If you can, get on "waiting lists" instead of signing actual leases. If you DO have to sign a lease, have it gone over by a lawyer before you do--your university may have a department of some kind that will provide that kind of service for free. Some leases are easier to "break" than others. I would recommend "waiting lists" though. Around Columbus, a LOT of people only give 60d notices, so those lists require an application fee ($25-75 usually) as well as some kind of deposit (I've seen anywhere from $50 all the way up to $400, can be up to a full month's rent) to hold your spot on the list, sometimes goes towards your security deposit, and often guarantee you an address of your preferences (the guarantee is usually limited to a specific floor plan). This kind of arrangement is generally called "pre-leasing" or "holding an apartment"--at least in my apartment search experience.
The application fee is almost NEVER refundable, but the deposit usually is--and here's the catch--ONLY if they are unable to provide an address for you of one of your preferred floor plans by your latest move-in date. If you simply decline to move in, and they have an available floor plan, or if you decline before your move-in date (in other words, they haven't had the full time to offer you an address), you will forfeit not only the application fee but the deposit as well.
So, the moral of the story is look for waitlists that allow you to get on with a nominal deposit. That way, if you end up at Tufts, you're not out a $1000s for deposits for apartments around Purdue that you didn't really need--you may be out $100s, but that's still less than $1000s and there is certainly value to peace of mind.
