Where do Vandy students live? (Green Hill, Charlotte: apartments, houses, law school)

[EmmaF]

I was just accepted to Vanderbilt starting in January and need some advice about where to move! I'm 24 and would like to live downtown- I'm really excited about experiencing the night life and going out (and of course studying )

Been doing some research, and it looks like a good place to live might be around Church street...

Any advice? And where do most Vandy graduate students live?

[Coney]

There are apartment buildings even closer to campus and the hospital than Church Street where many graduate students live. You could also share a house. Will you have a car or use public transportation? Vandy students ride the bus for free and it would be a short ride if you prefer to live more in the city center. There are plenty of restaurants and bars on 21st South and West End where the students (grad and undergrad) hang out.

[EmmaF]

I will have a car, so that might make things a bit easier. As far as the nightlife goes, do you think being closer to Church Street or 21st S/West End is better? Do you know if housing is generally cheaper in either of those areas?

Thanks a lot- I'm moving to Nashville from out of state and have never been there before, so this I have no idea what I'm getting into!

[BirdieBelle]

You should look more toward the Hillsboro Village and Music Row areas. I have not heard of a ton of students living in the Church Street area. Parts of it are old commercial but it hasn't really caught on as a residential area. Parts of it border iffy areas. West End is a major thoroughfare and has plenty of places to go. 21st Avenue has a lot of restaurants and bars, as does Elliston Place. Nashville.metromix.com is a local events calendar. You could look over that for a while to see what places offer the stuff you like to do. If you have a car, though, you can live most anywhere in the area and be fine, even Green Hills, which is straight out 21st Avenue, but it will cost more. Belmont University is close to Vandy, so anywhere in the area between 17th Avenue and Charlotte and from Interstate 440 to Music Square would have lots of students.

[tabbva]

What type of nightlife do you want?
Downtown has a major college aged and a little older party scene in "The District." It gets pretty wild down there-they close off some streets on weekend nights, lots of police, ect.
Around Vandy are lots of smaller hangouts with live music and alcohol. Still lots of nightlife just a little more "refined" (I'm using that term lightly-I've heard stories about some wild Vandy frat parties).
Also, Church St. just south of I-40 is more of the alternative lifestyles district (the fact this is on church st always amuses me). If that is or isn't your scene is another thing to take into consideration.

[Shino306]

First, which grad school were you accepted to? I went to u-grad and grad school there, and my husband went to medical school at Vandy. If you're going to be in the med or law school, you'll most likely want to live closer to campus due to the amount of studying you'll be doing and time needing to be spent in labs (only applicable to the medical school.) Either way, I'd recommend something in or close to Hillsboro Village (i.e. around Vandy behind Blair, etc) just to be closer to campus, plus a lot of grad students live in that area too.
Green Hills is nice but traffic can be bad unless you take the backroads.
Actual apartments where I know grad students generally live: The Grove, Fairfax Hamilton (popular with the med school crowd), 21st and Grand and many more. It really depends on your budget.
As far as actual activities, most of the grad schools tend to generally hang out together as a class. The business school does Happy Hours and outings out, the Med and law schools have their own parties at houses. Peabody (the education school) is not as "social" compared to the other schools since a lot of their grad students tend to matriculate from the undergrad campus so their social networks are pretty much set. The actual Arts & Science graduates (Econ, Languages, Science, etc) also tend to hang out together. I can't comment on the Div students but I generally saw them together too and not at any of the events I went to.
There's also plenty going on in Hillsboro Village and around Green Hills, when we were grad students there, the majority of people did not regularly hang out downtown (I could be wrong as it's been more than a couple years at this point)
Also, the grad students DO NOT hang out with the undergrads (to the poster that referenced frat parties), generally the only time they mingle is at the gym and since I'm guessing you're a girl based on your name, you shouldn't be wanting to go to the school cafeteria to watch the Vandy girls...which most coeds found sketchy anyways.
Good Luck!

[Coney]

Another thing to keep in mind is that the Vanderbilt campus is not exactly parking friendly. Parking for students is rather restrictive. There is no large, expansive outdoor parking lot for students like other suburban campuses have. It might be easier to live close by in Hillsboro Village and walk to where you need to go on campus. You can also take the free Vandy Van to get around campus. In most cases, you will not be able to just pull up your car outside the building that houses your classes. Many students also bike around campus and there are lots of bike racks. Just right off campus, you will have plenty of access to shops, Walgreens, CVS, Riteaid, Borders, Supercuts, etc.,and most of the basics.

I would have to agree that in most schools, grad and undergrad students don't mix. Why would a 24 year old want to hang out with these undergrad babies?

[Shino306]

Didn't even think about parking...but yes, parking on campus is difficult and most people walk or bike in. Even if you get a parking pass, you certainly won't be parking outside your class room and will have a walk.

[EmmaF]

Awesome info- thanks! I'm in Peabody college - too bad Peabody students don't seem as social because I'm moving there without knowing anybody! From what I've heard the people in Nashville are pretty friendly so that should make things easier

As far as the night life- I'm down for anything. I do love country music, but I like bars, pubs, and sometimes clubs...and I have to say I'm not too interested in hanging out with the undergrads- been there, done that. So no cafeteria for me!

Thanks for all the advice!