There have been many transitions in my life after graduating high school going into my college career. One of the main aspects was my housing situation. I had originally planned to reside on campus for my first two semesters but it fell through when I was put on the waitlist list. I then resorted to searching for off campus housing as my backup plan in case there were no available dorms by the time I started school. I knew a fellow Edfund scholar who was attending school with me in the fall and was also waitlisted for housing. We concluded that instead of looking for places separately, we should combine our money and find a place nice enough to accommodate the both of us.
After hours of research and tours of multiple apartments, we eventually found a place that was on the bus line for the UC and was also in our price ranges as students. The most annoying part of moving in, in my opinion, was the plethora of paperwork that had to be signed beforehand. The process of unpacking our things is starting to make our apartment feel like home. Although
we miss our families, we love the freedom being able to do what we want without asking for permission. But with freedom comes responsibility. I now have to pay bills, rent, cook, and go grocery shopping on top of schoolwork. I can now appreciate the little things my mom did around the house that is now my shared responsibility. Washing dishes, to things as minute as leaving frozen meat out to thaw during the day for dinner, are now a part of our daily routine. Living off campus is not as bad as I thought. I’ve become much closer with my roommate and made my stay here as comfortable as possible. My roommate and I have made it our duty to stay connected, despite housing, by joining clubs and meeting a lot of new people from all different backgrounds. The overall environment of college is ten times better than high school and I’m glad that I made the decision to go.
