Washington University Apartment hunt (St. Louis, Jackson: real estate, sublease, apartments)

[ConcernedMom2008]

My daughter will be Grad Student (biology) at Washington University. She's talked about a one bedroom apt/studio (knows no one to room with), within easy walking distance of campus, with off-street parking in case she can later afford a car. I just discovered this forum today, and checked previous posts that seem to say the area surrounding Washington U is "relatively" safe. I know she'll be at the lab or library til the wee hours of the morning. I have a feeling this apartment will be chosen sight unseen due to St. Louis being so far from her current campus. I notice Wash U rents out apartments, and provides security street patrols, but she doesn't appear to be interested in those apartments.

Any helpful suggestions I can pass along?

[aragx6]

If she wants something walking distance, I would say Wash U's options would probably be best, esp. if she won't be able to see the place before moving.

Tell her to also look on Craigslist and on Stltoday.com. I found a bunch of places within a mile or 2, but that's not a walk I'd want to make everyday, esp. in the winter, esp. if she'll be out late at night. If she had a car, living off campus would be a better option.

And mom, don't worry, the neighborhood is plenty safe. It's an urban area, so she'll need to be aware of her surroundings, and I wouldn't go walking around on side streets late at night, but other than that she should be just fine.

I hope that helps a little, if you have any other questions feel free to ask!

[Bobster]

aragx6 is indeed the sayer of true stuff! If it were my daughter, who just graduated from Ohio State, by the way, I'd see if she could live with the Wash U housing for a bit until she gets a feel for the various areas within walking distance to the University.

From what I understand Wash U has a pretty good transportation system including cars that you can rent by the hour -- how cool would that be! Also, if she extended her commuting distance to bicycle distances....there are untold choices available for her! Best of luck and success to you and your daughter!

[STLCardsBlues1989]

I wouldn't worry about safety around Washington University, although I guess worry is what moms do.

You could also search Craigslist and real estate sites for ideas of apartment on/around campus.

[afrank]

I subleased in an apartment near WashU. It is called Madrid - Front Door leasing company. It was secure and I felt safe. Maybe you should check that out.

[moorlander]

I live just over a mile from campus and Wash U is NOT dangerous at all. It is in one of the NICEST areas in the entire midwest. Sure some of the areas to the north and north east get shaddy pretty fast but in general the areas of the central west end, skinker, debaliever, demun, and the moorlands are all quite safe and have plenty of students and young perfessionals around. I would def. suggest she get a bike.

[stlma]

Look in the DeMun area...very safe and very close to campus. If you want some assistance, have her ask for current grad students email addresses -- they are the best judge of where to live or contact the student (graduate) coordinator, who I believe is Melissa Torres for Biology.

[wustu87]

I am curious what reason is causing her to choose against the university owned apartments since they are all very well maintained and very convenient to campus. If I had to choose an apartment sight unseen, I would definitely pick a Quadrangle apartment myself over something random off Craigslist. The majority of incoming first year grad students pick university owned apartments, although many move their second year once they know the area better and have a lot more options. There is even a new off-campus escort service that was just started offering people free escorted rides home within nearby neighborhoods at any time:

Washington University Police Department

And I will agree with everyone else that most of the areas that our grad students live near campus are quite safe. When you say she will be studying "Biology" do you mean Plant or Evolution, Ecology & Population Biology on the Danforth campus or one of the many graduate biology programs within the medical campus? That will determine where she will spend the majority of her time and where she should consider living. Of course, being a grad student in an apartment, she can always move to a new place her second year. The graduate biology program at Wash U is massive and she is bound to find other graduate students who can help her find a good place to live.

[Chimmy24]

Umm, who are the commenters here? I went to Wash U for undergrad and am currently a graduate student here. I do not know a single person who LIKED Wash U's off-campus housing. It is over-priced and difficult to get assistance when something goes wrong. Some of my friends didn't have major issues with it, but I didn't know anyone who would recommend it. Also, a graduate student was beaten near to death in a quadrangle apartment, so it's not like it's particularly "safe." (Granted, they did improve security after this happened.) Grad student in critical condition after off-campus assault | Student Life

Also, I wouldn't classify all of the surrounding area of Wash U as "safe" by any stretch. It's not the worst, but there are definitely places your daughter probably won't want to be walking in the wee hours of the morning. People are mugged near the loop all the time, and girls were raped in the last year in the Demun neighborhood and the Moorland area. Female undergrad raped, robbed along Skinker | Student Life

I'm not saying these things to scare you, but anyone reading this forum should be wary that St. Louis IS a major city and there IS a lot of crime. I recommend West of campus, as North is not as safe. Check the crime stats of wherever anyone choses to move.

[zach_33]

wustu87 raises the key question - will she be main (danforth) campus, or the medical campus? If she's main campus I would try to get a one bedroom just west of Campus (along Forsyth or Lindell between Big Bend and Jackson), or just north of campus in Ames Place (south of Kingsbury, between Big Bend and Melville). If she is on the medical campus there are a bunch of high rises within a half mile to choose from. I wouldn't stress about the crime. It's pretty standard for any big city university environment.