It’s come that time again where everyone is starting to think about their living situations for next year. You’re either commited once again to your current situation, or you’re in that awkward stage with all your roommates and you don’t know how to tell them that you’re exploring other options. But either way, I think every ECU student reaches a point where they start to think about renting a house on the Grid. This is my first year on the Grid and it has been such an amazing experience, but like everything else about college, it has its pros and cons.
Pros
The Chances You’ll Know Your Neighbors It’s pretty normal to move in to a house on the grid and then after a few weeks you realize you know at least four of your neighbors. Whether they be next door or a block over or maybe in the other side of your little duplex, the community of the grid is what makes it so great.
Walk to Class Over sleeping doesn’t tend to be too much of a problem, depending on where you live on the grid, but even if you aren’t a block away from campus, biking is always a quick and easy option.
Houses are Just Awesome Having your own house is just so great. You don’t have to share wifi with an entire building filled with people, and parking in your own area is so nice, you don’t have to spend 20 minutes looking for a parking place, or worry about your friends getting towed during their 5 minute visit. Living in a house makes school feel a lot more like home.
Driving to Class If you are running late or your class is just a lot further than you want to bike or drive, a city parking pass allows you to park anywhere on the grid. So driving yourself down a few blocks closer to your class location is always a nice perk.
Being Close to all the Parties and Downtown Downtown is never a far walk from basically any location on the grid, not to mention all the parties that constantly happen on the weekends. You might possibly live next to a frat house that you didn’t even know existed. And even if you don’t want to walk, all the uber drivers camp out all throughout the grid.
Cons
Cockroaches I think this is just a Greenville problem more than anything because I’m confident cockroaches are a problem in most apartment complexes. But honestly we have reached a point in our house when seeing a cockroach doesn’t even freak us out anymore. When we first moved in it was horrible, but our landlord ended up spraying several times and it’s not nearly as bad. Here’s hoping you have a landlord will to take care of it.
Parking Parking for you and your roommates are great, because you’ll each have your own individual $5 city parking passes. But guest parking can be pretty annoying. Having to go to Greenville utilities to get a city guest pass can be really annoying. Parking tickets are only $20 usually and they are pretty lenient on the weekends.
Old Houses Every house on the grid has their flaws, whether it be no dishwasher or washer and dryer not included. These houses are so old and mostly are used by college kids, so they all have issues. But it just gives them character.