annie24 Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 I know better, lol. As much as renting a house sounds nice I think I rather do apartment. It's safer anyways! The amenities and the fact that I'll more than likely be surrounded by other college students will be nice. If your in a house your in a family neighborhood usually but an apartment near the college its more of students, hopefully! and depending on the house, you might be required to do things like mow the lawn, tend to the yard, etc.... which maybe is fun if you are into that stuff, but otherwise, it's a time consuming committment. Link to comment
Princess123 Posted September 20, 2011 Author Share Posted September 20, 2011 I'm renting a duplex and its a forest in the yard. They take care of the front but not the back. I don't even water it because I don't want it to grow! Growing means paying someone to cut it! Today I got that feeling it was crazy. I was driving and it hit me. It felt like I was moving and I had this feeling that you get when you move to a new city. The scariness and excitement of it all, all at once. I just realized and it just hit me. It wasn't a question of moving it felt more that I had made a decision and it was finally hitting me that I was moving. Strange because I haven't checked out the area, the school, apartments, or made a final decision yet. Link to comment
Princess123 Posted September 20, 2011 Author Share Posted September 20, 2011 My dad just told me student housing is out. He said maybe for your sister who likes to party and get drunk but you are better off campus where it's quiet and no partying. LOL So my options are off campus housing and that's it. I swear there are only 2 apartments in that town! Link to comment
annie24 Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 My dad just told me student housing is out. He said maybe for your sister who likes to party and get drunk but you are better off campus where it's quiet and no partying. LOL So my options are off campus housing and that's it. I swear there are only 2 apartments in that town! ehhh.... it really depends on the character of the student housing. some are 'party dorms.' i was in the scholar's hall which was a pretty quiet hall, overall. we got along, but overall, i was able to study there. i think your dad shouldn't jump to conclusions. check out the actual options - most dorms do have a 'quiet' wing. Link to comment
Princess123 Posted September 20, 2011 Author Share Posted September 20, 2011 I also have a dog now so dorms are 100% out. Link to comment
Snny Posted September 21, 2011 Share Posted September 21, 2011 depends on where you go to school, what the average rent is. I know some places where $700 a month for a 1 bedroom is cheap! ... The $670 sometimes includes things like heat, electricity, cable, phone, and internet. If it does, then it's an ok deal. but having to share a kitchen isn't! Nope. I lived with a roommate and had to pay gas, basic cable, and electric separately. Shared kitchen on top of it. Yea $700 for a 1 bedroom is nice, but it wasn't an option for living in a student apartment (wish they had that for me Water was included in the cost and internet was rooted from university servers (good sometimes... sucked if you were an MMO gamer since servers restricted bandwidth and slowed your internet speed). I was told not to do all bills paid because they control your electric and water usage. Absolutely not true. Always research the rental agreements of places you plan to stay. Each one has different policies. My dad is in a mindset of me not having roommates BUT if he buys me a house then I can have roommates. Eh no sense, lol. Yea it doesn't. However if you live in student apartments, university police will monitor that area for safety. I got e-mail alerts about crimes taking place within my complex or right outside it, and university police or rent-a-cop security would patrol the complex. Separate rental Houses do not provide that security or resources for students. Also some newer apartments have key card locks like hotel rooms... so you don't have to worry about remembering to lock it. My dad just told me student housing is out. He said maybe for your sister who likes to party and get drunk but you are better off campus where it's quiet and no partying. This is another big assumption mistake a lot of parents of college students make. College kids will party wherever they want to. LOL my parents thought sending me to a college in a remote area had no partying... were they in for a surprise!!! I had several problems with my college neighbors while living in the apartments... particularly the ones who lived above my floor who liked to party during WEEKDAY NIGHTS because they had evening classes. Music blaring, people stomping/dancing... all while I had to get up 5:30 in the morning 5 days a week to attend my internship. I complained to the police and student apartment landlords... they did nothing about it and I had to sleep over at my ex's (who was my date at the time) several times when they were extremely loud. Unfortunately it wasn't like I could just get up and move out because I was under a contract. As far as the dog... keeping a pet will place severe limitations finding an affordable place to rent. I had this issue when I owned a parrot and my complex said absolutely NO PETS... and I couldn't sneak him in because he squawks and screams. My parents had to help take care of my talkative bird while I finished school. My roommates also had to rely on their parents to take care of their pets while they were away at college. Be prepared for this option in case you can't find a place that will accommodate your living arrangement and your finances. Link to comment
Fudgie Posted September 21, 2011 Share Posted September 21, 2011 I've never had that experience in all my years! ..... hm.... scratch that. I've never had my electric or water usage controlled but I did live in an apartment where heat was included. however, the heat was so poor that I spent my winters freezing my ass off! Same here. I know some people in "utilities included" places and water and electric was just fine but the heat was a bit "eh". Not always, but sometimes. Sometimes you can control your heat just fine. The solution to this is to have a small space heater in the bedroom and just have a bunch of sweaters/blankets. Personally, I'm not for the "internet included" ones because many times, especially on college campuses as stated, bandwidth is restricted. Not a problem if you're just a casual surfer but I like to watch Netflix and stuff and I get throttled ALL THE TIME. When I move out, I'll skip the cable but pay $45/month (that's the regular rate in my area) for 10Mbps broadband. No throttling. I'm sorry to hear about the doggie deposit. Pets are expensive, especially dogs. It's even hard to find a place that will allow dogs at all. Many will allow cats but again, you have to pay up. Link to comment
