When you are moving into university there are a few options you can take:
- Move into a single apartment
- Moving in with friends
- Moving in with nearby family
- Moving into residence
- If you live close enough, just stay at home.
Each one has its pros and cons and I will go into a few points for each of them.
Moving In A Single Apartment
When you live by yourself you are in complete control of your surroundings, and you don’t have to worry about bothering anyone else with your bad habits. The only problem with living alone is that it can be lonely, and it’s tough to cook for yourself. It can cost more than the other options, but sometimes privacy is worth it. If you are moving away for the first time, living alone can be hard on someone trying to adapt to a new environment.
Moving In With Family
This option is not too bad if you have awesome family to move in with, they will charge minimal rent, if any at all, and you will be part of their family while attending your classes. The only problem with this one is that you can’t really host any parties which could be plus if you hate cleaning up after them. This scenario usually ends up really good or really bad, sometimes its hard to deal with family members if issues arise, but it is nice to have the support that sometimes only family can provide.
Moving In With Friends
Sometimes its better to move in with complete strangers than it is to move in with friends. By the end of the year you end up at each other’s throats and it can get pretty messy. In my last 2 years I ended up living with someone I knew of, but knew nothing other than the fact that he was quiet and was from a farm. I lived with him for 2 years and my biggest problem with him was that occassionally he would accidently melt something on the hotplate. Other than that things were peachy. Most people I know, that move in with their high school friends usually aren’t friends by the end of the year. With that said though, people who become friends in residence usually live together just fine when they get a house or apartment. Splitting the rent between a few people is nice and this will be a cheap option for the freedom that you will get. I would definitely not recommend living with your best friend. If things go bad, than you lose a best friend. If things go bad with a stranger, than you lose … someone who you don’t care to see ever again.
Moving Into Residence
Cost can be pricy, privacy can be an issue depending on your residence, but it’s a blast and I think that it should be mandatory for first year students to live in residence. Simply for the fact that its a great way to learn how to network, as well as learn many life skills that you don’t learn in the classroom. Living in residence with other students or people from all walks of life can even help teach you how to be a social worker through learning to navigate relationships and experiences.With my time on campus I can say that I have learned more out of the classroom than inside, and I have applied that knowledge more often in my life than anything out of a textbook. For the people reading this that have their degree or diploma, do you use any classroom-specific skills at your workplace?
Staying At Home With The Parents
Definately the cheapest option, of course you don’t have the privacy or the freedom that you could have, but the price is right. It is nice becasue you can keep your school life separate from your private life and you can sneak away to study. It also makes things less overwhelming when you go to a different school. Many people have trouble adapting to a new change such as a differnt school so living at home can make that transition that much easier in this regard.
Buying a Home
Buying a home can be beneficial if you’re going to be going to school for a while. If you can find some buddies to live with they can make the mortgage payments and you can be the manager of the place.
My Two Cents:
If you are moving away from home to university, live in residence, even if it’s for only a year. From there, you can meet new people and get help whenever you need it. After your first year you can choose to live by yourself, or move in with a few people you have met from residence. That way, you are already familiar with the city/school and you will have less on your plate to feel overwhelmed about.