When considering your options for the next school year, have you thought about living by yourself in a studio or one-bedroom apartment? Whether you’re a Bobcat at Ohio University or a Buckeye at Ohio State, having our own place without annoying house- or apartment mates is always an option worth considering.
Of course, your preference in this matter may have more to do with yourself than the people with whom you can potentially share a house or apartment. You may be the sort of person who thrives when left to his or her own devices, and who prefers the independence of solo living. There’s no need to divvy up chores in a Columbus or Athens studio apartment, and there aren’t that many to do anyway. When a few dishes are dirty, you just clean them and put them out of mind. Or when hair collects in the shower drain, it’s no big deal to wad up some toilet paper and remove the gunk – the job’s not that gross when you know it’s your own hair.
Choosing Housemates Is Simple
Deciding whom to live with in a studio or one-bedroom apartment is easy because you already know who your house- or apartment mate will be – it’s yourself! You don’t need to worry about offending friends or acquaintances by not selecting them to live with. You’re living by yourself, and that’s that. You don’t need to worry about pissing off Friends A or B because you’ve decided to live with Friends C and D. A, B, C and D can share a house themselves, and leave you out of it.
Other Benefits of Living on Your Own
• You can wear whatever you want or wear nothing. Face it, when you live in a Columbus or Athens apartment or house with other people, you can’t just stroll around in the morning naked. (Well, you probably can’t.) You also probably can’t feel comfortable singing the “Frozen” song at the top or your lungs, watching old Pauly Shore movies, or excavating your nostrils without inhibition.
• You can decorate your place however you like. No decoration or furniture arranging by committee when you have your own studio apartment. If you decide you want a portrait of great grandma on the living-room wall (or your childhood St. Bernard), that’s your choice. If you see some great second-hand furniture at a yard sale (or perhaps that leg-stocking lamp a la “Christmas Story”), there’s no need to consult with housemates. (Unless you suffer from multiple personality disorder, of course.)
• Nobody will eat your food or drink your beer. Whatever you put in the refrigerator is sure to be there the next time you look. No surprises. That triple-meat pizza that you started last night will still be around at lunchtime today. The last two beers in that six-pack you enjoyed with the pizza will be there as well.
• Naps are easier when you live by yourself. And if you’re a snorer, who cares!?
• It’s much easier to exit an awkward or painful social situation at someone’s house or apartment when you can make your escape to your own studio apartment.
• If you meet an attractive individual of your preferred gender, the situation is likely to go a lot smoother if you have your own place where the two of you can hang out, as opposed to trying to hook up in a rental house that’s full of other people.
• You can study whenever you want; you can party whenever you want; you can watch football whenever you want.
• No arguments about what to watch on TV or what music to play.
There’s plenty of other reasons why a studio apartment in Columbus or Athens might be preferable to sharing a place with other people. But if you’re not the sort of person who enjoys solitude, if you’re more of a social butterfly, it’s probably best to live with other folks who share your interests and lifestyle.