We Decided to Move Off Campus and Rent Our Own Place
After staying in campus accommodation for six months, my new found friends and I decided to rent our own place off campus. We were pretty lucky to find a place within 10 – 15 minutes walking distance from school. It is a totally different experience and it was the best time of my study experience. However, there are some cons that come along with it
The Pros
More space: Ready for an upgrade? You can get your own room, own kitchen and living room. This means more personal space and you never have to worry about the house mate who decided to play his music REAL LOUD.
More flexible roommate choice: By then, you more or less would have known what kind of roommate you want to live with. This means you get to choose the type of roommate you want to bunk in with. If you stay in a hostel, you do not get that choice.
Less moving/Summer Time: When you live in a hostel, sometimes you have to move into a different place at the end of each year during summer. With your own place, you stay as long you want as long you are paying rent.
The Cons
Fees & more fees: In a hostel, you only need to know when to pay your rent. But when you live off campus, you have to keep up with utilities, internet & security deposit. You are also responsible for your own damages and repairs will be up to you.
More responsibilities: All the above only mean one thing. More responsibilities to handle. On top of that, if you live off campus and your roommate leaves in six months’ time, it is sometimes your responsibility to find a new one. Furthermore, if he or she leaves during your exam period, you have to handle the stress of studies coupled with the burden of finding another roommate.
Out of touch with campus life: Once you move out, you start to get out of touch with the parties and events that are happening in campus. Word of mouth travels much slower when you are off campus.
Furniture: Not all houses or apartments are fully furnished. This means you may need to buy your own bed, tables, washing machine before you can move in. And this ends up increasing the upfront cost. In addition, you need to make sure you take good care of all the furniture and return to your landlord in a working condition once you vacate the place.
Lucius graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Biotechnology from Murdoch University (2007 – 2009) in Perth, Australia. Prior, he did a Diploma in Biotechnology in a leading Asian Tertiary Institute.
Upon graduation, he spent 7 years in a 5-Star Hotel in Australia, leading European Bank and the world’s top 10 largest Pharmaceutical Company. He is currently involved in projects in financial technology and is actively contributing to the global community in financial education.
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