Global Ambassador Stories
Purdue Housing: Searching for Your Home Away from Home
Story by Juliana Pereira
July 18, 2022
After the excitement of the acceptance letter, it is time to "move to Purdue!" I remember when I started looking at the streets, online, trying to figure out where a good place to live would be. It can be highly challenging to solve everything when you are on the other side of the equator. Here are a few tips to help you find your sweet home!
- Currently, there is no on-campus housing for graduate students managed by Purdue. But there are plenty of private companies with apartments around campus. Check for the off-campus housing options at https://offcampushousing.purdue.edu.
- Join the Facebook pages related to Purdue housing to help you search for a place and roommates. Be careful with offers that sound too good to be true. Never send money before triple-checking the company!
- Give preference to places with individual contracts, especially if you do not know your roommates well. That way, it will not be your responsibility if your roomie does not pay his/her share. Some places offer roommate matching services, so you do not need to worry about searching for someone.
- Search for communities from your home country. Usually, people from your country can be a good source of information, as they have similar perspectives. Check the Purdue student clubs page, https://boilerlink.purdue.edu, for people from your country or with similar interests as you.
- Remember to check the bus lines and the address of your future home. Some bus lines do not run after 6 pm or on the weekends, which can be an issue if you are a dedicated graduate student who leaves late and works on the weekends. Check the city bus lines at https://gocitybus.com/wheres-the-bus.
- Usually, graduate students like to live in downtown Lafayette, close to the "fun," where most bars and restaurants are located (near Main St.), or in West Lafayette, on Northwestern Ave, close to Walmart, because it is quieter and cheaper than options closer to campus.
I hope you find your perfect Purdue home!
The views of the author are not necessarily those of the Grad School or Purdue University.