Calling all college students,
It's time to have the talk. No, not that one. I'm talking about the student housing talk. Within the last year, I've moved 3 times. Why? Partially due to poor circumstances, and partially due to my own stubborness. Because I want to give you all of the options and facts before you make your own choice about student housing, I've decided to lay it all out for you.
My first move was from my parents' house to an apartment. I moved to Davenport to go to St. Ambrose. My parents' house is nearly two hours away. While I was beyond excited to be a strong, independent woman, I did run into a few problems. For starters, moving exceptionally far away isn't easy. Not only did I have to find people who were willing to help me move, but I also had to find people who had trucks that could fit all of my furniture. This was not an easy task.
The apartment building that I chose to move into was a studio for $525 a month. In Davenport, the lowest rent that you're likely to find is $480 a month plus utilities or $525 a month including utilities. I chose not seek out a roomate. I didn't know anyone from the area before I moved here except for my boyfriend and his family. Living with strangers did not appeal to me, so I paid rent by myself. I felt as if I had something to prove, and this may have impaired my judgement. It didn't take long to realize that $525 a month for rent paid by someone working part time wasn't ideal. However, I had made my choice, and I'm insistent on being responsible for my own actions. I ended up taking out a loan on my car, which had been paid off. It turns out my $3,000 that I had saved up the summer before I moved didn't go very far when I had to pay for my own groceries, as well as, rent. As much as I hate to say it, everyone was right.
A few pearls of wisdom if you have your heart set on apartment living include: If you're going to move into an apartment, you need a roomate (aside from money, it's just too quiet living alone). Buy what you need before hand, (pots, pans, silverware, etc.) so that you don't have to spend as much upon arrival. Read your lease before you sign it! Keep your copy somewhere safe! Know that there may be maintenance workers in your apartment at weird hours, and there's nothing you can really do about it. You'll probably need a checkbook. It turns out landlords don't like to be paid in all cash. Who knew? You're not living on campus, so you have to be your own motivator to get to class. Also, you may have a harder time meeting people and getting involved at school if you live off campus.
Now, some of my high school friends who went to school elsewhere ended up finding an apartment together. Their parents split the rent, so they don't have to. Apartment living could work out nicely for you under the right circumstances.
Unfortunately, my apartment building became infested with bugs and my landlord was impractical about the situation (they didn't believe me and didn't react quickly). Thus, I ended up losing a lot of my furniture. I decided to move in with my boyfriend and his family. Rent went way down for me, since there were four of us living in the same house. They only asked me for $200 a month. My mood instantly improved once I moved in with them because I had people to interact with. Also, it was super great not to be the only one responsible for buying food and toiletries.
However, I would not advise any of you to move in with your significant other out of necessity rather than because you're ready to make that next big step together. It was a huge change in our relationship that I don't think either of us were completely prepared for. My advice in this situation is to keep in mind what will happen if you two break up or need your space. You don't want to be dependent on each other, and you need a back up plan in case this happens. If you don't have anywhere else to go, then you're really putting yourself in a potentially toxic situation.
Also, you live together! It will probably be magical at first. But you are a student! You're going to be tempted to sleep in late with your partner and go out at all hours of the night. This will be fun, but it might cost you your grades.
Lastly, the obvious option is to live on campus. Yes, it's expensive! I recommend coming up with a financial plan with your advisor. I will end up paying $200 a month at Ambrose after scholarships. By paying the money monthly, I will have significantly reduced my student loan debt. I haven't actually moved onto campus yet, so there are some things I cannot give honest feedback about... yet. I can say that I was reluctant to live closely with people I had never met before. A lot of my friends from high school have told me some serious horror stories about their roommates. But, after seeing that my other options weren't all they were cracked up to be, I'm really excited to move onto campus. I think that it's the best environment for a student in their twenties. Also, campus living allows you to be a part of more activities and become closer to more students than off-campus living does.
Whatever you decide, expect things to not go as planned. But hey, you're in your twenties. You're resiliant!
Best of luck,
Shelby
