Choosing off-campus student housing is a crucial step for a college student. Now, it’s time to do the hard part: figuring out what you need in off-campus housing that you never needed in the dorms.
While the exact list of things you need will vary depending on the size and style of apartment you select, here are a few things you’re guaranteed to need in your first apartment:
- Furniture. Seems obvious, right? If you’re getting anything larger than an efficiency apartment, you’ll need a bed and a sofa at minimum. A desk or table with chair and dresser of some sort are also good furnishings to have. It’s pretty easy to find affordable furniture at a used furniture store, but start early because by the beginning of the school year the only things left will be the unwanted furniture. Also, if you want to save time searching for and moving furniture into your new apartment, you can find off-campus furnished apartments in most college communities. The one downside to furnished apartments is the rent will be higher than an unfurnished apartment and the furniture quality is usually mediocre at best.
- Dishes. You have a kitchen now, so you’ll need a few pots, pans and some dishes to eat off. It can be tempting to go out to eat every night or order in, but eventually you’ll want to eat something you made at home. Pick up a pizza pan while you’re at the store because frozen pizza is a staple of college living.
- A shower curtain. This can be the easiest thing to forget when moving into your first apartment and one of the most necessary. A plastic shower liner and the matching plastic hooks won’t be the most expensive part of furnishing your new apartment, but it’s vital to being able to take a shower without making a mess all over the bathroom. The plastic hooks can even be useful for hanging up clothes if you don’t want to splurge on hangers.
Is there something else that you think is absolutely necessary for your first apartment? Sound off in the comment section below.
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