This past Tuesday, I moved in my new place for this upcoming school year. In ways that I never expected, it has made me so happy- and it's only the beginning.

Last year, I remember having my hopes up so high moving into my dorm. “Roommate living will be great!” I thought. “I will still be able to have my own little space and my roommate can have hers! It will all work perfectly and everyone will just get along!” Unfortunately, my positive thinking led me astray. The experience was less than pleasant, with each roommate, unfortunately, disliking each other by the time fall quarter had ended. It was definitely not an experience I’d ever want to have again. When it came to signing up for this year’s housing, I knew I wanted a single room no matter what. I was not reliving my freshman year of living, eating, studying, and sometimes even sleeping in the floor lounges in order to avoid my tension-filled room. My anxiety, however, was resolved once I got the opportunity many other sophomores do not have access to.

Out of our large (60,000+ student) campus, there are only about two or three on-campus single-room apartments, which makes for intense competition. The upper classmen and grad students get automatic higher preference for occupying these places, which makes it difficult for a sophomore like myself to live there. Some of my friends who are seniors and juniors mentioned living in one of these apartments, and I had to say yes. I would get my very own room, I would have my friends right next door (including my best friend!) and we would have our very own living space and kitchen. Not only that, but it makes for a less than 10-minute walk to campus unlike the 20-minute walk students in off-campus apartments have to endure. There are so many positives that stem from this experience that I couldn’t pass it up.

Although I have only been here for a couple of days, it is starting to feel like I found the perfect space. I can’t wait for this year to continue so I can have even more amazing times in my new apartment!