Tips For Moving Off Campus

When I was moving into my first house without my parents and off campus, I felt like I was officially becoming an adult and had more control over my life and independence. However, there are many different things to think about when moving off campus. Obviously, the first challenge is finding somewhere to live. Who are you going to live with? How far are you willing to live from campus? What is your budget? And so many more questions. But, the first thing to consider when you have the option to live on or off campus is why you want to live off campus.

Why Move Off Campus

For me, moving off campus made me feel more independent and I was super excited to live with my best friends. It was bonding for us all and we definitely learned a lot. Also, when I moved off campus I brought my car to San Diego which opened up a lot of new opportunities for me. I could go anywhere really easily and wanted to take advantage of that. Because I didn’t have a dining plan on campus anymore I also learned how to cook! I had a kitchen in my apartment on campus my freshman year, but I could get meals from the dining halls so didn’t really cook much. After moving off campus, I had to buy groceries and make myself food. Cooking was also a fun activity to do with my roommates and friends. Finally, I was beyond excited to decorate my room. My parents are both designers so I have always had fun with design, but this was the first time I really got to design my room however I wanted. Overall, I think moving off campus was a very maturing experience for me. I learned how to cook, budget, clean, and most importantly, live with people.

Although I lived with three other girls in my freshman-year apartment, when I moved off campus we had to think about more factors. Did we want to share groceries, how would we divide chores, how would we split the furniture and other household necessities, etc? While I think there are many different ways to attack these questions and it really depends on the type of person you are and the type of people you live with. But there are a few things that my roommates and I did really well with in my opinion.

Chores

First, we had a point system for chores. At the beginning of the year, we struggled for a little to figure out a system that worked for us. We tried assigning weekly chores and just volunteering without making anyone do anything, but in the end, this points system really worked. The way that it worked was, if someone completed a chore, they would put a tally next to the task and under their name. At the end of the week, we would count the tallys and create a leaderboard. The reason that this system worked is because it put us on blast. Our friends would see the leaderboard and it was always talked about. If our guests were new, they would ask about it and how it works (and obviously see the leaderboard) and our returning friends that knew how it worked would comment on who was at the top and bottom. Another way to encourage doing chores is giving the person at the top of the leaderboard a prize. The prize doesn’t have to be given every week, it could be who is at the top the most out of the school year, the month, the quarter, or any other accumulation. In the end, it was really fun because there was a competition aspect to it and it worked to get us slightly more excited about chores. 

Furniture

When getting furniture for our house, it’s definitely best to look at cheaper options. After all, this is your college house where things might get broken, you’ll be moving a lot in the future probably, and you don’t need to impress anyone with fancy furniture. Also, your style could change by the time you move to your next home and you may want new furniture. Great resources include Facebook Marketplace, Wayfair, Ikea, and even Amazon. Facebook Marketplace is great because it’s often used furniture (which is better for the environment!) and there are so many options. The only problem I personally ran into is that I wasn’t in San Diego so I couldn’t pick up the furniture. I did try to set up my roommate getting it for me but the lady selling it to me was crazy and it didn’t work out in the end. So… I guess a crazy seller could be another problem you may run into, but overall Facebook Marketplace is a great resource. Otherwise, all the other options are just cheaper furniture that won’t last you a lifetime but are great for a while. 

In terms of sharing furniture or not, my roommates and I all split the big things like our dining room table and couch, but some smaller things such as side tables and lamps we didn’t split. We also all had our own plates and cups. Partly so that we could see whose dirty dishes were who’s, but also because now we each just have our own plates we could take with us as we move and don’t have to worry about splitting it up. 

What I Would do Differently

While my first year living off campus was a great experience, there are a few things that I would have done differently. First, pick your rooms before anyone moves in. This will remove any problems when moving in because you know what to expect. If some rooms are slightly different sizes or the location is better, you want to establish who will be where before the last person is left with the worst room (yes, I was the last person LOL). Also, divide rent based on square feet and if people get better amenities like their own bathroom. I feel like this just makes sense but it definitely should be addressed before signing a lease to make sure everyone is on the same page. Overall, working out these details along with details about how you’ll share furniture, handle food, and chores are important things to discuss before moving in with people because it will just make everything a smoother transition and experience. 

Moving off campus is a very growth-provoking experience and I certainly had the best time living with my best friends! I hope this article helped anyone that’s considering moving off campus or in with new roommates.