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My girlfriend was accepted to a Ph.D. program at MSU and will be attending starting this August. With that in mind, we've got two questions.
1. She is going to be receiving a living stipend, but it's very limited. With that in mind, she will be on a pretty tight budget. Neither one of us knows much about the MSU campus and surrounding areas, so it would be nice to hear some recommendations on where to look for affordable housing that allows decent access to campus. I plan on driving out to East Lansing before she moves to do some scouting - would be nice to know where to look so I'm not just running around the place clueless. Also, how's MSU's on-campus housing? We are going to do the calculations to see if maybe it's worth applying for one of the residence halls, but not sure how easy/possible it is for grad students to get in. Also worth to note is the fact that she won't have a car her first year but will have a bike. How are MSU's public transport options?
2. When Year 2 rolls along, I will be coming back to the Detroit area from an assignment in another state and we're going to want to live together. I work in Dearborn - the distance is about 90 miles. Living in EL might put a cramp on my ability to get to work on time short of waking up at 5 a.m.; conversely living in Detroit Metro would probably not work for her either (she will most likely have a car at her disposal by then, though). Having looked at the map, there's not much between Detroit Metro and East Lansing. We'd love to live in Ann Arbor, but I'd rather she have a shorter commute since she will only have just learned to drive a car. We'd most likely want to rent in a managed community (so, condo or town house of some kind) rather than a single family home - is it possible to find that somewhere midway between EL and DM?
When you get to East Lansing, there are tons of apartment rental agencies along Grand River Avenue, directly across from campus. They are usually upstairs from store fronts, but they're there. There are several large rental management companies with all sorts of options. You can also pick up the local edition of apartment finder, use Craig's List or the MSU daily newspaper and Lansing State Journal list apartments for rent. There are on campus options for graduate students, but from what I've heard they are not ideal. She should check with graduate school housing division for ideas or suggestions. The public transportation system (CATA) is fabulous, so anywhere she ends up on a bus line will be able to get her to where she needs to be on campus. There are tons of routes and transfer options~both east/west and north/south of campus. She may also want to look at shared housing, many of the newer places have single rooms with shared baths and living areas; giving her the privacy and quiet she might need, and the possibility of living with other graduate students. The area directly across from campus, and behind the "downtown" area is full of rental homes/student housing/shared housing and is a nice neighborhood. Other areas that would be worth looking at are Okemos, Haslett and Holt and along Hagadorn Road (directly across from east campus). They all have access to campus via bus or bike.
For the second year, you might want to consider Chelsea (cute community). She could do back roads and would take about 45 minutes. Ann Arbor/Brighton area would be fine as well, but crowded and probably more expensive. Depending on what her schedule is, you might find it easier for you to have an apartment and she could visit on her off days or weekends. There is a commuter bus that goes from AA to East Lansing (Michigan Flyer) that runs 12x daily. It's supposed to be for transportation to the airport, but many people use the EL to AA run.
Depending on what her schedule is, you might find it easier for you to have an apartment and she could visit on her off days or weekends.
This is the only thing that isn't really negotiable - we'd like to make a proper go at living together, so we'll have deal with the commute.
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There is a commuter bus that goes from AA to East Lansing (Michigan Flyer) that runs 12x daily. It's supposed to be for transportation to the airport, but many people use the EL to AA run.
Yeah, I saw that - unfortunately, it's around $45 round trip last I checked, which will get pricey verrrry quickly.
However, thank you for the rest of the suggestions - I'll PM you closer to the timing of her actual move.
As a grad student, she will want to not live as close to campus and undergrads. (trust me).
She might find some good prices on the Haslett apts (Nemoke Trail area) or north side of EL (Castle Pointe area), and these will be within good distance of campus. Likewise, Holt apts are also within a very easy commute to campus, and sometimes nice rental houses at a good price come along on the east side of Lansing proper (Aurelius Rd / Cavannagh Rd; west of 127 between Saginaw / Michigan Ave; some parts north of Saginaw).
It would be easier if you knew what the minimum size she needs and max rent she can pay.
Other options would be to purchase a super cheap single wide trailer at the EL mobile park (I see grad students selling $2000-5000 for older but upgraded trailers on Craigslist) and then just live on lot rent + utilities.
As for an in between once you're back in Detroit, you both will want to look st a middle ground of Howell, Brighton or surrounding areas. The full commute for either of you will kill you both, so might as well share it.
As a grad student, she will want to not live as close to campus and undergrads. (trust me).
You're probably right. Neither one of us is 21 anymore, sad to say.
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She might find some good prices on the Haslett apts (Nemoke Trail area) or north side of EL (Castle Pointe area), and these will be within good distance of campus. Likewise, Holt apts are also within a very easy commute to campus, and sometimes nice rental houses at a good price come along on the east side of Lansing proper (Aurelius Rd / Cavannagh Rd; west of 127 between Saginaw / Michigan Ave; some parts north of Saginaw).
