So, it turns out having your own apartment isn’t as glamorous as what you see on TikTok. After living in a cramped dorm with a roommate from hell, I was excited to sign a lease and live with one of my close friends. Turns out, there’s a lot I needed to know about living in an apartment that was completely different from a sheltered dorm.
First of all, UIUC apartments are tiny and expensive. I couldn’t afford to live in Here or 707, but I didn’t realize how cozy everything felt. It was still much better than living in a dorm three feet away from another person, but I always pictured living in a lofty apartment like Rachel and Monica’s from Friends. While I love my apartment and it’s the perfect size for me, I imagined a place with big windows and maybe a porch area, so I was in for a surprise when I first moved in.
Second is grocery shopping. It’s funny how much work cooking is when you don’t have the dining hall to rely on. I didn’t want to get a meal plan, but I learned how valuable Aldi became after seeing prices at Neimann’s and the Green Street Target. I was so fortunate to have an available car, but grocery shopping quickly became a chore. I wish I knew how important meal prepping became before I opted for Chipotle or Cane’s at least three times a week. I also understood why my mom was frustrated when I forgot to put the chicken in the fridge to thaw before she got home from work; thawing meat 30 minutes before you want to cook it is not fun.
Another chore that became more prevalent was cleaning. Living at home, I cleaned my room, did the dishes, and helped clean the house, but my mom always did most of the work. In a dorm, I only really had a few square feet to keep clean besides my bed. But an apartment gets dirty so fast that it made me appreciate my mom’s cleaning. It’s a lot harder than I thought to clean the entire apartment every week… sometimes I don’t. I try to tidy up at the end of every day so that things stay neat, but dirt and dust accumulate so fast when you live on the first floor. I quickly learned that if I skip cleaning, I’m the one who has to suffer, especially after hosting.
On the other hand, there are so many positives to living alone. I finally have room for my cat, Mochi, who makes the apartment feel less lonely when my roommate isn’t there. I have a lot more space to decorate and I can personalize everything. My own bathroom is probably the biggest plus; communal bathrooms get tiring very quickly. So while I may not have a place that’s identical to my Pinterest board, I still love my apartment and living alone has really prepared me for life after graduation.