Loving where you live certainly helps with having a positive college experience. Here are some suggestions to help you navigate off-campus housing with ease.
Become Familiar With the Housing Market
Many people attend colleges in places where they’ve never lived before. That means it’s often challenging for them to know what to expect to pay for an apartment, how close housing options are to where their classes occur, and other specifics.
If you’re in this position, the internet is a fantastic resource for helping you get acquainted with what an area offers. For example, if you want an apartment in West LA, it’s possible to search for options in that region and see when they’re open to rent. Websites also let you filter by characteristics such as the price, number of beds, and other parameters.
Once you know the typical cost of a month’s rent, it’s easier to determine if you want to rent a room in an already-occupied apartment or get something larger and find more roommates later. As you begin to set a budget, don’t forget to factor in related costs, such as the expenses associated with taking public transit or driving to college from where you live, if necessary.
Respect the Shared Space
There’s a good chance you’ll share housing rather than getting a place on your own. Spreading the costs that way makes housing more affordable. Living with others while at college often takes some adjustment, especially if you’ve never lived with siblings. However, following some best practices for roommate etiquette will help you avoid friction with other occupants.
For example, clean up your messes and talk the situation over with housemates before deciding to throw a party or having someone over for dinner. It’s also useful to try and put yourself in the other person’s position, particularly before engaging in questionable behavior. How would the actions make you feel if your roommate did them?
Think about setting quiet hours for everyone to follow, too. Most people need regular relief from loudness, especially while studying. Even if you can stay focused through constant chatter and TV noise in the background, that may not be true for other people in the house.
Build a Good Relationship With Your Neighbors
Being friendly to your neighbors can be an excellent way to make new friends and have useful resources in case you run out of a crucial ingredient while cooking or want to ask for a spare battery when your TV remote runs out of juice. Plus, if the people next door have lived in the area longer than you, they’ll probably have some useful recommendations for things to do.
Consider taking the time to introduce yourself to neighbors and giving them your mobile phone number after getting to know them. They’ll probably reciprocate, and then you’ll have an easy, quick way to communicate when needed.
It may initially seem like you don’t have much in common with the neighbors. However, expanding your network of local contacts is a smart move, especially if you feel isolated or have a question about things like garbage pickup, fitness room rules, or other specifics related to your apartment complex.
Living in off-campus housing is an exciting, but often slightly daunting experience. However, these tips will get you off to a good start.