<p>My D will be a graduate student at Penn State starting in the fall. Anyone have any recommendations for housing (apartments, etc.)? She said that some apartment complexes give you bus passes? Which complexes are closest to campus? Any information you have will be helpful!</p>
<p>My son rented from Associated Realty...I know not everyone loves them but I think he did not find them to be too bad. He was in the Ambassador Building. Anyway there are a lot of options here (although I do not know how many have openings at this time of the year.) And if you scroll down on each page it shows how far each is from campus.
ARPM</a> - State College Apartments and Student Apartments from Associated Realty Property Management
Don't know about bus passes, he wanted to stay within walking distance and avoid the buses.
Also here is the off campus living site from Penn State with links:
Welcome</a> to the Division of Student Affairs</p>
<p>I would recommend that she steer away from the buildings on west Beaver Avenue known locally as "Beaver Canyon". They are filled with undergrads and can be noisy (and worse) at times.</p>
<p>Thank you both! </p>
<p>rlm - D wouldn't be looking for an opening now, as she doesn't start school until the fall. She will go back to Penn State next month and try to find a place she likes that will have an opening and "reserve" it for the fall.</p>
<p>That is what I mean, I do not know how many openings for fall there are now. As soon as the dorms contracts go out then anyone who did not get a contract (either by choice or by chance) starts looking for an apartment.
My son graduated two years ago so the timing may have changed a bit but I remember he had his apartment lined up in January for August.
I am sure there are places still available, but I wouldn't wait too long...</p>
<p>MidwestParent, I sent you a PM. ~1mm</p>
<p>The on-campus White Course single graduate student apartments are convenient and very nice. Each furnished, air-conditioned apartment for four students has 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, living/dining area, kitchen, and laundry area with washer/dryer. They are expensive, but everything is included - all utilities, cable, internet, phone, parking - and one of the free campus bus lines has a stop there.</p>
<p>I think RLM919 is correct. A lot of the apartments are already rented for the 2009-2010 academic year. My daughter currently has an apartment and her deadline to renew her lease for August 2009 was last November. Most of the realtors started taking applications last fall for August 2009 rentals. Your daughter may want to call some of the realtors before she goes to State College to find out what is still available and set up some appointments to see the apartments. She could check them out online before she goes up there. She should be prepared to sign a lease (or binding application) when she goes up and leave a deposit. The apartments that give free bus passes are the ones that are not walking distance from campus. My daughter has rented from Associated Realty and The Apartment Store. She prefers to live close to downtown where she can walk to everything. She also lived at one of the Copper Beech townhome communities (which is about a mile and a half from campus). They gave the free bus pass (only for the bus route the complex was on) and it was quiet out there. There are also some apartment complexes on Vairo drive that are about the same distance from campus and give free bus passes.</p>
<p>Thanks all! I am passing your suggestions onto my D!</p>