little confusing!