6 Things To Expect When Moving Off Campus

By Allie Mitchell on September 23, 2016

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When we make the decision to move off campus and start a new adult life it can be both exciting and very scary. The idea that everything is now somehow amped up from teenager-adult to real life adult situation is nerve-racking, but it is a step in the right direction and one that everyone is ready to help you make.

You have found the right place for you and have looked into your furniture situation and found the right set of roommates (if you end up having any). What could possibly go wrong? Or more like what else could you have not thought about before you decided to move out on your own.

There are so many things to consider and contemplate. Moving out on your own seems like it should be easy with maybe some minor complications like in the movies. And if there are any major setbacks, it is always overdramatized in the movies and shows.

Realistically, there are going to be things that you did not think of while considering moving or while moving in general; that is just the way life works, unfortunately. And that is where this article comes into play. It is here to help you look into some of the things that you may overlook when moving off campus and into your own place.

There are many things that so many other articles may bring up, but I want to hit on the few things that maybe not everybody considers.

1. When you live in a dorm, yes you may have loud neighbors, but most people call the RA or go over to the room themselves and take care of the situation.

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When you live off campus and you have “interesting” neighbors, it may be a little different with the way you approach things. When you lived in a dorm everyone was more or less “on your level.” You have no idea about the people you are living next to nor do you now have the security of the school if anything goes wrong.

2. When you live on campus you have the dining halls right near you that you probably have prepaid for when you paid for the dorm.

On the other hand, when you live off campus — and it’s funny to say — food may not come so easily. Since you have to learn to balance money and probably learn how to cook (leftovers make for the best money savers), this might make adjustments just a bit harder.

3. Most dorms, well dorms with kitchens, have a dishwasher. When you are in a dorm, you are paying for all the amenities when you pay for the dorm itself as a whole. Amenities for the dorm pretty much include, air, water, gas and electricity. You don’t even pay for cable!

When you move off campus, using the dishwasher in your apartment can rack up a really not so pretty water bill and leaving your TV on all night can run your electricity bill sky high, so keep these in mind.

4. When you live in a dorm, you don’t really know the people you are living with (most of the time) and so when you buy new food you tend to label everything just so you know what’s yours. I did it, only because I lived with four other people, so it seemed pretty normal.

When living on your own, going out and buying groceries can turn into a much more stressful situation, meaning that you don’t want to have to label everything AND you want your refrigerator to stay a certain way. Let’s get one thing straight: you won’t have it that way, unless you have a long talk with the people you live with.

5. In most apartments, the walls aren’t solid brick or concrete. They are PAPER thin! So be careful what you say.

In the dorms, the walls were still thin, but mostly it was always the people above me that were the problem. In general, just make sure you aren’t too loud. Respect is always necessary in any situation.

6. Cleaning is a regular job requirement when it comes to living off campus. When living in a dorm, your RA gave you a cleaning agreement, which means you signed up for something you HAD to do before you moved out or you got fined.

When you live off campus, it is much different in the fact that cleaning becomes a part of your everyday routine, rather than something you do only when demanded of you by the school.

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Living off campus can be a fun experience and life changing, but never forget the challenges that come with it. That’s what makes adulthood so … interesting.

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