As students enter college, one thing they must consider is their living situation. Dorm? Off-campus apartment? Living at home? Which is the best fit and which situation suits them the best?
One of the biggest influences on this big decision is roommate situations. Will they room with a stranger in a dorm? Will they live with a friend off campus? It is important to take who you live with into consideration before making that kind of jump, especially if you are living off campus.
People are always telling horror stories about their awful college roommates, and I am no exception.
I moved in with my best friends before I started college at Ball State in the fall of 2017. I was genuinely excited to live with these two.
However; it was not long before things went downhill and I was stuck with one roommate who I no longer associated with. Tensions rose in the apartment and friendships died.
Never in my life did I think that my roommate was someone I would end up estranged from, we used to do everything together and now we do not speak whatsoever.
This being said, here are 5 reasons to really consider who you move in with before you do.
1. You could end up in legal trouble.
If you're like me and you chose to move into an apartment, you signed a lease which is a legally binding contract. If for some reason you end up disliking your roommate or you end up having some kind of falling out, legal situations can get really messy if you want to separate from this person. Be sure to read your lease carefully before you make any decisions.
2. You could end up with a gross roommate.
This is also something that happened to me. I feel like I can't have people over because some parts of the apartment (not my room or common areas) are gross and I wouldn't want any of my guests to think that was a reflection of me.
Also, gross roommates usually come with a certain smell that you just can't ever forget.
3. You could end up having to deal with their guests.
Not only did I end up having to deal with my roommate, but her guests as well. That in itself was a whole other problem. However; I could not do anything about it because she had her name on the lease and so she could have guests here if she wanted.
4. You could end up with one less friend.
Living situations usually end up poorly the first time around. I didn't think that I would ever end up in a situation like that because I was moving in with people I really cared about and I figured all would be just dandy.
This was not the case though, as now I am down another friend after living with her broke our friendship.
5. You could end up paying more in bills.
Now, ultimately having roommates is cheaper because you can split bills into sections. Think about this though: if things go sour, they could always run bills up on purpose. I am speaking from experience. I got home from winter break once to a $340 electric bill.
Moral of the story is this: make sure you REALLY know who you are moving in with before you move in with them. Make sure you 100% want to live with this person/these people.
