INTRO:

You’ve just graduated high school. It’s an amazing moment for you. I remember it as being the moment I felt like the world was at my feet. Your family is happy for you, your friends are as excited as you are and the next chapter awaits. College is right around the corner and chances are that you will leave home for the amazing next few years.

Leaving the comfort of your home might be everything you wish for right now. No curfew hours, no stressing about inviting friends over or worrying about coming home late night (or early morning) from a party. It’s more than that. You’ll finally be on your own! You will make your own decisions, you will answer for your own actions and you feel like there won’t be someone to answer for anything. It’s true. Somehow. You will soon find out that there are more things you will have to do for yourself and for your own good than before. But I’m not here to tell you that because that is something beautiful about this journey far from home that you’ll learn for yourself.

What you have to keep in mind is that leaving your parent’s house, your childhood home is not only about gaining a lot of freedom but also about giving up some commodities you’ve been taking for granted (as all of us did). Living with someone that cooks you breakfast, does your laundry and maybe even washes the dishes after you is a blessing. A blessing that you’ll soon leave behind and you’ll need to think about your new household as a place you’ll have to do much more in than just party or go to sleep in. Finding a perfect flat to live in when you leave for college is a task I’m here to help you with.

BODY:

1.Cost of living

What you have to ask yourself while searching for an apartment when you go to college is if you’re going for a flat in the campus area or if you are going to live off-campus.

In most cases, rent is usually cheaper if you choose to live on campus. Also, most of the college dorms or flats in the campus area tend to have the utilities included in the renting price. The downside of living on-campus is that usually, you have to share the room with other people. Off-campus flats are more expensive but offer the privacy of your own room and if you find a large house to rent with even 10 people you can all have your own rooms, some common space and splitting the rent of a large house to a larger number of people might bring you a good price. If you’re planning to study at Berkeley University, it is recommended to start looking for apartments for rent in Berkeley ahead of time. This way you can find the most affordable ones that will suit your lifestyle and budget before anyone else does.

2.The building

It’s a must to choose a well-built building with spacious rooms and good plumbing! You have a better say in this matter if you choose a flat off-campus, being able to choose your apartment building. If you go on-campus you might find older buildings, where the previous tenants were not so careful with the furniture. But keep in mind that lately, campuses offer strong student lets to compensate for all the downsides of the buildings.

3.The location

Your main focus when you go to college should be getting to class. So picking a flat on-campus is pretty easy in this matter, most dorms being in the proximity of the faculty buildings. Another benefit here is that you are right in the middle of the social life, enjoying that college experience to the fullest. Living off-campus means that you will have to commute every day to classes. The benefits of a flat here are dictated by the location you pick, but for sure you can find cool things for student houses in your future neighborhood.

4.Privacy

Nobody is a perfect student. So leaving your last pages to read on the last day is common. But if you’re roommate is having people over you won’t be able to study in the same room where 5 other people are playing games. Having your own room in a flat is very important because college is about studying.  You need a place to read your courses and if you need essay writing help to be able to finish your work on time, keeping up your productivity! You can’t graduate if you don’t do your assignments and tasks!

5. Whatever you choose, to live on or off-campus, the most important thing when you choose a flat as a college student is to MAKE IT HOME.

CONCLUSION:

You have ahead of you the most amazing years of your life! You will get to spend them away from your childhood home, being on your own. Realizing the significance your housing has in all of this is huge.

Choosing to live on-campus in a dorm or a flat has a lot of benefits. A smaller rent is crucial for students. Having the utilities included in the price of the rent, not needing to commute for a long distance to the university buildings or even to the parties happening next door is amazing. Socializing and making friends is the easiest in a dorm, where everyone your age came there for the same reasons as you did and probably have lots in common with you.

  Off-campus flats offer you more privacy. Sharing space here is much easier because usually, you’ll have your own room. College is also about productivity. Now it’s time to learn fundamental skills you’ll use for the rest of your life. Having a safe space just for yourself where you can gather your thoughts, work and find inspiration for future projects is crucial on your path to adulthood.

Taking all this into consideration, something you have to do either way of your choice is to make your new house feel like home. Bring pictures with your family, some books, a sound system, and a coffee machine and you’ve just taken the first steps to make a flat feel like your flat. A beautiful part of a journey is who you’re sharing it with. If you have friends going to the same college as you ask them to live together with you. This will make your transition from living home with your parents to meeting new people much easier. Whatever your preferences are, just be responsible when you choose a flat as a college student because this will have a larger impact on you than you think!

BIO:

Connie Elser is much more than just a bundle of joy! Being one of the most prolific writers out there, she is a real-life digital nomad. Traveling around the world and documenting her work as a content creator is what makes Connie so relatable in her articles.

Pictures from :https://www.pexels.com