You’ll have to make crucial decisions before you start your journey as a college student. You need to be careful about the university and degree you’ll pick as these can affect your ability to find a job and succeed in the future. It’ll be very challenging for you to excel as a student if you choose a university that doesn’t offer your preferred degree.
Finding a great student housing is another important task that you should accomplish before the school year starts. This decision is just as important as picking a degree because where you’ll stay can affect your ability to study and manage your responsibilities. Regardless if the degree suits your passions and interests, if your dorm or apartment doesn’t allow you to study with ease, you’ll have a hard time acing your classes and passing your exams.
For you to end up with a great student housing, like those presented in Northpointrexburg.com, take note of these tips when finding one:
Look For The Essential Features
You’ll never run out of options when finding great student housing near your college. This type of accommodation can be found almost anywhere. Regardless if you’re looking for student housing with the latest technology or one that has a spacious balcony where you can unwind during your free time, you’ll surely find one that fits the bill.
This status quo is highly beneficial as you’ll be able to find a student housing that perfectly suits your budget and personal preferences, but having too many can be very overwhelming. What should you prioritize when looking for student housing? Are there any features that you should be keen about? It’s important to have answers to these questions before you start looking for student housing.
If this is your first time to search for student housing near your college, make sure that you look into the following features:
- Fast Internet Connection: Having a stable and strong Internet connection is a necessity among all college students. This innovation will make it very easy for you to accomplish tasks, and in less time. This is one of the most obvious reasons why the student housing you pick should have a reliable Internet connection. It’ll be tough for you to research topics or complete requirements if you don’t have a stable internet connection in your student housing.
- Private Bathroom: Living in student housing means rubbing elbows with students 24/7. Depending on the size of the room you’ll choose, you might have to interact with several students on a daily basis. However, to ensure that you’ll be able to maintain personal hygiene and avoid stress every single day, it’s best if you look for student housing that will not require you to share a bathroom. Sharing a bathroom is not only unhygienic, but it can also be very stressful as you’ll have to rush every morning just so you can use the area first.
- Own Kitchen: Living in student housing is very beneficial as this type of accommodation can become your platform to learn how to become an adult. Since you will be living on your own, you’ll have to accomplish chores all by yourself, such as cooking and preparing your meals.
To ensure that you’ll be able to accomplish this task with ease, look for student housing that provides you with your own kitchen. Having access to this space will encourage you to learn how to cook meals and save money from buying takeout food from restaurants. A private kitchen in your student housing can teach you important life skills in cooking and budgeting.
Decide If You’re Going To Have A Roommate
Starting your life as a college student and moving into student housing can be very exciting but, at the same time, nerve-wracking. You will be spending time in a new environment, surrounded by new people. The stress associated with these changes is one of the reasons why a lot of college freshmen would choose to buddy up and live with a roommate. Leaning towards this direction actually provides several benefits, namely:
- Helps you save money on rent and utilities: One of the biggest advantages of having a roommate is being able to split your bills with another person, which can result in bigger savings in the long run. The more people living in the student housing with you, the less money you’ll have to pull out from your pocket to pay your rent and utilities.
- You’ll have someone to help you with the chores: Aside from splitting the bills, having a roommate also allows you to divide chores among yourselves. Depending on the size of your student housing, you can volunteer to sweep the floors, while your roommate can do the mopping afterward. You can also set schedules on who will wash the dishes during the weekdays and who will cook food during the weekends.
- You’ll automatically gain a friend: Your first year in college can be terrifying, especially if you’re going to go through it alone. Fortunately, this experience can come off lighter and easier if you have a roommate living with you. When you live with a roommate, you’ll automatically have a friend with whom you can share all of your experiences. Your roommate can even provide pieces of advice that can help you feel better and more ready for college. This is especially true if you’re eyeing to have a roommate who is a senior or older than you.
Living with a roommate can mean having a company throughout your entire college life, but, for some, this kind of living arrangement isn’t always fun and exciting. If you’re planning to live with a roommate, spend some time to consider these following cons of sharing a space with someone else:
- They might create a mess: When two or more people live in the same accommodation, expect that there are also more wastes. With a roommate, your trash bins can quickly overflow, and dishes can pile up almost immediately. The more people living with you, the faster the mess can accumulate inside your student housing. This is especially true if your roommate isn’t concerned about cleanliness or sanitation.
