Advertising management senior Brooklyn Heath has been looking for housing in Lansing due to landing a new job in the area after graduation in the upcoming months. She said the experience of finding housing post-graduation has been difficult for several reasons.

"Honestly, it's kind of difficult, just financially, and then I would say stress-wise too, just because I'm going into a new phase of my life, so that's an added stress on top of it," Heath said. "Also financially, because it's pretty expensive to find an apartment."

Supply chain management senior Grace McDermott will be moving to Columbus, OH after graduation for a new job. She said a struggle is being in a completely new environment. 

"Other than my roommate, I don't know anyone in Columbus, and don't really know where to look," McDermott said.

On the other hand, spring 2024 graduate Hannah Woehrle left East Lansing for Washington, D.C., and experienced the difficulties of finding housing post-graduation last year. She said the biggest challenge was the difference in housing costs.

"I think one of the big struggles for us was just how much more expensive Washington, D.C. is, compared to East Lansing," Woehrle said. "I pay double the rent here ... So I think just off the bat, having to go from rents that's in the hundreds to rents that’s in the thousands is a huge struggle factor, mentally and financially."

Woehrle added that living in a post-graduate world has exposed her to the more grown-up challenges.

"At least me, personally, I did feel like I was still relatively sheltered being at MSU from kind of the perils of adulthood," Woehrle said. "Just in the last nine months since I've graduated, I've had to deal with so many more grown-up things that I never had to deal with when I was in college. So I think even just knowing that that's on the horizon when you're about to move makes it a lot more challenging."

With spring 2025 commencement just a few months away, seniors may have already started the process of trying to find housing in other locations outside of East Lansing.

Heath's process of finding places to live consists of searching online for options that match her criteria.

"I've just been going online and looking up apartments in the area," Heath said. "Originally, I was thinking about living by myself, but that did not end up working out, just because things are way too expensive. Then I had to figure out, 'Okay, I need to live with a roommate.' So then I had to figure out the roommate situation, so now just kind of finding the best place to live and the best location for the cheapest price."

For McDermott, apartment hunting consists of finding as many options as possible before narrowing down her choices.

"I honestly think I'm just going to try and look at as many places as possible," McDermott said. "I just feel like the more I look into it and weigh out all of the potential options, then I can make the best decision of where I want to live and what works best for me and my roommate."

Although many factors are within an individual's control when finding a place to live, such as which areas to look in, factors outside one’s control can also contribute to the housing search. Heath said timing is one of those.

"I know a lot of places, like apartment buildings and stuff, fill up pretty quickly, and then depending on when you find out what city you need to live in, or what job is being offered, places could be full, and I would say that's definitely out of your control," Heath said.

Throughout the process of finding housing, there can be elements that ease some of the stress. For McDermott, planning out reunions with her loved ones helps.

"Just knowing when I'm gonna see my friends and family again and have things to look forward to, and also just getting acclimated and started with my job, I feel like will also help the transition moving there," McDermott said.

Woehrle said finding mutuals who live in the area you’re planning to move to can tremendously ease some amounts of stress associated with finding housing.

"I think the number one most helpful thing to do is, if you know anybody that lives in the city that you're moving (to), to reach out to them, because (what) I've always found is they're more than happy to help you out," Woehrle said. "More than likely, they love their city, and they're happy to show it off, especially to somebody who's looking to move (there)."

Woehrle said utilizing the MSU alumni network can also help ease the transition into post-graduation life.

"One thing that I've been really lucky to find is that the MSU alumni network is so vast and so helpful," Woehrle said. "I would highly encourage anybody who's graduating or has recently graduated, if they're looking into moving into a city, see if there's an alumni chapter in that city, because the Spartan community wants to help you out. Any time I've gone to an alumni event or reached out to an alumni for help, they've always been more than willing to help me out."

Heath said her biggest piece of advice for adjusting to life after graduation would be to go through the process in stages.

"Take it one step at a time," Heath said. "I feel like figuring out what city you need to live in first is the first thing you need to tackle, and then go on from there. I think just breaking things up into smaller steps makes it a lot less stressful, and maybe less difficult for someone."

McDermott recommends looking at the opportunity to start somewhere new with a positive lens, rather than a negative one. 

"I think, honestly, trying not to stress about it too much, because I think everything will work itself out, and everything will happen how it's meant to be," McDermott said. "It can be scary, but I think if you view it as an exciting new chapter that you're about to start, you're just gonna figure it out on your own, and kind of view it as the chance to be independent and experience something new."