You and your roomies finally have a place and you are living off-campus! WOOHOO! Say goodbye to hall meetings, RA’s, and early AM fire drills. You are all super stoked to live together and are ecstatic that you have now gained some more freedom in doing so! In going through this whole process, one thing is for sure: this might be a totally new concept that you are about to undergo. Going off of this, we put together three important tips to living off-campus:
1. Familiarize yourself with the area!
It is always a good idea to become familiar with the area that you are going to be live in. Be sure to figure out how to navigate around, whether it be walking or driving, so you at least some idea of key points of reference, and such. In addition, this will allow you to figure out where the nearest grocery store, restaurants, and coffee spots are so that know exactly where to go when you are in need of something specific.
2. Roomie Meetings!
Host a “meeting” with your roomies as soon as possible, so that you can establish a set of guidelines for everyone to abide by. Do you want to put together a cleaning schedule? Who is going to take out the trash? In having these conversations right away, it will avoid any possible concerns and/or conflicts that stem for the topics. At the end of the day, it is easier to simply talk things out.
3. Do your part!
Depending upon the established guidelines, remember to especially hold yourself accountable to what you said you would personally do. In doing so, the house will be up to everyone’s liking and you will be keeping the original promises that you made to everyone.
4. Have fun!
Make sure to plan activities/outings for all of you to partake in and have a great time! Every semester there comes a point when school becomes stressful and you need to take a break. What better way to let go and have fun than all of your roomies coming together and hanging out? From having a movie night in the living room to baking chocolate chip cookies to going out for ice-cream, the options are simply endless for you!