The housing process involves many important decisions: where you want to live, whom you want to live with, and what kind of room you want. The Daily Pennsylvanian spoke to upperclassmen who have words of advice for students going through the process.
Do your research
Nursing junior Monai Thompson recommended visiting different rooms in different college houses to get a feel for each house. This advice, she says, also applies to sophomores who are considering moving off campus for their junior year.
"Definitely do as much research as you can because I feel like every college house is different, and they have something else to offer. You won't know which college house fits you until you do your research," Thompson said.
Thompson added that it is important to consider proximity to your classes and your financial aid situation. She recommends reaching out to upperclassmen friends and speaking to them about their current living situation.
"You need to know what works for you as a student and you as a person when making your decision," Thompson said.
Communicate about living styles
College senior Bryan Alvarez-Carcamo explained that communication is the most important attribute in a successful living situation.
“I really think that communication is probably the key to a successful living situation and that it is important to room with a group that you know fairly well, but don't room with your best friends because it gets complicated when issues arise,” Alvarez-Carcamo said. “It becomes personal versus if you are not that close with them, then you can distance yourself from that person without it hurting that much.”
Alvarez-Carcamo also stressed how personal routines are an important factor when choosing a roommate.
"Make a game plan in terms of what the day-to-day is going to look like. Like, the scheduling of who’s cleaning, who’s taking out the trash, and showering times," he recommended.
College senior Jeffrey Fishman echoed Alvarez-Carcamo's sentiments. He said that when picking a roommate, it is important to consider habits.
“It is important to consider a lot of things when you are deciding whether you want to live with someone or not, so not just if you are compatible, but think about your sleep schedule, eating schedule, how clean you want the apartment to be,” Fishman said. “Setting those standards earlier is definitely a good idea to have when thinking about living with people.”
Plan ahead and get organized
Fishman urged students to plan far in advance and talk to the group of people they want to live with about their priorities for housing.
"You want to figure out where you see yourself living and also who you want to live with so that you make sure you are organized and ready to go into the process of actually requesting the housing on time," Fishman said.
For current first years, Fishman also recommends that they take note of their timeslot and make sure they are ready with a list of their first choices and backups.
"Make sure you make use of your timeslot, or else you most likely will not get the housing you want," Fishman said.
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