October means one thing for Penn State students, and no, it’s not about finding the most outrageous Halloween costume—it’s a race to find the best living option for next year. Scrambling to find an apartment in a good location and for a reasonable price can be quite stressful atop of the many assignments and second exams coming up, but Her Campus is here to help. Although off-campus living can be competitive, we wants to try and make your decision making process a bit easier during this frantic time of the year.
“There are pros and cons to living off campus. For me, a pro of living off campus is the extra space I have,” says Alexis Baker, a resident of College Park Apartments.
Off-campus housing offers a comfortable environment because it includes a kitchen, private bathroom,
and the opportunity to select roommates. Apartments also provide a logical reason to have a car at school, a desirable and quite competitive accompaniment on-campus.
A resident of Fairmount Hills Apartment, Sierra Finn said, “last year one parking spot was included with our apartment, which was great. This year they cut that perk and we have to pay. I need to have my car close because I come back at odd hours of the night from doing work on campus, so I am willing to pay the $300 fee per semester.”
Off-campus housing also gives students the freedom to turn up their music, a living room area with a genuine couch, and the benefit of learning how to pay bills for the first time. Apartments often transform into crammed, sweaty, eardrum ringing parties on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, but that all depends on the location of an apartment and how eccentric the neighbors are. After all, “off-campus” means RA’s are no longer roaming room to room.
“Parties are common but not unruly. Those who live in our vicinity aren’t big partiers but you can always walk through the building on a weekend and find someone who has loud music and people over. The Park Hill Apartments are pretty well-managed”, says Zackary Weit.
It is important to research about the owners of an apartment. No one wants to be stuck with an inflexible, aloof, maniac man. Although some owners may be more personal than others, knowing whether or not they will charge for a late fee is always a bonus.
Fiona Ciliotta, a Randall Moore Rentals resident says, “The owners are Randy and Amy Moore and they are always very friendly and helpful. If we need any repairs done in our apartment, Randy is there immediately. I am not sure how flexible they are with payments, but just don’t turn any payments in late and you’ll make everyone’s lives easier. According to the housing contract, they do not tolerate loud music, but so far we haven’t gotten any complaints from them so they aren’t too strict about it.”
Keep in mind that these are only a few living options that State College has to offer. Don’t forget to contact a realtor and get started this month or else you’ll be contract-less before you know it.
For more information, check out the Fall 2011 Housing Fair Saturday, Oct. 22 from 11 a.m.- 4 p.m. in Alumni Hall in the HUB.
The Housing Fair is a good place to start if apartment searching is not your forte. It gives students the opportunity to meet with local landlords, property managers and businesses. The Off-Campus Student Union is another place to look for help. It is a student run organization that tackles students’ concerns about living off-campus. Their office is located in 221B HUB-Robeson Center.
To find a list of apartments in the State College area, visit http://studentaffairs.psu.edu/offcampus/.
Good luck to all you apartment hunters.