We’ve all experienced the panic of moving into your second year of university, moving out of residence and looking for a place to live with your friends. Living in student housing post-residence will be some of the best years of your life. My advice on how to make them better? Live in a house! As someone who’s lived in both an apartment and a house as an upper-year student, here’s my take on why houses are superior.
- space is key
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The amount of space a house provides compared to an apartment is astonishing. I had never noticed how tiny my room was in my apartment until I moved into a house. Everything is bigger. There’s much more room for yourself, your roommates and all your stuff! More space also helps with the feeling of being crowded.
- “homey” feeling
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We all know the feeling I’m talking about when I say “homey”. The coziness of a house is unbeatable. In an apartment, you can still find that cozy home feeling, but it’s so much more rewarding to be able to walk downstairs and cozy up on the couch with your friends at the end of a long school day. This feeling is something all university students should have the chance to experience, as this is your home! It’s hard to feel like you’re at home when you have to take an elevator up to your unit compared to walking in the door to the smell of your housemate’s dinner (typically Kraft Dinner).
- no more neighbours
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Although this statement isn’t entirely true, living in a house does eliminate the most annoying type of neighbours- the upstairs and downstairs neighbours. No more worrying about how loud you’re walking around, the dance party you’re having in your room or if you’ll be up all night because the unit above you is partying. In a house, it’s just you and the people you live with! However, you’ll likely still have neighbours on either side of your house. My best advice is to become friends with your neighbors, or at least become civil enough with them, so no noise complaints arise.
- backyards are more fun
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This is easily one of the best parts of living in a house, and I think most people who have a backyard will agree with me on this one. It makes university living more fun. Everyone loves a good party in a friend’s backyard, and you can officially be that friend! One of my favourite parts was getting cute lights to string along the trees in our backyard – would definitely recommend it.
- porch life
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Saved the best for last! Undoubtedly, my favourite part of my house is our porch. We have just enough room for a few chairs and during the warmer days, we sit outside and do our work all together. It’s just the best feeling. I’d definitely recommend investing in a picnic table for your front yard area or for your backyard too! It’s also the perfect area for people watching – one of our favourite activities.
Overall, living with your friends during a prime time of your life will be exciting regardless of where you reside. However, if you get the opportunity to choose between a house or an apartment, I hope this list helped sway you in the right direction.