College dorms are not as glamorous as most people think when
they are fresh out of high school and excited about joining college. They can
get pretty noisy and crowded and facilities such as bathrooms are shared.
Student housing communities outside of campus provide a wide variety of living
arrangements for students near most campuses. There are shared living quarters
where you have the choice of who to live with, a lot of freedom and self-management.
Before you choose which student housing community to settle in, you should ask
the following questions.
What is the distance to your campus?
You should not choose housing communities that are more than
a couple of blocks away from your campus. First you do not want to waste too
much time communing to school every day in the morning. In case of late nights
in the library, you need to be sure that the housing unit is close enough to access
safely. If the housing community is farther than a couple of blocks, find out
the nearest and most convenient transport roots in the area that you can use.
What are the security measures in place?
As a college student, security is very important. You do not
want to end up living in an area with frequent break ins, you may lose
something as important as your laptop with all your semester notes and
assignments in it and that would be devastating. Security surveillance systems,
controlled access to the housing units and good security lighting are just some
of the things to look out for. For your own safety, choose a housing community
that is located in a great neighborhood.
What are the amenities accessible to residents?
The housing community should have ample parking spaces for
residents who have cars. You do not want to risk parking your car out in the
street. Your campus pool may be crowded most of the time so find out if the
housing community has a pool that you can use. Buying household appliances is
also a big challenge when moving into your own living quarters. You can choose
to live in student housing communities that provide furnished apartments
including basic amenities like fridges, cookers and power kettles among other
things.
Can you get individual leases for shared housing?
It is always best to get an individual lease for your stay
in an off-campus apartment. Even when sharing a single apartment unit, everyone
should have their own leases detailed with the terms of their stay in the
apartment. This will help you avoid bearing the brunt for all the roommates in
case of any problems in the apartment.
Posted By: Hayden Commons http://haydencommons.net/
