4 Perks Of Living In An Apartment During College

It’s that time of the year again where you have to start deciding if you want to live in the dorms for another year or if you want to make the move to one of your campus’s student apartments off campus. Maybe moving off campus seems great to you, but you are nervous to make the switch.

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I get it, moving off campus is a big commitment, but here are some ways that living in a college apartment off campus during college can really benefit you.

1) You learn how to feed yourself.

Dining halls are great and all, but after eating that food all day everyday for a whole year, chances are you are pretty sick of it. Not to mention the dining hall passes are super pricey for food that is less than average! Living off-campus means you have to learn some adult-y things, like what to buy at a grocery store and how to cook. Many students agree that grocery shopping can actually be pretty fun, and it’s definitely healthier as well as cheaper to get your own food.

You are going to have to feed yourself for the rest of your life, so this is a great skill to pick up in college. You and your college roommates can share food to keep costs even lower, teach each other recipes, and learn the art of “this food item is about to go bad, what weird thing can I make with it?”

Feeding yourself will take a while to master, but you’ll get there! You’ll become a wizard at snack making for when you have to stay on campus, and will come to realize that cereal can double as breakfast, lunch, and dinner when you are at the point of waiting for your next paycheck to come in.

2) You learn key time management skills.

While living on campus, you don’t really have to calculate much in terms of getting to class since it probably only takes 20 minutes tops to walk there. Living in an apartment off campus means that you have to calculate exactly when you have to leave your house in order to make it on time.

For example, I know it takes me about seven minutes to walk to the bus stop, and each bus comes about every 10-15 minutes, and then it takes roughly another 10 minutes to get to class via bus, and then another five to walk, so I try to aim to leave my apartment 40 minutes before class starts, but I know that I can still make it in 30 minutes, though that is cutting it down to the wire.

Now you may be thinking, “how exactly is this a good thing?”

While living on campus makes it “easier” to get to class, having to time manage and get your butt up to campus is exactly what you will need to do for the rest of your life when you go to work, so it’s good to learn how to calculate things out now. I have three alarms that, depending on which one I actually get up to, will tell me how much time I have to get ready before I need to leave. Being prompt to things is a life skill that will make you look professional and on top of things, so the sooner you can figure it out, the easier it will be to perfect the skill and get your timing down to a T.

Sometimes I hear freshmen complaining about having to walk 10 minutes uphill and it just makes me laugh.

3) You get much needed space.

This is applying both to the physical space in the apartment that actually feels livable compared to the cramped dorms, and also the space away from school where you can relax. At the end of the day, heading back to my apartment is so relaxing. My campus is beautiful and I love being there, but I appreciate having a space that is my own that is waiting for me. This is even better if you can score your own room in the apartment, so you will be able to get some much needed alone time.

As for the physical space, an apartment offers you tons of places to study: the kitchen table, the shared living room, the floor accompanied by a yoga mat, your bed that’s not a bunk bed, your room, your desk, outside, etc. The dorm is a claustrophobic setting that might make you lose your mind, so your apartment allows you to change scenery much more freely without having to get out of the house.

4) You can bring your fluffy friends.

It is a scientific fact that animals bring down stress levels, and an apartment will allow you to bring your fur baby with you to help you relax after a long day. Even if your place doesn’t allow animals/you don’t think you have time for one, living in an apartment means you will have tons of off-campus neighbors with animals that you will be able to see walking around and pet if permitted. Animals are great for promoting responsibility, giving you companionship, helping you get active, and keeping you sane from your classes. What’s not to love?

These are just a few reasons why moving to an apartment might be the right choice for you. I’m so glad I moved and don’t miss the dorms at all!