Decide wisely when moving from dorms

Living in your own apartment is a milestone. While living in the dorms is a fun experience, it marks being let loose, whereas moving into an apartment marks being truly independent.

Ursula Zerilli

Even if Mom and Dad are helping pay the expenses, apartments come with monthly bills. Note that “bills” is plural. There is more than just rent due every month. There is no meal plan. But there are also no limits or rules. Apartment leasers basically have the freedom to do what they want inside that wonderful box of home until the lease is up.

New responsibility

Besides bills, there are other obligations that are made when signing the lease to an apartment. Most apartments are for multiple people. This means sharing and caring. For some, this is simple, but not for everyone.

Rent is due regardless of who pays, and the whole apartment is penalized if it is late. This means that roommates go down together. They depend on each other not to be broke, not to plug the toilet and not to leave all the chores to one person.

Do you remember that game where you close your eyes and fall backward into your friends’ arms? That is what sharing an apartment is like all the time.

Choose wisely

Personally, I have a wonderful living situation. I love my apartment, I love my two roommates, I love our futon. The world is a better place inside my apartment. Because my roommates are awesome people and we all get along well.

Some people are very difficult to live with, and they need roommates, too. Waiting too long to find an apartment may lead to living with the undesirable. College is so much better with compatible roommates.

Living with your best friend could be a bad idea, too.

Some roommates like to live private lives and some like to live almost like a family.

Decide what works best for you, and then try to find people who are looking for a similar living situation.

Food

This year was the first time I really understood how important food is. Before living in an apartment, either my mother did the grocery shopping or a cafeteria decided what I was going to eat. Not anymore.

Be prepared to create a new self-governed diet. Choosing, buying, preparing and consuming food are all things to think about. This may seem obvious or silly, but it was an adjustment for me. Oh, and it costs money.

There are different types of Colby Jack cheese — which one do you buy? Does the cheap one taste worse? What is the difference? It took me a semester to figure out that the deli has the best cheese. These are learning experiences, which is what college is all about.

Chores

Some apartments have an oven, a dishwasher and a refrigerator. Everyone is entitled to use the appliances … and clean them. Your roommates will notice if you never help clean. Do your part, and if you get busy, they will understand. But pure laziness may agitate your living companions.

One of my roommates actually likes to clean when she is stressed, which works out for everyone. Even though she takes it upon herself to clean the shower, my other roommate and I still notice, offer to help and thank her. Everyone wants to be appreciated. And when you vacuum the living room, they’ll thank you, too.

Classes

Once off campus, getting to class takes longer. I’m always late due to my inability to adjust to this change. I am still under the impression that 20 minutes is enough time to get from one side of campus to the other riding the Capital Area Transportation Authority bus.

Sometimes entirely skipping class seems like the best option just to avoid the embarrassing “I am irresponsible and 20 minutes late for class” walk into the classroom.

Both of these situations have negative effects on your GPA. Plan ahead and try to leave early.

Like college in general, the apartment situation is what you make of it. Unfortunately, it involves a lot of heavy decisions.

For some, this is the only time where you will live with friends in this sort of environment.

Make it awesome.