Apartment living lessons learned

Over the weekend I was talking with a 2nd year grad student from the program I just graduated from about living in an apartment. It was fun mutually complaining about space and sharing the little bit of space you might get with a room mate. Which lead to the I think I need my own space to really be successful in grad school. I am the biggest advocate for having your own space where you can move about as you wish.
Here is my list of why you should live alone while in grad school:
You can live acording to some mythical clock so you can finish projects
You can eat when, what, and where ever you want
You can wear pjs all day even if you aren't sick
You can alternate between writing, having a dance party, and back to writing in 15 mins
No one wants to hear you talking in your sleep about Chickering's 7 Vectors
You don't have to explain your obsession with postit notes
You can leave books all over the floor
You only have your self to blame when you procrastinated

Now here is a tip on where and what to look for in an apartment close to campus:
Be close but not too close - any where that has more students then non students gets a little out of hand.
If you walk up to the leasing office and there are beer bottles in the planters, walk away.
Never move to a unit that has any major destractors within ear or eye shot (pool, tennis court, volleyball, community laundry, main entry gates, major streets)
Check out the community at random hours of the day just to get a feel for it.
Make sure a grocery store (or in my case a Target) is within walking distance.
Meet people who live there
Walk around after a tour, you see different things when you are on your own.


I have horror stories of apartment living and shopping. I have had crazy neighbors. But through it all I learned and lived. Good luck!