College Roommates Part II – Life After Dorms
Most incoming college freshmen live in the dorms for their first year. In my opinion, this is a wise decision and an excellent opportunity to experience new things. However, not all freshmen live in the dorms. Some move directly into apartments, condos, or houses. In College Roommates Part II, I’ll talk about my experiences living with roommates in an apartment. It’s not all good, but in general apartment living is 100 times better than being in a dorm.
I moved into my first apartment in August of my sophomore year. I decided to look for a place with a friend (we’ll call him Mike) that I’ve known for years. We asked several of our other high school friends to live with us, but no one was available. We are drastically looking for two more roommates. We wanted to live in a four-bedroom apartment for the social vibe, but mostly because it’s cheaper than living in a two-bedroom. Eventually we found two boys to live with us. It turned out that they lived in the dorms with Mike, so they were friends to him but strangers to me. I wasn’t worried one bit. After living with Kraut in the dormitories, nothing could be worse, after all, in the apartment I would have my own room and my own bathroom.
The apartments are much nicer than the dormitories. You get your privacy back (well, most of it), you get more space, and you get a better sense of independence. I had my own desk and my own computer. I had my own mini fridge in my room and my own dresser. The only things we had to share were things in the living room. We chose to stay at one of the more social apartment complexes known for its parties and fun times. We had an already furnished apartment that included all utilities and cable with our rent. We also had our own washer and dryer.
Living in my first apartment was one of the best years of my life. My new roommates turned out to be amazing people. We have all remained friends to this day. Having four men in an apartment has its positives and negatives. Some of the positives are always having people to play sports with (I can’t count the number of times we played 2v2 basketball), always having someone to play video games with, having friends to hang out with, and just being able to have fun with friends. But when you live with three other guys, things can get complicated. Garbage accumulates every day, nobody cleans the kitchen, and someone always wants to party the night you have to study for an exam.
Overall, my first (and only) apartment experience was good. I made two good friends there, although I didn’t meet many other people in the apartment complex. We had good times, especially when we bought a ping pong table for the living room, and great memories. I highly recommend everyone to live in an apartment for at least a year during their college career, unless they have a nice condo or house.
My junior and senior year of college, my friend Mike and I decided to move into a condo with two of our friends from home. Our roommates in the apartment were fine with it, and they both went to live with two other friends from their house. We decided to move to the condo because A. it was cheaper and B. we needed a new scene. Moving in with a friend whose parents owned the condo, we didn’t have to pay a security deposit or any hidden fees. Our rent was straightforward and included all utilities. We had everything from the apartment and more.
The only downside to living in the condo was that it was old. Things got moldy and things fell apart. It wasn’t all normal wear and tear. During my stay at the condo, I survived 4 hurricanes, one of which was a direct hit. Florida got hit in August of my senior year. Those hurricanes tore the condo complex apart and the condo association did nothing to fix it. There were trees everywhere, ceilings and siding fell off, and mold and leaks grew in our rooms. Luckily we were able to control it.
We also had a dog while we lived in the condo. One of my roommates brought her home because she was abandoned. She was a sweet bitch at the end, but a pain when she was a pup. She chewed everything and urinated on everything she didn’t chew.
If I had to choose to live in an apartment or live in a condo, I would probably choose the condo 8/10 times. Both have their pros and both have their cons. I put some of my best friends living in both the apartment and the condo. I met my girlfriend through one of my condo mates and Mike met his girlfriend because she lived in the condo next to us. You can’t go wrong either way. Anything is better than living in a dorm. I’ve never lived in a house, so I can’t touch on that much. In the next section I will discuss the pros and cons of apartments and condos.
Pros and cons of the apartments:
prosocial environment
Pro-Maintenance is fast (usually)
Pro- Fixed bills (utilities, TV and phone included)
Pro- Already furnished
Pro- More space and privacy
With- No where to study
Con-Having to drive/take a bus to school
Roommates steal your food
With- No one cleans
Con- Can be expensive
Condo/house Pros and Cons:
Pro-Have your won furniture
Pro-Services included in the rent
Pro – Can have pets
Pro – Good parking
prosocial aspects
Pro- Generally cheaper
Con- You have to provide maintenance
With- No where to study
Con- Can be noisy living with 3 other people
Roommates steal your food
If you have any questions about college life (whether in dorms or apartments), feel free to email me at [email protected]
http://colegios.blogspot.com/