Moving off campus is both a blessing to your bank account and to your stomach. And while the process of finding the right apartment, filling out lease agreements and getting on the mile-long waiting lists of some buildings can be pesky and annoying, in the end, your parents will thank you.
I must add a few caveats here before I continue. The amenities, security or laundry facilities in off-campus housing are not as good as the dorms -- unless, of course, you're living in the apartments available in Inn at the Collonade or University One.
Take, for example, the first apartment I subletted in the Burford -- upon our arrival to Baltimore, just a few days after Christmas, my roommate and I found that our apartment had been broken in to. No worries -- the only thing stolen was a stereo and our sense of security.
The next morning, however, a mysterious "repairman" came to fix our door, even though we hadn't reported the incident yet. Needless to say, I bought extra bolts for our bedrooms and lived nervously for two weeks.
Anyhow, on to the real transition. Paying bills is a slight reality check, as most places make you pay for utilities, internet, cable etc. Keep in mind though, that these bills are all substantially lower than the amorphous ones your parents used to take care of.
And for the most part, they won't cut into your beer/PlayStation/computer gadget budget -- unless, of course, you decide to go all out on cable channels and air conditioning. I was particularly pleased at how low my bills were, once split between other people.
As far as those other people go, keep in mind that your roommates are making a significant transition too. It takes some longer than others to accustom themselves to paying their own bills, cook for themselves and clean their own apartment. Though by now you should know whomever you're planning on living with pretty well, you might not know that he/she is a tightwad, or has problems with money management.
One of the biggest problems can be a roommate who's broke when it comes time to pay for heat, cable or rent. It's just plain annoying when someone splits hairs over every expense or isn't willing to share.
This leads me to a very important point. No matter where you move off campus, it is pertinent to realize what comes with living "on your own."
First, you and your roommates all have more of this thing called "personal responsibility," and it can be a hard thing for some to handle. Sit down with your friends and delegate tasks and identify roles, like who's the garbage man on Tuesday, who's going to clean up dishes and how you're going to stock the fridge.
It may help to think of you and your roommates as small, independent states. If any of you develop an attitude of only looking out for yourself and your resources (i.e. ice cream, hot dogs, beer, dirty dishes), it makes for overall bad karma in the apartment and bad feelings.
You'll ultimately end up arguing over all that petty stuff, when you could have started out with a policy of sharing and mutual accountability.
With that expectation and attitude at the outset, bills, groceries and cleaning won't be frustrating, and you and your roommates can spend more time planning a hot party than arguing over who's going to buy more milk.
