Graduate school signifies a big new step in someone’s life. You’ve completed your undergraduate degree and are embarking on the path towards completing your next one.
If you’re starting graduate school immediately or shortly after finishing undergrad, you may find yourself struggling to find adequate housing. It can be a challenge – being young and wanting to keep the fun rolling from your undergrad days – but also tackling the increased difficulty of your studies in graduate school.
Here are some tips to help you balance this quirky dynamic, and ultimately succeed in your program at a place you love to call home.
Avoid busy streets – stick to somewhere farther off-campus
Location, location, location.
It can be tempting to pick a place in the heart of the action. High Street. Court Street. Both names signify the zenith of their school’s respective cultures, so wanting to live right where everything is happening is totally reasonable.
That being said, things are different in graduate school. Living right next to everything can be a huge distraction to your studies. Or on the other hand, hearing and seeing your undergrad counterparts partying every weekend while you hole yourself up indoors to do homework elicits no other feeling other than FOMO – fear of missing out.
So, if may be better to take a step and pick a place a little further from campus. That doesn’t mean living in the sticks an hour from campus, but instead choosing a quieter street just a little ways from the action. Essentially, you want to be close enough to the action but far enough away from the commotion.
Living with undergraduate roommates can create conflict
Roommates, like the location of your rental, are crucial to cultivating the best living experience in a student rental while in graduate school.
When you were in undergrad, the calculus for picking roommates was pretty simple. Pick a few friends who have similar habits and lifestyles, and then sign the lease and move on. But you absolutely, positively, need to be more selective and careful with your graduate school roommates.
It’s likely you’ll be spending a decent chunk of time at home – studying, reading, working – much more time than you spent in undergrad. Be cognizant of this when choosing a roommate. Do you want someone who will be blasting music and partying all the time, or someone who will be conscientious and respect your space?
On the other hand, this does not mean you should avoid roommates altogether.
“The real danger of living alone is not feeling lonely per se, but having reduced contact with others … researchers speculate that living alone might even cause people to have poorer health habits, such as smoking, eating an unhealthy diet and getting less physical activity,” a Smithsonian article reads.
The goal is then to pick a small group of roommates 1-3, and make sure they’re all on the same wavelength about rules and responsibilities of cohabitating. Ideally, you’d want these roommates to be graduate students too, since it is super helpful to build up solidarity with other students to help make it through your program.
Enjoy the graduate school living experience
Your stay in the rental may be short – one or two years – but that doesn’t mean it should be a boring one.
Considering that you’ll be spending a lot of time in the rental during the span of your lease, decorating properly is a must. We have general decorating tips, affordable decorating tips and decorating tips for small apartments.
Another important note is to invest in some house plants. Decoration reasons aside, plants provide real, scientific benefits.
“Having plants in your home or office can be a source of pleasure. Indoor gardening relieves stress, boosts creativity, productivity, and focus, and promotes recovery. There’s some evidence that houseplants may positively influence the air quality in your home as well,” according to Healthline.
Some inspiration:
Where you rest your head matters
Look, no one will have the perfect living space. Things break, roommates can cause problems and sometimes we grow tired of the layout of the unit. But those are normal, expected problems. Your goal as a graduate student should be to minimize outside, unexpected problems. This means choosing quality roommates who are invested in making the apartment or home look nice and presentable, living in an area where distractions are tampered and dedicating time towards making the conducive to studying.
