Student Essentials: 5 Tips for Living in a Shared Student Apartment

For many college students, obtaining off-campus housing is a rite of passage. This milestone event often transitions them from being dependent on their parents to becoming independent adults. Whether to prevent loneliness or save money, some students opt to share a place with roommates. While providing benefits, sharing student apartments can be tricky. If you’re bunking with flatmates, increase your odds of seamless shared student apartment living by adhering to the following simple tips.

Define Personal Spaces

Many arguments ensue among roommates due to the failure to define personal spaces. When moving into a place with bunkmates, decide who will utilize all bedrooms, bathrooms, closets, and cabinets. For instance, one roomie might gain control of the upper kitchen cabinets while another one gets access to the bottom ones. Once personal spaces are defined, respect them. Always knock before entering a roommate’s bedroom or bathroom door. Before filling a bunkmate’s empty designated kitchen cabinet with honeybuns or potato chips, ask if you can use it.

Invest in Smart Storage Solutions

Student living requires roommates to peacefully coexist within a limited amount of square footage. Once personal spaces are defined, bunkmates should invest in smart storage solutions. Purchasing furniture with built-in storage compartments is a great idea. For instance, you could buy a bed with built-in drawers. Or, you could purchase a couch or bench with a hidden storage compartment. For the kitchen, pull-out cabinet organizers are good options.

Divide Responsibilities

When moving into off-campus student housing with roommates, dividing responsibilities is crucial. Establish schedules outlining who will do things such as cook, wash dishes, clean the apartment, and shop for supplies each week. Determine how shared bills will be split.

Sharing off-campus housing with roommates can be one of the most memorable, rewarding times in students’ lives.

Establish an Ironclad System for Communication

Good communication isn’t just important in marriages. Communication breakdowns can lead to calamitous conditions in shared student apartments. Imagine how your flatmate would feel if he or she prepared you a scrumptious dinner on the night you forgot to tell him or her you were going to an Atlanta Braves game. To foster communication with your roommates, consider hanging a community white board in a shared space at your place. You can post things such as rent due dates, future visitors, and upcoming parties on the white board. Creating a group text, a shared Google calendar, a Facebook group, or a WhatsApp group may also be helpful.

Spend Quality Time Together

Whether your roommates are complete strangers or friends you’ve known for years, strive to spend some quality time together each week or month. Hanging out with your flatmates can ease tension and promote bonding. Relax and enjoy each other’s company while feasting at a favorite Midtown Atlanta restaurant, watching a movie, or working out at your apartment complex’s fitness facility.

Sharing off-campus housing with roommates can be one of the most memorable, rewarding times in students’ lives. To make the most of this once-in-a-lifetime experience, consider following the aforementioned tips.