If youâve decided that youâre just not cut out for dorm life, youâre not alone. Despite the mediaâs portrayal of on-campus housing as the default living arrangement for college students, recent statistics reveal that nearly 70% of those who currently attend U.S. universities have chosen to live off-campus.
Maybe the thought of being cooped up in a dorm with roommates you canât stand and a boatload of rules and regulations was just too much for you to bear. Or perhaps, like many other college students, the high price of on-campus housing plans has put dorm life out of reach for you.
Regardless of the reason youâve chosen this path, living off-campus can be a great way to experience college. But unlike the spoon-fed responsibilities that come along with dorm life, the process of finding and maintaining a place off-campus can feel like being plunged head-first into the icy waters of adult reality. If you want to make it work, itâs imperative to start making plans months in advance.
Find a Place to Call Your Own
If youâre going to be looking for an off-campus house or apartment in a busy college town, you may need to start your search well ahead of time. If youâve already got some friends on campus, ask around to find out about the best apartment complexes or great neighborhoods that are within walking distance to campus.
If youâre a first-year student, donât worry â there are lots of resources available to help newbies find off-campus housing. First, talk to the housing department of your university. They should be able to provide you with lists of properties available for rent to college students.
The Internet is a great resource for students seeking out off-campus housing. Craigslist has tons of rental listings, and property owners are usually upfront about their willingness to rent to college students. If youâre more interested in an apartment complex, there are many complex-centric search sites available online â just Google your town name and âapartmentsâ to get some preliminary ideas.
If all else fails, you can take your search to the local level. Check out local newspapers and community bulletin boards â or just cruise around your favorite neighborhoods looking for âFor Rentâ signs.
Read the Fine Print
Once youâve found a suitable rental and youâre ready to make it official, itâs time to sign the lease. For a generation thatâs used to skimming through online user agreements and just checking the âI agree to the terms and conditions. . .â box, it can be mighty tempting to fast-forward through those tiny lines of text on your lease.
Donât make that mistake. Force yourself to read every last word before you sign, and ask questions if you come across anything you donât understand. A lease is a legal – and legally-binding â document and you could be lining yourself up for months, if not years, of trouble if you put your John Hancock on something unreasonable.
Believe it or not, there are unscrupulous landlords out there who prey on inexperienced student renters. When in doubt, have a more experienced friend or even (shudder) a parent look over the lease to make sure everythingâs kosher before you sign.
Face Problems Head On
Many new college students find it difficult to deal with problems that pop up in an assertive way. In high school, you might have gotten away with avoidant coping techniques. In college â and especially, when youâre living off-campus â avoiding or ignoring problems is just going to make things worse. If a financial snafu is going to force you to pay your rent a week late, be upfront about it. If your roof is leaking, talk to your landlord right away.
If youâre sharing your rental with roommates, the same principle should be applied to in-house communication. Try to predict potential problems before they rear their ugly head, and work out possible snags before they become major issues. For example, itâs always best to clearly lay out agreements on sharing housework, buying groceries, having guests or hosting get-togethers before misunderstandings can create unnecessary drama in the household.
How about you? Do you plan to live off-campus? Whatâs driving your decision? Are there any potential problems youâre going to keep an eye out for? Let us know in the comments.