I officially moved into my new apartment in the middle of May. It was a few days after the semester ended, and I refused to return home to Maryland. I spent a few weeks before then looking for places with my friend, now roommate. We settled on a place and soon moved all of our things in. We jumped straight into work mode. We were barely home, since we usually worked double shifts. When we were not working, we were running errands. There are a lot of things that I wish I would’ve known about before moving off of campus. I would like to share these things with other students that are interested in finding their own place this year.
1. Before looking for a place, you’ll need to have some money saved.
And when I say some, I mean a lot. When I initially began planning to move off of campus, it was about halfway through the semester. That left me with about two months to save. I’d just started a job as a host at a restaurant near campus. I saved just about every tip I received and only dipped into my hourly pay when necessary. When we finally settled on our place we were met with application fees, a deposit and a fee for the remainder of the month that we would be living there. Plus two weeks later we would be paying for the entire next month since we moved in halfway through the month.
2. Remember when I mentioned working double shifts? That’s still a thing for us.
We (my roommate and I) work about 4 days a week and miss out on some of the fun things our friends are out doing on the weekends. But, that does not mean we don’t make time to relax and hang out. It is all about prioritizing and realizing what’s more important. Is one event worth not being able to afford rent the next month? Prioritize. Prioritize. Prioritize.
3. Pick the right roommate.
Yeah, this is something you’ve been told on campus. But, this is way more serious when you’re living off of campus. You can’t just sign a lease with just anyone. There is no such thing as switching roommates halfway through the semester. Choose wisely, because this decision will be detrimental. If you’re a neat person who wakes up early and cleans from top to bottom, it is probably best that you find a roommate with similar traits. The same goes for late sleepers and the less tidy.
4. There’s no perfect apartment.
My roommate and I looked at about five locations before choosing our “perfect” place. The truth is, our place is far from perfect. Sometimes you’ll be forced into settling, but it isn’t the end of the world. Make the best out of the opportunity that you’ve been given and be proud of your new place. You earned it!
5. Some things take time.
Specifically, I mean furniture. Yup, that’s right. Sometimes you’ll be without the things you’re used to. It might take you a while to find that perfect couch or those perfect patio chairs. You’ll be in your new place for a while, so take your time. Don’t allow others around you to feel less established because of this.
Congratulations on this huge decision and good luck with your apartment search!