You’re seriously considering the move to off-campus housing, your parents are on board with the idea, and you’ve got your roommates lined up. The next step is making your amenity dream sheet—determining which amenity or amenities are non-negotiable in finding the perfect digs for next semester or next year.
The ratty apartments your parents lived in when they were in college have done a complete Cinderella change-up. While most complexes used to have a dinky pool nobody would be caught dead in, these days off-campus living can feel like an all-inclusive resort. Many facilities come furnished, and you pay a flat rental rate for utilities (including WiFi and cable), so it’s easily less expensive than going the dorm and dining hall route.
Here are some of the amenities you’ll want to consider.
Pool (indoor, outdoor, rooftop!)—Think about the school’s location with this one. Outdoor pool in Buffalo? Not so much. Lazy river in Tampa? Definitely! You can get a tan and some new amigos in the same place.
Game room—If you’re a social sort, game rooms can be a great way to entertain and be entertained without changing out of your favorite lounge wear. If “gaming” for you only involves you, a computer screen and some virtual friends, this might be optional.
Laundry facilities—Don’t overlook this critical feature thinking that a jaunt to the neighborhood laundromat might be fun. In fact, if you haven’t done your laundry in one, do that first, then decide whether you’re willing to make the hike every week (or twice a week!).
Workout room—Sure, your school probably has a gym…on campus, with limited parking, and with a waiting list to get a treadmill after 6 AM. Don’t underestimate the extra motivation that comes from being able to walk to your workout facility without breaking a sweat.
Cafe or coffee shop—Again, are these on campus? Of course. Around town? Certainly. But can you go there in your Captain America PJ’s with one eye open at two in the afternoon and not get funny looks? We thought not.
Movie theater—Oh yea, these exist. And they’re incredible. Probably not wise to make this a “must-have” as the idea is still pretty fresh, but if you find a place that has it and you’re a devoted film buff, all the better!
Fire Pits—Remember what we said about pools? The same applies here, although less strictly so. After all, who doesn’t love a good bonfire near the beach, even if it is a little balmy?
Spa—Can’t live without your manis, pedis, massages, and facials? Some student living facilities now include base-level spas where you can keep your beauty regimen going without going anywhere at all.
Should you run into difficulty selling the family on collegiate luxe living, point out that all the advantages and the safety of having so many amenities contained on one site. Point out that you can devote a lot more time to studying if you don’t have to run around all the time to get to the library or the dining hall. Remind your parents that after you graduate, you’ll be on your own and likely living in a one-bedroom fifth floor walk-up with three roommates—this is your last chance at decent living until you’re thirty.
Finally, promise that after you graduate you won’t move back home. Of course you won’t—you’ll go to grad school and stay in that fabulous apartment!
What’s the one amenity you can’t do without in your college housing?
Equal Housing Opportunity
