Moving off-campus into your own place is a big step. Abandoning the confines of ResLife has the potential to be one of the best decisions you’ve ever made, but if you’re not responsible, you could find yourself without a phone, electricity, or even worse, a place to go home to.
Personally, I spent my first two years on campus in the dorms. It wasn’t a bad situation. It was always warm and cleaned regularly. However, I’m now in my second year of off-campus life and I think it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. My room is bigger (and all mine!), I pay far less than I did on campus, and I have my own kitchen.
Before you make the same step, I recommend examining both sides. While living off campus is much cheaper, you also have to make sure that you (or the roommate charged with the duty) will pay your bills each month. There are no reminders—and if you’re late, it could affect your credit for years to come.
Additionally, you need to make sure you and those that you live with have money to pay your rent each month. Fronting an extra $250 for a roommate’s rent money one month can add up quickly.
Finally, the issue of getting along with roommates should be considered. Since you’ll most likely have your own room, you won’t have to deal with things like someone playing their music while you’re trying to sleep. Still, if you’re naturally a little messy in shared spaces like the kitchen or bathroom, it may not bode well with your roommates. It’s a good idea to not only live with people who you think you’ll get along with, but with people who have similar living styles as you or at least make sure they’re tolerant of differences.
Living in Troy is an adventure. Most students pay a little over $200 to a little over $300 per month plus utilities, which can add another $50 or so each month (even more in winter). I’d recommend finding a landlord who lives in Troy, because in my experience they take much greater care of the apartment they’re renting out to you. Also, speak to some of the prospective landlord’s other tenants, if they have any, to see how quickly they respond to problems. You’d be surprised by all that can go wrong—clogged drains, broken ovens, and leaky roofs happen all the time.
Most students start apartment hunting in January, so that gives you a few months to consider your options and decide what you want to do.
