Whether you are still living with your parents or decided to rent an apartment, living off campus can sometimes be challenging and definitely doesn’t always make life easier. You are generally further away from campus and sometimes have a harder time feeling connected and engaged with your campus community. Here are some quick tips to helping make living off campus easier:
1. Learn the traffic trends to help with your commute.
In most cities, there are definitely times of the day that you do not want to be on the road. Learn when and where traffic is horrendous and avoid it when possible. Spending some extra time at the library or going to the gym is a way more effective use of your time!
2. Pack lunches/dinners for the day so to avoid unnecessary trips home and save money! My favorite, easy things are mini peanut butter packs with pretzels and string cheese.
3. Plan out your day and outfit(s) the day before. Most college students are incredibly busy and it isn’t odd for you to be going from one thing to the next and the next. Planning out everything you have to do and bringing multiple outfits if necessary will make your day that much easier and stress-free.
4. Find a favorite spot on campus that in dire situations, you could sneak in a quick nap. We all know that sometimes your day is too much and you have an extra 20 minutes where you just wish you could take a nap. I’m here to tell you that there is no shame in that and finding a quiet, low key spot on campus where you can just sit back, close your eyes and get a couple minutes of rest is absolutely okay!
Above all else, find joy in the fact that at the end of the day you can go home and take a break from the hustle and bustle of campus! While it sometimes may not be the easiest thing to live off campus, there are definitely some pros to not always having to be at school. Take advantage of that and have a great semester!