If you don’t want any of these to happen, make sure that you’re not moving with a roommate who is naturally messy. If possible, choose a roommate who you have known for years.
- You might gain enemies: Even if you’re going to move in with your best friend, don’t expect that your relationship will always be smooth sailing. Living with someone 24/7 will enable you to learn more about that person, and, sometimes, you won’t always like the things you’ll find out from your roommate.
Having said that, make sure that you also consider the negative traits of your possible roommates if you’re planning to have one in your student housing. You don’t want to move in with a roommate, then regret the decision afterward, right? This situation can cause a lot of stress and, when not handled immediately, can become the reason why you’ll perform poorly in your class.
- You’ll have less privacy: Having a friend 24/7 in the person of a roommate can be great, but if you’re used to living in solitude, this kind of living arrangement might not work for you. Living with a roommate can mean less privacy because you’ll have to share the space with another person. Sure, you can always set a schedule on when the two of you can accept visitors, but, regardless of that, not everyone feels comfortable with the idea of living under the same roof with another person.
Living with a roommate comes with pros and cons, so when you’re searching for a student housing near your college, it would be best if you carefully consider all of these points. It’ll be easier for you to narrow down your options once you’ve determined whether or not you honestly want to live with a roommate. Usually, living with a roommate will require you to look for a spacious house or apartment, while living alone can mean that you’ll only need to look into a smaller living space.
Know Where To Look
If you’re going to live near your college, you’ll likely start your search by visiting the area, then you’ll proceed to looking for options. “To see is to believe,” which is why you should always personally visit the area rather than do any business online. Checking the space in person is always an excellent option as you’ll have the opportunity to assess the features available and, of course, the actual space of the student housing. This strategy can help you find great student housing near your college, but it’s not always a guarantee.
If you’re going to study abroad, for example, how will you start your search around your college? Have you considered the expenses it entails when visiting the location as you scout for the perfect student housing? And, if you do have the money to pay for the fare going to the location, are you sure that you will actually find a student housing there?
If you don’t want to waste any resources and make sure that you will find a great student housing on the same date that you decide to look for one, it’s important to know what your options are in searching. Use these tips so you can easily find great student housing without spending a lot of resources:
- Ask the university first: Not all colleges across the globe offer free accommodation to their freshmen students, but they can surely provide pieces of advice that can make your search easier and less stressful. Before you visit your college and look for student housing around the area, reach out to the university and inquire if they can provide suggestions.
More often than not, they will mention neighborhoods and other areas that offer several student housing options. If you already know what you want in a student housing, inform them,as well. It’ll be easier for you to look for great student housing if the college knows whether you want one with a balcony, a private bathroom, or any other features that could help make your college experience more convenient.
- Check Facebook groups: Millions of college students are active on social media. While some use these platforms to communicate with other people, others are using social media to advertise their businesses. As an incoming college student, you can also make the most out of social media platforms by using these to search for a great student housing near your college.
Depending on your preference, you can check Facebook groups that talk about student housing near your college or look for ones that have members of the same college you’re going to attend. These virtual places can be a goldmine of information to help you find the best student housing, while helping you avoid any scams at the same time. The experience of these individuals can help you determine what you should and shouldn’t do when looking for student housing.
- Check housing websites: If you’re unhappy with your search on Facebook, consider expanding your options by checking housing websites. These online platforms are great alternatives because you’ll easily find rooms, houses, and apartments simply by browsing.
If you decide to start hunting for student housing months before the school year starts, sign up for memberships and newsletters from these websites so you’ll be notified about the latest promos and discounts.
Knowledge Is Power
With the number of student housing available in different parts of the world today, choosing one can be tough for freshmen like you. More often than not, you’ll be clueless about how and where you’re going to start your search. In worse cases, you might even end up paying for overpriced accommodation thinking that you won’t find any cheaper options.
Avoid committing this kind of mistake when finding a great student housing near your college by using this article as your guide. It’ll be easier for you to find the best and affordable student housing if you know the necessary strategies needed, as well as all the pertinent factors to consider.