Escaping the confines of four, bleached-white brick walls of the dorms was your only concern. Basking in the freedom of your very own home was your goal. What you got was somewhere in between.
Contrary to Pinterest boards and instagram posts, living in an apartment in college isn’t nearly as glamourous as they are made out to be. While an RA is no longer watching your every move, you are able to cook Mac n Cheese on a stove rather than a microwave and that bathroom is a few steps away, new struggles arise as you transition into apartment life.
1. No quiet hours means noisy neighbors. Why your upstairs neighbors are stomping around at 1 AM on a Monday night? No one knows. But unless you want to climb out of your warm bed to politely ask them to shut up, you’ll just have to deal with it.
2. Thin walls mean hearing what your roommates are up to — even when they aren’t in the room. You tried to save money and went for the older apartment, underestimating how thin the walls might be and how loud your roommate’s alarm is.
3. Cable is costly. Who needs cable? I have Netflix and Hulu. Or so you thought until #TGIT spoiler alerts filled your twitter feed, and SVU doesn’t upload immediately after it is on.
4. The line of dishes that need to be cleaned never ends. Along with the stove to make Mac n Cheese comes a dirty pot, spatula, spoon, bowl and measuring cups. All of which, must be cleaned by you.
5. The fridge doesn’t fill itself. Eating is great. Eating is fun. Eating is necessary. But grocery shopping is a pain and quite costly.
6. Heat is expensive. So you and your roommates decide to freeze instead of give into the big corporation trying to steal your money. Heated blankets and winter coats will have to do.
But over all, these are minor struggles compared to the freedom of living in your own apartment offers. So you tough it out, wear three layers of pants and reuse the same mug five times before washing it.