Student Housing

Student housing is an important decision. For a college student, at least 60 percent of your time is spent in your room. If you organize your class schedule around the soap dramas and talk shows, than that can be upped to about 75 percent. Wherever you live while you are at school, you want it to be a good experience.

Laundry

This may seem like a little thing, but you would be surprised how many students turn their underwear pink or blue that first year. At home, someone else does the washing, but now it is up to you. Home is too far away to travel to wash them and your roommate may complain once your clothes start to walk around by themselves.

Come prepared. Since most facilities are within the student housing dorms, you hopefully won’t have to lug your dirty clothes across campus. Keep your dirty clothes in a heavy duty laundry bag. A rolling cart would be better for transporting clothes and your detergent to the laundry room.

If you’ve never washed your clothes before, ask your parents to show you before you leave for school. It’s really not that complicated, but pay attention so you know where the detergents go, how to sort clothing, how to get out stains, etc. You’re not going to have a lot of money for a new wardrobe, so learn how to take care of the one you have.

If you aren’t a person who irons their clothes, invest in a lot of hangers. Hanging up your clothing directly from the dryer could mean fewer wrinkles. You may have to use the iron once in a while so it’s good to bring one to school with you.

Cleaning

You may not mind living in a pig sty, but your roommate might. Cleaning is no fun for anyone, but once you do it you feel much better. When it comes to cleaning your room or the common area (if you live in a suite), get together with your mates and decide on a plan.

Cleaning is easier if you learn to pick up after yourself as a common practice. Mom is back at home, so it is up to you. Bring a small bucket of cleaning supplies with you to campus to make it easier not to put off cleaning.

Renter's Insurance

If you live in the dorm, your parent’s homeowners insurance should cover your belongings. Check to find out how much it will cover in the event of a fire, theft or other disaster. To help with the claim, create a list of all of your belongings in the dorm room and give it to your parents to keep with their policy.

In off-campus student housing, things may work differently. Ask if your parent’s policy will protect you there, too. Usually parents co-sign for off-campus apartments anyway. If you are not covered, look into affordable renter’s insurance to protect your stuff.

Living at Home

Some students opt to live at home while attending a nearby college. One advantage to this approach is the cost savings on room and board. Parents spend less and there are no dorm supplies to buy since you will most likely be sleeping in your old bedroom.

This arrangement does have drawbacks. It is not uncommon to fall asleep in a friend’s room or want to drop across your own bed after a long night of study or partying. On campus, you can walk to your room. When you live at home, you’ll have to drive. There is less social interaction when you don’t spend time bonding with classmates and dorm mates than when you live on campus.

Hey, that dorm room comes in handy. No matter what student housing option you choose, whether you live at home or on campus, college students soon learn that mom is not there to pick up their trash or wash their clothes and they are on their own.

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