West Lafayette, IN

[razzldazzl]

Hi everyone, I'm an eager applicant awaiting a decision from an engineering PhD program at Purdue.  I'm wondering if anyone has input on grad students living in West Lafayette vs across the bridge in Lafayette.  I'm a late-20s early career professional returning to school, for some context.

Housing in Lafayette seems significantly less expensive than in West Lafayette, and a few Google Maps calculations make it seem like approx 30mins walking/15 mins biking from a few blocks away from the bridge to campus.  Is the bus a reasonable option in foul weather?  Are there any major drawbacks to renting a one bedroom for $600-650/month in Lafayette rather than paying more in West Lafayette?  I imagine the downtown options are less exciting further from campus, but I think wherever I end up for graduate school I'll be living pretty frugally anyway.

Any general input?

Thanks

[cupidcello]

3 hours ago, razzldazzl said:

Hi everyone, I'm an eager applicant awaiting a decision from an engineering PhD program at Purdue.  I'm wondering if anyone has input on grad students living in West Lafayette vs across the bridge in Lafayette.  I'm a late-20s early career professional returning to school, for some context.

Housing in Lafayette seems significantly less expensive than in West Lafayette, and a few Google Maps calculations make it seem like approx 30mins walking/15 mins biking from a few blocks away from the bridge to campus.  Is the bus a reasonable option in foul weather?  Are there any major drawbacks to renting a one bedroom for $600-650/month in Lafayette rather than paying more in West Lafayette?  I imagine the downtown options are less exciting further from campus, but I think wherever I end up for graduate school I'll be living pretty frugally anyway.

Any general input?

Thanks

Before I answer--will you have a car?  I assume not because you mention walking/biking--which people do, especially biking.  Be sure to bring a bike lock--which I assume you'll do!

Now my answer: My honest take on West Lafayette vs. Lafayette is the following--undergrads generally live near the university (on the West L. side), and grad students generally prefer downtown Lafayette.  Consider living in downtown Lafayette, but not any further out.  There's still some cool places to hang out in downtown Lafayette. 

One drawback of living near campus on the West Lafayette side: Noise.  Undergraduates (who do tend to live very close to campus) are a tad noisy, especially near campus because there are some college bars near campus (put the two together).  Also, pricing of places to live are not fun to deal with on the West side, which is also generally considered to be student/campus apartment kind of housing (not owned by the university). You'd be paying at least 1 to 2 hundred dollars more per month.

Bus-ing is reliable enough.  The nearer you live to the bus center of Lafayette (near the bridge to West Lafayette), the better for you if you don't have a car.  Or if you live near a bus-stop that will take you to the West side--that'd be helpful for you.  The weather in Indiana can be incredibly harsh at times, so you will honestly/absolutely need to consider taking a bus sometimes (e.g. harsh winter temperatures--which Purdue tends to never cancel classes for).  I will say that this is probably the biggest drawback to living in Lafayette compared to WL (dealing with weather & getting to campus), but if you can secure a place near the bus-stop of your choice, then that's great!

If you get into Purdue, you'll want to secure a spot to live in sooner rather than later--that possibly goes for any school (?). Good luck.

[MDASHIQ]

Hi

I am newly admitted cs grad student at Purdue. I have offered graduate assistantship which is $1918. is it enough for two person (me and my spouse) to live in west-Lafayette year with this amount?  

[SocialKonstruct]

I spent here a year and a half in Purdue for a Biochemistry PhD track and it was an interesting place. Definitely need a car and it's so dirt cheap to live in.

Unfortunately there really isn't much to do on campus. You had to drive or bum a ride (we didn't have Uber back then) to get a flick in a theater. The university library isn't the greatest for bibliophiles.

If you are a science major and have a family this is a great but honestly for urban folks, I really wouldn't recommend coming here for a long period of time.

[Outer Heaven]

I would imagine coming from SF/Bay area to West Lafayette would be shock since I pay 1200 for a one bedroom room but share the house with another person.