Discover Rackham

As a new graduate student, choosing which school you want to attend and accepting their offer is just the first of a series of decisions you need to make. I personally love moving and house/apartment hunting, but most people find it more stressful than fun. Since moving to Ann Arbor, I have navigated both the apartment and rental house markets. From this process, I have learned some tips and found resources that make moving much easier. In this post, I will detail a few pointers you should know before renting in Ann Arbor, as well as my three favorite websites for finding the perfect living arrangements.

First, what should you consider before apartment/house hunting?

My intellectual journey as a graduate student has taken a few twists and turns since I arrived in Ann Arbor, but one particular turn stands out as the definitive inflection point, permanently altering my research agenda and career trajectory. In December 2015, I began a research fellowship with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) in Washington, DC, where I managed a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of the department’s new body-worn camera (BWC) program. At the time, my dissertation focused on the long-term implications of severe state repression on citizens’ trust in state institutions. As a student of world politics, I naturally planned to engage in a combination of cross-national analyses and fieldwork abroad, in Nepal and Colombia.

The Rackham Predoctoral Fellowship is one of the most prestigious awards granted by the Rackham Graduate School. Doctoral candidates who expect to graduate within six years since beginning their degrees are eligible to apply, and the strength and quality of their dissertation abstract, publications and presentations, and recommendations are all taken into consideration when granting this award.

Read the abstracts of the awardees