Out-of-the-way housing attracts procrastinators, solitude-seekers

At nine o'clock on a wintry Monday morning, the last thing many students want to do is get out of bed and walk to class.

For many students who live on campus or in downtown State College, the walk is a few minutes long.

However, for a large number of University students the walk is much longer than just a few blocks. Many students choose to live outside of downtown State College, in apartment complexes such as State College Park or Heritage Oaks, or in a neighborhood house.

- John Vrabel (junior-marketing)

"We didn't start looking until late January, so there wasn't much left," said Jacoby, who lives in a house at Sunrise Terrace, a road off of Atherton Street.

Although it takes some extra motivation to go to class in the morning, he and his roommates are more removed from the weekend noise of downtown and also have gotten to know the town a bit better, he said.

Often it is the late timing that forces students to look further away for housing.

"We don't rent out as early as the places downtown," said Jennifer Sinisi, assistant manager at Lions Gate Apartments, 424 Waupelani Drive.

Students living in State College Park Apartments, 349 W. Clinton Ave., find out about the availability of living areas through word of mouth, said Alicelyn Edwards, a leasing consultant for State College Park.

"At least 90 percent of our tenants are Penn State students," she said.

Some students living in the area said many of the apartment complexes farther from campus offer free parking and/or a bus pass included with the monthly rent in order to entice students.

And occasionally, other characteristics draw students farther away from campus.

Jean Welling, a staff assistant in the Office of Greek and Community Life, said students sometimes request housing in "quieter areas."

In that case, she said, she recommends that they look a bit further from campus and investigate all of State College instead of just the downtown area.

Ivan Segal, manager of Toftrees Apartments, 808 Cricklewood Drive, said the students his office rents to "come here for peace and solitude."

"We are particular about who we rent to," he said, adding that they check former landlord references before renting their units.

He said 15 percent of the Toftrees population is University students.

But John Vrabel (junior-marketing), who lives in State College Park Apartments, said the noise level there can be comparable to that of complexes close to campus.

"It can get pretty noisy here," he said. "Same as downtown."