Firstly, I would like to stress the comforts of living in a dorm.
Despite these dorm life luxuries, people choose to live in apartments
AND there are...
Burn Book moments.
1. You get that one new 'roommate' who doesn't pay for rent.
We all have been there. The occasional "Can they stay the night?" turns into a routine that only hits you when they finally leave and suddenly there is more of everything sitting around.
2. Somehow you're Gretchen Wieners citing your own backstab
If you're in a relationship or are socially bound to another group of people but chose to stick with your roommate, please stay at your dorm as much as possible. You'll begin to notice things that'll make or break you when you're living in an apartment together, and it will affect your mood for the rest of time. Awkward moments can be avoided sooner with just small talk in the beginning. Save yourself the inner battles about your own carelessness by building a good relationship with your roommate ahead of time.
3. Somebody becomes the Regina George of temperature
Some people snooze in bed quicker when the AC is blasting while others prefer to lay like a burrito in bed with a fresh set of hot sheets. Communicate to your roommate about it. Or wait until they are fast asleep to change the temperature settings of the place and silently make your way back into bed.
4. You need that car whether you like it or not.
Guess what? You have to make your own food now! And that means several trips to the store for ingredients, pots, pans, spoons, etc. because you don't have those kinds of things just laying around. Also, you and roommates will have to download an app to settle costs and keep tabs of everyone's things. You don't need that car, but it would be a breeze to have one. It makes life easier by taking one trip to the store every two weeks and binging on food. Carrying groceries by bus or on foot isn't the most glamorous thing to do.
5. You have to choose between the roommate in sweatpants or the one in jeans.
Somebody had to say something dumb and insensitive and now Hell has broken loose in your humble abode. People are trying to move out, the application fee for a new lease is 75 dollars, you sort of forgot which pans are yours, and you can't stand it anymore either. You're sitting silently in the chaos caused by your roommate and soon you're talking to the other neutral roommate about who will be moving out with the other one. Luckily, there's four of you.
It happens. Your roommates are real people with their own sets of ideas after all.
6. Not so sweet candy grams from the office
There are perks with rent that comes with a long list of utilities. However, with a sweet apartment comes a huge lease that needs your undivided attention.
Once upon a time, a group of girls signed their lease and two months later, an email was sent to them about tour happening in their apartment. There are things hanging on the porous dry-wall and a dent somewhere in the kitchen. Little did they know, their lease contained a line that stated we were to submit to all tour guide proceedings as long as there is a 24-hour notice sent through email. Oh, and one roommate is pretty sure that hanging stuff on the walls is a violation on their lease but who knows?
Read the entire lease and save a happy landlord.
7. Karen Smith of cleaning.
Somehow it starts to smell and there's enough hair on the floor to enforce a pet fine. Somebody forgot to say they left unwashed dishes in the dishwasher and last week's dinner has been served dry and crusty along with tonight's dinner.
Share cleaning duties with your roommate(s) and keep tabs of it. Post-it notes are useful along with a basic book titled "How to Clean" for everyone to share. Do not go cheap with your cleaning because that stain in the toilet gives in easier to a brush with heavy-duty spray than that generic one sitting somewhere in the Dollar Tree aisle.
8. Good ol' Mrs. George
We all love that "always ready" Mrs. George who is loaded with things to share. However, it's okay to stray away from her and other big events in your apartment, whether it's a party or a study session, but it's not fun to be ignorant of your own nuisance. Be aware of yourself and your roommates. It's easy to zone yourself out and do as you please, but people function differently in certain increments of the day.
College is the best time to make huge mistakes; you learn more about yourself along the way. With an apartment, people discover things that make them tick as they surround themselves with new people. It's healthy to move on since there's always next year to sign a new lease with other people.
