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Your First Apartment: What They Didn’t Tell You

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Scranton chapter.

It’s one of the most anticipated parts about coming back to school…move-in day! But you aren’t getting that feeling of nostalgia you experienced the past year or two, hauling your Dodge caravan through the crowded Commons. It’s a whole new feeling because now you’re moving into your first apartment! We thought we were just going to dive into DIY projects and decorating the bedrooms…but here are the things we didn’t put too much thought into when taking that giant leap into “adulthood”…

1. What are we going to do about food?Gone are the days when you had unlimited meal swipes into third floor DeNaples. Now, you and the Dominos delivery boy have inside jokes and the only things in your refrigerator are beer and carrots.

2. Only got 20 dollas in my pocketttt.Getting that tapestry from Urban Outfitters was vital and now we’re a little low on funds (PNC Alert: your bank balance is below your threshold). Time to kick that shopping addiction gals because the bills aren’t going to pay themselves…but hopefully daddy will.

3. Clean up, clean up, everybody, everywhere!Sunday Funday is now devoted to cleaning your apartment after the weekend you had. Who puked in the sink? It doesn’t matter, because you’re the one who has to clean it. We will forever miss maintenance getting down and dirty for us. 

4. “I’m coming home…Can you let me in?”The walk of shame is better known as the hike of shame. You can’t get away with running back to your room from across the hall anymore. The hills have eyes and we see you in that LAX tee and basketball shorts trekking barefoot up Clay Avenue. 

5. I-N-D-E-P-E-N-D-E-N-T, do you know what that means?We don’t. Where does the garbage go? How do I set up the cable? How do I defrost the chicken? A book called Apartment Living for Dummies should be required as a college textbook.

6.  I’ll do it later…It becomes even easier to procrastinate in the comfort of your own apartment (who knew right?) Living with your besties means lots of movies and living room gossip. And who are we kidding? The library is entirely too far of a walk…

7.  WE’RE GONNA HIT THE GYM EVERYDAY THIS YEAR!!!Yeah, that went out the window real fast. You start rationalizing not going to the gym today because you walked ALLLL the way from your apartment to and from class.

In all seriousness, your first apartment is a milestone in your life and although there are going to be bumps in the road it’s worth every moment. You learn as you go and make memories along the way; the good, bad, and the ugly. There’s nothing better than living in your own place with your best friends. So sign that lease without even reading it because God knows we did!

P.S. The best part of being proud new renters of a super cool apartment off campus…now you’re the one kicking people out of the party…HOUSE CUP! 

Brittany Lemardy is a senior at The University of Scranton majoring in strategic communication with a focus on public relations. She’s a small town girl from Pennsylvania with hopes of living in New York City someday. She loves all things fashion and laughter! Check her out on Instagram!  @brittanylemardy  
Jill is a Junior at the University of Scranton majoring in Counseling and Human Services. She is a self proclaimed beauty and fashion lover, so HerCampus was the perfect place to stay connected and share her own tips & tricks. When she's not on social media, you can catch her watching endless movies and re-runs of Friends, binge-eating her favorite snacks & wishing she was on the beach. Follow her on Instagram @jcumming3. 
Samantha is an East Coast girl from Pennsylvania with a New York City attitude and a Florida mindset. Her shopping habits are contagious; she has inherited them from her mom (they say mother knows best, right?). Samantha is a University of Scranton senior majoring in Strategic Communication with a minor in Business. She is the Campus Correspondent of Her Campus Scranton, which she co-founded in September 2014 with her best friend, Elise. She is also the captain for Scranton Love Your Melon and secretary of the University of Scranton's Business Club. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter, @samanthaamilazzo @samanthaliza_