If these places are accessible by public transport/bike, we'll definitely look at them, thanks!
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It would be easier if you knew what the minimum size she needs and max rent she can pay.
Yeah, I should have mentioned that earlier. Her monthly stipend, after taxes, will be around $1,200 (give or take), so her budget is, basically, "as low as you can go without living in a crack house". We harbor no illusions about being able to rent a place by herself, so a roommate situation is the most likely one unless we figure out that there are on-campus grad student options that are viable (though it certainly doesn't look that way). The question then becomes how do we find this roommate situation while she's still outside of Michigan.
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As for an in between once you're back in Detroit, you both will want to look st a middle ground of Howell, Brighton or surrounding areas. The full commute for either of you will kill you both, so might as well share it.
Yep, Howell and Brighton are the two communities we've heard of (South Lyon has also been mentioned, but that would be a bit tough on her) and I might go out this weekend just to take a look around.
You're probably right. Neither one of us is 21 anymore, sad to say.If these places are accessible by public transport/bike, we'll definitely look at them, thanks!
Yeah, I should have mentioned that earlier. Her monthly stipend, after taxes, will be around $1,200 (give or take), so her budget is, basically, "as low as you can go without living in a crack house". We harbor no illusions about being able to rent a place by herself, so a roommate situation is the most likely one unless we figure out that there are on-campus grad student options that are viable (though it certainly doesn't look that way). The question then becomes how do we find this roommate situation while she's still outside of Michigan.Yep, Howell and Brighton are the two communities we've heard of (South Lyon has also been mentioned, but that would be a bit tough on her) and I might go out this weekend just to take a look around.
Two options:
1. the power of Craigslist (My brother succeeded in finding a roommate situation in DC while living with me in NC a few years ago; all parties involved met via Skype before committing).
2. Contact someone within the PhD program she is with, let them know if they know of any prospective roommates that would be available for the start of the semester.
I had a friend come in from CA to MSU for a master's program. She arrived about 1 month before the semester started and was given a short term room at one of her professor's homes during that month to allow her to find housing. Later on, she left for NM but still needed to come back to MSU for a month here and there to finish her paper, and other grad students made space for her in their homes during that time. It is worth her taking the time to reach out to her academic community to establish a support base as early as possible.
statenews.com is the MSU daily paper. The ads come up on the far right of the layout. I believe the housing office also has an on-line bulletin board. Try this~register and see what's there. You can always delete it if it's not helpful. Michigan State University | Off Campus Housing Search
Also found this one that might be of help. http://studentlife.msu.edu/~it leads you to the same link above.
Is she opposed to MSU's graduate housing? You can see rates here: https://liveon.msu.edu/rates--at ~$700/mo I think she might even be able to afford a single, especially if this still includes all utilities (when I was there, it even included local phone service, including the phone; this, of course, was before mobile phones were widely used).
I lived in Spartan Village back in the day with my husband; don't know about the renovated units, but our one-bedroom was both tiny and cheap. I think it would have been fairly comfortable for one person. Owen Hall is the graduate student dorm; I haven't been inside, so I can't speak to amenities, but I'm sure housing or her department would hook her up with someone who could tell her about it.
One thing to keep in mind if she doesn't have a car is that she will want to be somewhere convenient to groceries and/or restaurants (depending on how much she wants to cook)--it's generally easier to schlep books to classes during the day than to haul groceries, and less scary than taking public trans at night. Owen includes a meal plan, so she can eat on campus. Spartan Village is close to a grocery store, Asian market, and a few restaurants. Of the other areas recommended, east along Grand River (still kind of student-ghetto) would work, as might the area near Frandor Shopping (west of campus along either Michigan Avenue or Grand River). In Okemos she'd want to stay pretty close to Grand River, as it's really set up more for cars than biking/walking (there are great places to do both, but I'm talking about as a daily necessity). Somewhere near the Meijer and/or Edgewood shopping center on Lake Lansing (southwest of campus) might also be a possibility.
Is she opposed to MSU's graduate housing? You can see rates here: https://liveon.msu.edu/rates--at ~$700/mo I think she might even be able to afford a single, especially if this still includes all utilities (when I was there, it even included local phone service, including the phone; this, of course, was before mobile phones were widely used).
Not at all and $700/month for a single would be a dream, but it doesn't look like it would be feasible from the rates on that website...
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I lived in Spartan Village back in the day with my husband; don't know about the renovated units, but our one-bedroom was both tiny and cheap. I think it would have been fairly comfortable for one person. Owen Hall is the graduate student dorm; I haven't been inside, so I can't speak to amenities, but I'm sure housing or her department would hook her up with someone who could tell her about it.
That's good to know. It's not exactly close to her department's building which is close to the stadium (which might hurt come winter time), but it's at least something to consider.
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