Fall 2015 marked a transition for most us sophomores here in UC Davis. In most of the colleges in the US, it is customary for a freshman to move out of the dorms and start living in apartments off-campus at the end of first year.
At the end of spring, I moved out of my dorm in Tercero, after living with two other people for nine months. While one part of you is really excited to begin this new phase of your life, the other part of you is afraid of change. Just when you think you were getting a hang of living with a roommate, managing to get your classes on time, and adjusting to the Dining Commons food, you are forced to move out.
During this mid-college crisis, you take out a yellow legal pad in your head(Just Like Ted Mosby would), and start listing the pros and cons of living by yourself. At the time, DC food and dorm life seem nothing in comparison to the fact that you would be living with your friends. A place where you and your friends set your own rules; you can see freedom beckoning you with open arms.
Although we technically move out of our homes in the beginning for freshman year, moving into another home marks our first shot at some real independence. But boy, only after a few months do we realize, the amount of things we need to do, in order to savor that independence.
Apartment life is a whole new ball game together.
You are no longer just responsible for maintaining yourself, but maintaining an entire house. When you live in the dorms, all you need to worry about is making your bed and keeping your area clean. However, in an apartment, you have to keep the floors, counters and the common area clean.
While all this seems reasonable when you initially start living there, it is really hard to keep up with your chores, once your quarter starts. Imagine having to complete a 2800 page paper, when you have a whole sink full of dirty dishes stinking up your kitchen. This often ends up causing a fight between you and your roommate due to your inability to fulfill the commitment.
That is not all, there is no DC to fall back on, the task of acquiring food falls on us. You have to cook every day and store the rest of your leftovers in the fridge. While some people are blessed to have roommates who cook for the entire house, others are not so lucky.
Having to deal with all these things on a daily basis, does seem overwhelming. It often makes it seem like living in an apartment is not one bit worth it. However, having to deal with these issues right now gives us a taste of how life would be once we start to work. It helps us develop the habit of prioritizing.
The only way we can deal with dirty dishes, laundry , chores , cooking along with keeping with our assignments is by prioritizing. Moreover, our sense of maturity increases once we become more responsible. Living on your own, helps you grow as a person. So its great that we got this opportunity to become a better version of ourselves.
