hello again readers!
my narrative this time is about my new start to a life off-campus. I moved into a 5 person house, and rent is super cheap compared to most in town. i’m kicking off my junior year with a savings from over the summer, and it feeels great. I worked this summer–and it was a pretty demanding job (i worked 114 hours in two weeks!) But i saved over the summer, afforded my drive back to school and some furniture for my new room.
although it won’t sound like a super great set-up, i love it. my housemates keep the dorm feel but the new independence is refreshing. i got a job as a house manager at the college theater and super excited for that.
so there’s a lot of things going on for me! but what I wanted to share in all of this are the lessons I learned.
the costs of moving off campus: it’s expensive to start something 1 room, studio apartment thing alone. and it. is. ridiculous! but it’s true. get a good group vibe early on, like mid sophomore year, start to brainstorm with your best friends, acquaintances, and friends of friends. jump into the house search certainly by mid sophomore year. and figure out a lease agreement with the friends before committing fully, because it’s expensive to pull out of a lease and even harder to try and recruit new members after the year starts. i didn’t all my housemates before moving in, but i enjoy all of them. house rules are set, and different personalities interact differently, it’s an atmosphere that needs building.
summer internships: they are great! definitely take advantages of any available to you. and save, cause when you start paying for your own food and housing, it’s a safety net. and it’s awesome when you can afford your own bedding and bed lol
classes have been great too! i just had finished with the first day of all of them. my internship gifted us new backpacks with school supplies, so didn’t have to spend much on that. it’s going to be a great year, i can feel it.