Once college students have a few years under their belts, they can start thinking about living off campus as opposed to living in the residence halls. Many colleges are making a push to have their students stay on campus all four years, but some simply don’t have enough housing available to make this possible. If you are looking to move off campus, there are some points you want to keep in mind before signing a lease.
The most important aspect to making this move is finding the right people with whom to live. The sense of security that many students feel living in the dorms is lifted a little when you move to an apartment. You are not answering to your college, nor do you have the services that are available on campus. For this reason, you want to make sure that you are moving in with responsible friends. You will have to pay your own bills (heat, electricity, cable, etc.) so you want to be sure that you can rely on your roommates to make their payments. Also, you are signing a lease, which means you are responsible for the upkeep of the apartment. You want to avoid living with people that are going to trash the place.
One of the biggest advantages to living on campus is that you can roll out of bed and walk to class. If you are moving off campus, you want to consider what your commute will be like back to campus. You don’t want to live too far away even if you have your own car. Try to find an apartment that is near public transportation or that is even close enough to campus that you could walk there. It’s the first rule of real estate: location, location, location.
Lastly, you need to consider cost. You may wind up saving money by living off campus, but that doesn’t mean you want to move somewhere that is too limited in terms of amenities. Many landlords holding property near a college tend to let their units become rundown. You want to find a place that fits your budget and will also be a comfortable to place to sleep, study, and entertain. Ask your college for a list of reputable landlords in the area so you can find a safe place to live off campus.
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