The beautiful Indiana University of Pennsylvania campus.
The journey into moving off campus at Indiana University in Pennsylvania into a house or Indiana apartment can be a stressful one, whether you are an undergrad student looking to go off campus for the first time, or a graduate student looking for that nice apartment to spend time in while you study for school.
But we can help out. With the right tools (ahem, Rent College Pads’s IUP off-campus housing listings) and a little knowledge about when to search to make sure you get the place you’ve always wanted, the stress of apartment or house hunting all fades right away.
Undergraduate Students
Unfortunately, many college students are forced to begin searching for their new place just as soon as they move into their current one. IUP is no different. As we can see by this graph charting Google searches, September sees a spike in IUP off-campus housing searches, before a small decline before searches pick up again in October.
A lot of this can be attributed to students seeing their friends again as they begin another year of college. It’s very common for students to meet a group of friends while living in on-campus housing, then transition off campus together. This allows the students a sense of freedom and responsibility while maintaining the sense of connection and friendship they’ve fostered.
The search tapers off when it comes to the winter/spring months, so for all of you students that like to put your papers off until the night before, you might want to change your habits here and get the ball rolling.
Graduate Students
If you’re looking to find an Indiana apartment as a graduate student, chances are this isn’t your first rodeo. Graduate students, because of acceptance/admittance into their programs don’t always have the same luxury as undergrad students when it comes to selecting their housing options. In addition, the majority of graduate students seek to find the happy medium when it comes to having a short commute to campus, but still being further enough to separate themselves from living in close proximity to their younger peers. Basically, grad students aren’t trying to walk too far or party too hard.
Good news for grad students: More apartments are being built in the area each year in order to house students as enrollment continues to grow. Graduate students should be scoping out the area prior to acceptance and have a few showings planned shortly after. The springtime appears to be the most popular and some graduate students will opt for a summer lease, in order to have everything all taken care of.
International Students
A lack of experience and language barriers can cause stress for international students looking for housing. IUP’s website suggests consulting your International Handbook or bringing along an experienced American friend to help out when searching. Regardless of how they do it (ahem, Rent College Pads), the sooner international students can secure housing, the sooner they can start overcoming other obstacles.
In all, the process can seem overwhelming at first, but with a resource like RentCollegePads.com for IUP off-campus housing, it should take some of that anxiety away and help you really narrow down and find your perfect spot. Remember, procrastinating is for papers, not for figuring out where you’ll sleep at night. As soon as you can, start important research like learning proximity to campus, deciding how many bedrooms you need and establishing what amenities matter most to you. Once you figure that stuff out, the process gets a ton easier.
Callie Kollenbroich
Callie Kollenbroich has been the Operations Coordinator and Content Writer/Editor at Rent College Pads since 2015. When she's not working, you can find her at home, eating peanut butter out of the jar and bingeing an unhealthy amount of Forensic Files. She's not as lame as she sounds.