Should you move? Yes!

With the Spring semester underway, most RPI students have already begun planning their move into new housing. Freshmen are dreaming of moving out of dorms, sophmores have already begun to sign leases, and juniors are deciding whether or not to stay in their current living situations. This notebook is mostly addressed to freshmen and sophomores, but I feel like everyone can take something away from it. My advice to everyone seeking to move is: do it.

Hopping from place to place is a way to experience everything once. Moving out of dorms lets you experience freedom in a whole new way. For freshmen, moving out of dorms and into RHAPS, this is (likely) your first chance to live like an independent student. You get to decide who you live with, you get to decide where, and honestly, those things will define who you are going forward.

The freedom of not having to share a bathroom with a hall of students, the joy of being able to go to your—almost—personal kitchen to make cookies late at night, the pure ecstacy of having a backyard or even a small common room for get-togethers with friends is amazing. As someone who lived vicariously through others’ RHAPS lives, I envy you to be able to experience that. From what I’ve heard, Blitman and Colonie are very similar in nature, so I’m excited for all of you to experience true college independence.

For sophomores, moving into off-campus housing, I’m taking the plunge with you. As someone who has lived in fraternity housing for the past two years, the prospect of my own little home excites me. I get the convenience of my own kitchen and bathroom, I get a huge room all to myself, and I get parking; something which people who live in downtown Troy can only dream about. Of course, paying for utilities and wifi is something that I know nothing about, but I’m sure I—and all of you—will be able to manage perfectly fine.

For those of you who chose to live in dorms or RPI housing, don’t sweat it! What you choose is perfectly fine, if that’s what you want. You’ll get your taste at independence in the future and, let me tell you, it’ll be amazing.