[rogetsthesaurus]

Hello all -

I'm 26, an Indiana native, lived and taught in Bloomington, IN after college and moved to Phoenix, AZ for a change of pace. I am most likely going to be at MSU next fall starting a Ph.D. in education. Here a few questions:

1.) What is East Lansing like? Lansing? I can't seem to get an accurate explanation of how they differ.

2.) As college towns go, how is East Lansing? I'm not into bars/party scene. More important are cool coffee shops, book stores, indi CD stores, movie theatres, etc. Do they exist? They kind of did in Bloomington. There's an ample amount here in Phoenix.

3.) Should I take advantage of an apt on MSU's campus for grad students or consider living off campus? I guess I'll have to bite the bullet and move all of my IKEA furniture I just bought out here this summer (thought I was going to stay in Phoenix, but can't pass up an offer if MSU offers a full fellowship).

4.) Other thoughts on MI, East Lansing, life in general in the area? It will be nice to be back in a liberal place again. Phoenix, while a purple city, isn't Blue enough for me

[Cliffie]

Lansing is the state capital and basically like any good-sized city. Combination of business districts, neighborhoods and a few sections where the rats enter only in pairs. Suburbs clustered around. East Lansing is one of these, but being a university town is also infested with humanities professors and students who wear woolly socks with their Birkenstocks. It's not quite as intellectually dizzy as Ann Arbor, but the drinking/partying is even worse. There are plenty of nice, decent places to hang out and meet people, however. Decent cultural scene and lots of exposure to movies and music and la de da.

[MittenDweller82]

Originally Posted by rogetsthesaurus

Hello all -

I'm 26, an Indiana native, lived and taught in Bloomington, IN after college and moved to Phoenix, AZ for a change of pace. I am most likely going to be at MSU next fall starting a Ph.D. in education. Here a few questions:

1.) What is East Lansing like? Lansing? I can't seem to get an accurate explanation of how they differ.

2.) As college towns go, how is East Lansing? I'm not into bars/party scene. More important are cool coffee shops, book stores, indi CD stores, movie theatres, etc. Do they exist? They kind of did in Bloomington. There's an ample amount here in Phoenix.

3.) Should I take advantage of an apt on MSU's campus for grad students or consider living off campus? I guess I'll have to bite the bullet and move all of my IKEA furniture I just bought out here this summer (thought I was going to stay in Phoenix, but can't pass up an offer if MSU offers a full fellowship).

4.) Other thoughts on MI, East Lansing, life in general in the area? It will be nice to be back in a liberal place again. Phoenix, while a purple city, isn't Blue enough for me

Well congrats on starting your PhD, I'll give you a rundown on life in EL as unbiased as possible. As far as your request for a wider selection of coffee/tea shops and more of music oriented scene, I'm afraid your talking more of Ann Arbor than the Lansing, EL area. While the area close to campus has a decent selection of coffee houses, they will be your usual chain operations. The EL area certainly caters more to the drinker, than to the indi loving music buff who enjoys fair trade organic coffee and tea. (hey, that sounds like me! I'm not saying its non-existent, the culture certainly is more about football, beer, and well, football. For a bookstore, you'll have to settle for a B' Noble. I would consider living off campus, much more peaceful (less partying) and you'll find yourself surrounded by other grad students and professionals. I must disagree with the above post however, Ann Arbor has more coffee and tea shops that bars compared to EL.

Now on to Lansing, which has even less of what you are looking for. The further away you travel from EL the more conservative and older the population becomes, mostly blue collar working families, with specs of professionals around the area. While the two cities run together, you'll notice the difference immediately. Not much to do in Lansing for the college student in my opinion.

Hope I don't sound negative on my report although based on your likings you may find yourself driving to Ann Arbor to enjoy the music scene and stock up on books Good luck, hopefully I helped somewhat.

[chance2jump]

The first 2 posters gave a decent run down. There is not a huge offering for different coffee shops, but a small variety does exist. Beaners ...er, Biggby's (open 24hrs on campus - my personal favorite), Cappiccino Cafe, Starbucks. B-n-N for books. Most of the smaller book stores have long since gone under. You'll want to live off campus to be among the more mature crowds, and possibly better prices in rent. Overall, Lansing/EL does not offer a huge mecca of night life. There are a few run of the mill bars, sport bars, etc. Downtown Lansing bars offer more professional crowds, EL bars are more the party crowd. Not much in theatres, but there are a few things going on if you look hard enough. You might want to look into checking out Ann Arbor every so often. There is an art fest every year in both EL and AA.

Differences between Lansing and EL residents.. Lansing residents are living and working in the real world, EL student population is in "college" world. Different mentalities - there is a bit of naiveness that comes with college students that do not take part in the ups and downs of the real world.

Mid-MI does have a few really great outdoor activities if you're that type. Great mountain biking group, a little rock climbing (nothing to pro specs, but a nice afternoon getaway none the less), nice parks, camping, etc.

Overall, MSU does offer a good opportunity for someone in grad programs. The weather is a little colder than IN, and the days are cloudy.

[pilotguy]

There is more than one bookstore in EL, there are at least 2 independent used and rare bookstores.

I'm an MSU student, feel free to send me a message with any questions.

[GlassPipe]

EL has a hooka bar. Missed that boat... Best wishes in your studies.

[rogetsthesaurus]

Thank you, posters, for your thoughtful and detailed replies. I really appreciate your time and forthright commentary.

How far is EL to Ann Arbor? Do people go back and forth often?

I'm not anti-sports, but I'm not into sports. I liked the sports traditions of basketball at IU. Does MSU have that culture? Good homecomings, alumni events, or it is it all vandalism and hollering as portrayed on tv?

What are some neighborhoods/apartment complexes/places to consider renting off campus? Is it easy to find roommates for grad students?