Living off campus is awesome.

There are some serious perks, like basically complete independence and not having to worry about getting busted by an RA for being too loud after 10 p.m. Your house is your domain, and you have the freedom to do almost anything you want.

But being so totally on your own is really, really hard sometimes. It's like a catapult into adulthood without directions.

Here are some reasons why living off campus can be such a #struggle, and why it rocks.

1. When you realize that you have to do actual grocery shopping:

And pay with real money. No more meal plan.

2. When you look in your mailbox and see your first bill:

EVERYBODY RUN.

3. When you realize you no longer have to go black ops on hiding your alcohol:

Freedom. Sweet, sweet freedom.

4. When something in your house breaks:

Who are you supposed to call? Your dad? The landlord? 911?

5. When you successfully complete your first solo grocery store trip, and your friends could care less about your achievement:

You're proud of yourself -- that's all that matters, even if your friends have been grocery shopping like pros for months.

6. When you line up all your empty alcohol bottles on a shelf like they're trophies:

All those empty Moscato bottles are a TRIUMPH, okay?!

7. When you try to cook your first dinner:

So many fire alarms. And desperate calls to your mother.

8. When your washing machine is 10,000 years old and you don't know how to work it:

"Hey, Mom? What does permanent press mean?"

9. When none of your furniture comes close to matching but you're proud of it anyway:

It won't ever achieve Martha Stewart's stamp of approval, but you own a couch AND a coffee table, and that's a pretty great thing.

10. When your air conditioning does not work:

Just one more month until October. Until then, leave me to die in a pool of sweat and tears.

11. When you proudly show your parents your house, and they're horrified at your living conditions:

Mom, it's fine, my door's just falling off the hinges a little.

Your first house is a huge milestone. It's a step in the direction of adulthood, and one of our first real forays into true independence. For the first time, we find ourselves responsible for new things like bills and cleaning a whole house and killing a lot of bugs and remembering to wash the dishes every now and then.

It definitely isn't easy, but it's worth it. Because who has time for quiet hours?