Where to live
Since becoming a University of Minnesota student, I have had experience living in a few different types of housing arrangements. I have lived in University owned housing, a high scale apartment building right in the middle of campus and, as of a month ago, am now living in a three person house just off campus. My freshman year I lived at University Village, which is a University owned apartment building. It is filled mainly with freshmen, and there are actually a lot of University of Minnesota Student-Athletes that live there as well. For the next two and a half years after that, I lived in Keeler apartments, which was a seperately owned apartment building right in the middle of campus, but in January of this year, I moved out, and in the following entry I would like to talk a little bit about this transition....
Keeler Apartments was a great place to live. It was right in the middle of campus, the bed rooms came fully furnished, the apartment came with full appliances and we have our own washer and dryer right in our apartment. It is a new building and everything about it breathed convenience and ease. In order to save money, (a lot of money) I moved out this January to live in a three person house just off campus. I do not own a car, and have lived at Keeler which is right by everything, for two and a half years, and so I knew this would be an adjustment just in regards to transportation. Other adjustments included moving into a bedroom which was half the size of the one I had been in before, going from a queen size bed to a twin, going from having a dishwasher, to not having a dishwasher, and many other things. The house was older, dirtier and everything about it was just a little more inconvenient than my former apartment. All this I knew before I made my decision, but to me, I knew it was worth it. To me, the money I would be saving alone was more than enough compensation for any of the drawbacks, and once I got there I began to realize that there were other subtle benefits to living in a house off campus like that. I really enjoy the quiet. At my apartment, people were always coming in and out. In total there were 12 people on my floor, including my roommates whom I was friends with, and sometimes the constant noise and distractions could be bothersome and hindering when trying to get work done. I missed those people, as I no longer saw them as often, but saw the benefits as well. As I mentioned, I am now living off campus, which means that travel time and method is now an issue. I was unsure at first how I was going to get around, because, at first, the location of the house seemed much farther away than it is in actuality. But now, I walk everywhere. So every morning I have at least a 25 minute walk, depending on where I am going, but I have grown to find that time very relaxing. I enjoy having that time to just listen to music and be outside.
The point of this story is to help you realize that there are many different housing options, and that generally speaking, there is not necessarily one that is better than the others. There are pros and cons to every living situation, so what matters is not necessarily what each housing situation has to offer, but what it is that you need from it. Lease agreements is a major factor. Many places will require you to sign a 12 month lease that will bind you to paying for rent for an entire year, regardless of whether you are looking to live on campus for the summer. Also, your financial situation. If money is not a concern, it would potentially be very worth it to spend a little extra on location and convenience, especially if you plan on being very busy, and need to be on campus a lot. The list of considerations is endless, and you need to balance out the pros and cons of each living arrangement with your priority of needs.
One of the best ways to get information on living arrangements is to speak to people who have lived there, or who are living there currently. Many apartment building managers will put you in touch with a current resident if you ask. You may also ask the building managers, but you may get a more realistic response from someone who is not working for the building. To get contact information as well as general information like price, location, facilities you can check out any apartment building's website. Below I have listed the websites of a few apartment buildings as well as the University of Minnesota housing website and another housing posting site.
University of Minnesota Housing Website:
http://www.housing.umn.edu/
Keeler Apartments:
http://www.keelerapartments.com/
Melrose Apartments
http://www.melrose.com/
Miscellaneous Housing Listings Sites:
www.Apartments.com
www.craigslist.com