Snny Posted September 21, 2011 Share Posted September 21, 2011 The solution to this is to have a small space heater in the bedroom That is if the apartments/dorms allow it. Mine didn't because of a fire hazard. A fire broke out in the dorms because some idiot college student had the heater on in their closet. Link to comment
annie24 Posted September 21, 2011 Share Posted September 21, 2011 yeah, space heaters scare me! then again, if you use it properly, you give it several feet of space, don't put blankets or whatever over it, it should be fine. Link to comment
Fudgie Posted September 21, 2011 Share Posted September 21, 2011 Yep, they don't allow them here in my dorms but the apartments in my area seem to be okay with them. As long as you're careful and not dumb about them, you should be okay. I wish I could have a space heater here. Link to comment
Princess123 Posted September 21, 2011 Author Share Posted September 21, 2011 So far I have literally only found one apartment online. I am going to circle around in person and hope I find something else! This only apartment I have found its 2 miles from campus, it says its a sister property of a on campus apartment. It's cheap and the dog deposit although completely nonrefundable annoys me. In the long run rent is cheap and it cancels out. I may lose $300 but I'll save $2100/year from what I'm paying now. It just has no storage and my dad just really gave me so many things that he won't let me get rid of and I don't use. There is a storage facility that charges $30/month. Then it goes rent $500+ dog fee 25+30 for storage= 545/month. Then utilities. I'm just getting sick of having my dog expensive, annoying, and when I have to be out of my place for a few days at a time (school field work) that is going to be an absolute nightmare. It's so mean to say that I don't even know why I feel like that! Link to comment
Fudgie Posted September 21, 2011 Share Posted September 21, 2011 i think you're going to find that most places charge non-refundable deposits for dogs. Sometimes they do for cats (not always) but the places that allow dogs almost always charge a deposit for them. It sucks, I know. It sounds like that apartment may be the best fit for you. In the end, it sounds like you'll be saving more. By all means keep looking but it sounds like it's a good fit in case something better doesn't show up. Most places may not have storage. Is it possible for you to keep some things at home and not take them with you? Link to comment
Princess123 Posted September 21, 2011 Author Share Posted September 21, 2011 I'm in this state alone. My family lives about 3 states in another direction. I left enough back home my dad decided he should buy stuff and bring stuff I didn't want. Head ache. Besides my mom may have a house but she goes through things. Storage I meant like even a coat closet, lol. Around this area its $300 yes but they only keep $150 of it. That's why I was like woah. Now having a dog is stressing me out and I'm pissed how someone actually thought it was a good present. I just don't know why I don't like having pets. Link to comment
Snny Posted September 21, 2011 Share Posted September 21, 2011 Would it be an issue for a family member to look after your dog while you are away at school? I agree... getting a pet while you are away at college is not a great idea and it's also not a good idea to get a pet right after you finish and don't have a career (there were times I nearly had to get rid of my parrot because I couldn't find a place of my own that would agree to let me bring a bird in). If you are adamant about taking the dog with you, you would have to get a house lease and find roommates who will not mind you having a dog. Do you know any people who would agree to room with you in a rental house? My sister and her boyfriend have a small dog together while living in a student townhouse and attending school... and their landlord has no problem with it. If you go for an apartment, you have to comply with their strict set of rules and utility costs. Link to comment
Princess123 Posted September 21, 2011 Author Share Posted September 21, 2011 Okay why couldn't I get an apartment with a dog now? I'm confused. I'm going to have to deal with it. I'm stuck with the dog and its cruel to give her away and who knows what kind of home she go to. There are people on craigslist that would resell her for a lot more and she is attached to me. I think I'm overreacting on it and I get too stressed by pets! I would prefer to hand it over to family but I can't. So I'm kind of stuck with her and hope for the best. If I have to leave for field trips for days at a time I'm just going to have to fork over money for boarding! Link to comment
Snny Posted September 22, 2011 Share Posted September 22, 2011 Honestly... it all boils down to what your highest priorities are; getting a college education and finding a cheap place to live without stressing about finances, or pay the extra bucks for apartment deposits just to have a dog around? What are you realistically allowed to do based on your current situation right now? Truthfully, you are not the only person who goes through this situation with their pets. If it wasn't for my parents' support, I would of had to sold my parrot while I was at school... and parrots aren't like dogs since they imprint to only one person... which makes it harder to find another owner for them if some life occurring change happens. If your parents agree to take care of the dog while you're away at school, you can see the dog on a couple of weekends per semester and you have the summers off. Unfortunately... welcome to the real world. Sorry if the answers we're giving you aren't what you're seeking. I wish you luck on finding a place that accommodates for your pet. You could leave the dog at home for the first year, find dependable roommates at school who don't mind living with a dog, and you all get a house to rent and move the dog in the next school year. Link to comment
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