grad schools in cities where you don't need a car

[mathguy]

hi. i plan to go to grad school in pure or applied math, and i would prefer to go to a grad school in a city with good public transportation so that i don't need a car at all. i'd prefer it if it's not only possible to not have a car, but also socially acceptable and normal. the model i have in mind is nyc, but i've heard there are many other cities that qualify. do any of you have suggestions for such cities (if you could also mention the grad schools you have in mind that would be great)? please post schools regardless of ranking (they don't have to be top 10...). thank you in advance 8)

the cities/universities i've heard of so far (if you think something should go out of this list, please let me know)

nyc (columbia, nyu, cuny)

boston (bu)

cambridge? (mit, harvard)

washington d.c (?)

philadelphia (upenn)

chicago(university of chicago)

[LINCHUXUAN]

Berkeley~

[mathguy]

oh, i should also add that i don't really plan on riding bicycles either if possible. so it's walking and public transportation for me.

[kowtown]

I grew up in and around a large city and got my license later in life, so this is something I can relate to. I would say that most college towns are pedestrian-friendly, since most students can't afford a car, but if you're looking for more culture, most large cities should have decent public transportation; some of my favorites are below. I think it would help if you specify Master's or PhD, but below are some schools that have at least some graduate mathematics program. I myself will be applying to Statistics master's programs in some of these very same cities.

I would certainly second NYC. I've been by Columbia, NYU, and a CUNY or two and they're all easy to get to, especially NYU. The West Village has got to be one of the greatest places in the world to go to school (or at least to hang out in). It's also one of the most expensive to live, but Jersey City and Brooklyn are relatively inexpensive and easy to commute from.

The Boston/Cambridge area is also very pedestrian-friendly. Everyone is super fit from walking all those hills! Boston is also expensive but that of course is true of any city so dense. There have got to be more than just those three schools to consider though. Try Boston College for a fourth.

I've never been to Penn but I've been to Philly a few times and while I haven't utilized the public transportation very much, for the most part it too is pretty walkable. Temple and Drexel also have programs.

Chicago, too, has other schools. Northwestern is not in the city proper, but it seems to be accessible by public transportation. Another large school is UIC. I've honestly never been a big fan of the city's transit system--the El's are kinda slow--but I wouldn't say it's hard to get around in. But it's no New York!

Though I've been there, I can't personally speak for D.C. I've walked around but never used the public transportation, and I'm not terribly familiar with its schools, but Georgetown, GWU, and American University should all be good options if they have relevant programs.

Finally I can recommend two other cities with great public transportation: Portland and Austin. In Portland, try Portland State University. In Austin, give UT a shot.

I see someone's mentioned Berkeley. I'm not very familiar with CA, but it has so many schools--let's see some more! I've only been to San Diego, which very much seemed to be a motor vehicle town.

[mathguy]

@ kowtown- thanks for the extremely detailed response. i'm looking at phd programs.

[frankdux]

I would say that most college towns are pedestrian-friendly, since most students can't afford a car...

This.

A larger school that makes up a college town usually has public transportation geared towards students and sometimes its free (or included in the transportation fee portion of your tuition). Also, there will typically be apartments and houses for rent literally across the street from campus. And there should be multiple grocery stores within 1 or 2 miles of campus as well. Also, college towns are usually very affordable to live in.

Many universities in major cities may have their own couple of city blocks where their campus resides, but you'd still have to live in a city and usually rely on public transportation that is NOT catering towards students only. Also, living in chicago or new york is significantly more expensive than living in most college towns. most of the cities you listed would be very expensive to live in.

hell, you could probably afford a cheap used car after a couple years with all the money you'd save by living in a college town, having an apartment right across the street from campus, and just walking to class everyday, instead of living somewhere expensive like washington DC.

[mathguy]

@ frankdux: thanks for your input, but the reason i want to avoid having a car has nothing to do with money.

[thefrightfulmuse]

I'll definitely second Portland. In fact, even if there's no school there you like, you should go anyways and forget about school. Portland is really that great.