Making the best in off campus housing

Tips for living off-campus student living

Eventually, most of us will move out of our small, convenient, on-campus dorm rooms into a small, inconvenient, off-campus apartment. Well, it is pretty convenient given you know how to take advantage of living off campus.

Perhaps you are used to waking up minutes before class starts and running down the stairs to get to your first class right across the street. Well, living off campus requires more planning and more time. Use these simple tips to ensure you get the most out of living off-campus.

Clean up after yourself. This is pretty straightforward. The best way to keep peace in your apartment with your new roommates is to make sure you are picking up after yourself and keeping your stuff in your own room. 

Take advantage of the shuttle. Driving around 10 minutes before your class looking for a meter or a garage space is a nightmare, and it usually ends in you missing your class more often than not. Take advantage of your free shuttle service. Learn the schedule and find out the least crowded times to ride it. Also, keep in mind your entire neighborhood has access to that one shuttle, so get to the bus stop early.

Get to know the maintenance crew. These people can be your best friends or your worst friends. They have a key to your apartment and can see everything you have and everything you do. Be friendly with them and form a decent relationship so when your air conditioning stops working on the hottest day of the year, they will be more than happy to come fix it for you.

Learn how to take care of appliances. You are a young adult. It is time for you to learn how to take care of your washer, dryer, dishwasher and especially your toilet. Although the maintenance crew will be there to aid you when things go south, they are not your daddies. You can plunge your own toilet. 

Have utility awareness. A lot of student living areas give a huge discount when it comes to paying for air and water. However, if you keep every light on in your house and do six loads of laundry a day, you’re going to rack up some huge utility bills. You and your roommate(s) have to split those, so avoid awkward and annoying confrontation by turning off lights and running water more often.

Put the Wi-Fi router in the middle of your apartment. Your Wi-Fi reception works best when the router is located in the middle of the apartment. Consider placing it there, or getting your own router for your room. Also, keep an Ethernet cable for backup.