Commuting can be a real bitch, but the benefits to living off campus can make up for the hours of traffic you have to endure every semester. Whether you have your own place or you are living with your parents, there are plenty of perks to living off campus.
Foooooooood
If you live with your parents, you never have to worry about starving. Food on campus can be expensive or unhealthy, and living at home fixes that problem. You might have to deal with your parents, but it’s better than eating Ramen noodles for two meals a day.
If you have your own place, you have the luxury of having your own kitchen. Not every dorm on campus has this feature, and a lot of times you have to share a stove with an entire floor. You can bake cookies without worrying about making your entire floor smell, and that’s a pretty big plus.
Depending on where you live, you could also have access to significantly better food options than what UH has to offer.
Privacy
If you have your own place, you get to fully experience living like an adult. This means being able to do whatever you want to do whenever you want to do it in your spare time. No adhering to “quiet hours,” poorly matched roommates and definitely no shared bathrooms and showers.
You want to stay home Friday night and binge watch House of Cards at an unreasonable volume? Go ahead. You want to engage in illicit and probably illegal activities that are otherwise prohibited on the UH campus? Knock yourself out.
Location, location, location
There are tons of locations around the Houston area that are fantastic to live in. Whether you live in the Heights or Montrose, being able to bike or walk to some of Houston’s best nightlife locations is a huge plus.
Comfort
How great is it to sleep in your own bed, sit on your own couch or eat at your own table? Living at your own place allows you to have as much comfort as you want without having to deal with university-provided furniture. I’m quite a fan of my queen-sized bed.
You make your own rules
Being able to do what you want, when you want, is fantastic. Constantly having to work it out with the roommates who washes the dishes, who can use the T.V. during certain hours of the day or night and who cleans the bathroom can be arduous and frustrating. It’s always good to live with people to learn how to resolve conflicts and manage time, but trust me when I say living on your own is simply better.
Have a lady/guy friend coming over to Netflix and chill? Oh wait, you need to text your roommate in advance to let them know they might not want to sit on the couch later — or touch their toothbrush.
When you have roommates, your schedule tends to revolve around theirs when you want your privacy, especially when it comes to having “special time” with your significant other.
Yes, having a roommate can be adventurous, and it’s a great way to build relationships that last you the rest of your life. But it doesn’t always work out. Sure, live on campus your first year to have college experience, but look forward to living off campus and having your own place. Trust me, you’ll enjoy yourself a lot more.
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