No one should be shocked or surprised that living off campus is a whole new ballgame. There are new challenges, but also new perks. Here are some rules to follow if you want your off campus living experience to go off without a hitch.
1. Clean everything and I mean everything
The thing about a house or a cottage or an apartment or whatever your complex likes to call their units is there is A LOT more space than a dorm room. There also isn’t housekeeping 🙁 unfortunate I know. So it is up to you and your lovely roommates to break out the Clorox wipes and the occasional mop and get the job done. Sounds simple enough, right? But then tests and projects and events and parties and naps come up and then suddenly no one has the cleaned the guest bath downstairs in months. Here is my advice: clean as you make messes *mind blown* Host a party? Mop the floors the next morning. Attempt to cook dinner? Wipe down the counters and rinse off the dishes, maybe start the dishwasher if it is full. Spill dirt in your room trying to put a succulent in a soda can? Find the vacuum immediately (this is a true story btw). I know this sounds like a lot of adulting, but it takes a lot less time than you think. Also quick note: don’t lie to your mom about cleaning your room because she will come to visit and she will figure it out.
2. Learn how to cook
When I say cook, I don’t mean microwave mac n’ cheese or even grilled cheese, I’m talking like actual meals. My secret weapon: Hello Fresh. Pros: no trips to the grocery store, the instructions have pictures, there is a good variety and you can feed your friends. Cons: there is always an onion in the recipe and I always cry (mainly because of the onions but sometimes because of my knife skills). If Hello Fresh sounds too boujee for you, might I suggest Pinterest and calling your mom. It is so tempting to continue your freshman dorm room eating patterns, but I beg of you: expand your menu. Eating healthy is still a challenge but it definitely makes you feel a lot better about yourself when you make your own meals. Don’t worry I still eat Chick-fil-A and a Domino’s Pan Pizza once a week, but I have also eaten more zucchini in the last couple months than I have eaten in my entire 19 years on this earth. I also feel like a real life adult when I post a picture of my dinner on my Snapchat story. One last piece of advice: cook yourself breakfast every once in a while because it will definitely make you feel like you have your life together.
3. Never let your trash can get too full
As you can imagine more cooking and more cleaning and more adulting leads to more trash. Emptying trash cans is certainly the most annoying of chores in my opinion. There are smells, the occasional mysterious liquid, it can be really heavy which makes walking to the dumpster a nightmare. Solution: take it out before you look at it and want to scream. Obviously, if you finish a pint of ice cream at midnight and notice the trash can is full, please for the love of all that is good DO NOT go to the scary dumpster in the dark corner of your complex, wait until the sun is out and the birds are chirping. Here are some ideas to make taking the trash out fun: make it a roommate date, call your mom/aunt/grandma/high school bestie while you walk, drive over there with the windows rolled down and your favorite song blasting, heck you can even take an actual walk after you walk to the dumpster. Let’s be honest, it will probably never be fun, but hey a girl can dream.
4. Leave early for class
Commuting is without a doubt the worst part about living off campus. Last year I could sleep in until 15 minutes before my class (depending on the building and that day’s activities of course), but now I have to wake up a whole hour before it starts. I know doesn’t it sound awful, my life is so hard. Make sure you have a good playlist ready so that you can have jam session while you circle campus for 30 minutes so that you can walk what feels like 5 miles to get to class. One time I practically parked on Highway 6, ok so maybe it was just behind the Law School but I definitely broke a sweat walking down Fraternity Row (not a good look btw). If you get desperate you can always roll down your window and drive a random student to their car to secure a spot, but I would not recommend. Ole Miss also has this thing called Park and Ride, but public transportation scares me even if it just a 2 minute ride down the road. Usually if you get to campus with ample time before your class you won’t be late and if you are, well good luck Charlie.
5. Always be the hostess with the mostest
I have to say that one of the biggest perks about not living in a dorm is that there are no rules as to who you can have over and when they can be there. You don’t have to flash your ID at the door or try and sneak anyone in. People can just walk up to your house, ring the doorbell and stay as long as they like. So my advice to you is host as many get togethers as you can. Notice that I did not say parties or pregames, but I also didn’t say study groups and quiet hours. But by all means, host those things too. When I say get togethers I’m talking dinner with friends, binge watching bad Netflix movies, arts and crafts sessions on rainy afternoons, literally anything that involves social interaction. Embrace the spontaneity of college and invite people over on a Tuesday night, it will probably be just as much fun, if not more, than going to the bars on Saturday night. Always remember this: your roommates live in your house too, so be considerate when you are hosting things and always be sure to extend the invitation for them to come downstairs.
So in short: keep your house clean, eat good food, take the trash out, try not to cry about commuter parking every day and be around the people that make your heart happy. To the Ladies of 308, thank you for a wonderful sophomore year, maybe next year we can have dinner party reunions. To my froommates for next year, get ready for the time of your life.
