Renting With Friends vs. Getting Your Own Apartment

On November 9, 2010

Ready to get your first college apartment? Here are some things to take into consideration when deciding whether you’ll rent with friends or get your own place.

Rachel Krech
Cornell College

One of the many benefits to being in college is the opportunity to live in an apartment off campus. To many of us college students, this is considered a huge step up from dorm life. However, when searching for that perfect college apartment, there are two main things to take into consideration: Will you live in your own apartment or rent with roommates? This is a huge decision to be made when choosing an apartment, and the pros and cons of each shouldn’t be taken lightly, as they’re sure to affect your life for the next year or possibly years.

Firstly, if you’re a neat and clean person and your roommate is messy, the downfall is that your apartment could easily turn into a pig sty. Secondly, having an additional person (or persons) in your apartment usually equals more noise, especially at the worst times (like when you need to study).

When you live with a roommate, you need to make rules and lay down the law when it’s needed. When you’re by yourself in an apartment, you’ll only need to take care of yourself, and generally when it comes to noise and mess, rules aren’t necessary. Finally, there’s the issue of rent. If you’re both paying rent (which is usually the case), you need to make sure you’re both paying on time. When you’re living by yourself, you’re only responsible for you.

Renting by yourself may be the right choice for you, but there are other things to take into consideration before you make the jump to get your first apartment. For one, living by yourself can be lonely. By having a roommate, you’re making an instant connection and many times an instant friend whom you can bond and hang out with on a regular basis, whether it’s at the apartment or elsewhere. The biggest con to renting by yourself is the price. Getting your own apartment can be costly, especially since you’re not splitting the rent with someone else. Additionally, landlords generally make a two-bedroom apartment cheaper per person than a one-bedroom apartment. Say a one-bedroom apartment is $600 a month, but a two-bedroom apartment is $1000 a month. If you were to live with a roommate, it would only be $500 each instead of $600. And saving $100 a month is a huge deal when you’re a college student! Money is money, after all!

So, before you take the plunge into getting your own college apartment, take these tips into consideration. In summary, getting your own apartment will mean less mess and noise and no issues with rent. But getting an apartment with roommates will be less lonely and cheaper.

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