Living off Campus: Tips and Tricks of the Trade...?

Question

Im a senior but will be living off campus for the first time this year...

Any tips or tricks from those who have gone through this routine thats so new to me? Let me know what to expect, anything extra I should remember to take with or pack or to make driving to school now everyday alot less of a burden?

Answer 1

1. Make sure you have ALL of your paperwork related to the care and maintenance of your car. If your car should have problems, you could be left in a real jam! Also, research the availability of mass transit going to and from the campus, just in case you should ever run into a problem with your vehicle.

2. Do a practice run back and forth to campus to time out how long it takes to get there. Also, practice having to park in the area FARTHEST away from your classes. It never fails that one day you'll be running late and won't be able to find a place to park. You'll save time if you're just prepared to park far away rather than driving around looking for a space.

3. Decide now if you'll be eating on campus or at home. It doesn't pay to get a meal plan if you'll be doing most of your eating and cooking at home. You can also save money if you pack a lunch for yourself before you leave for classes for the day!

4. A laptop could be your greatest investment, if you don't already have one. You can bring it with you to campus and never have to wait for a computer to open up in the lab. Also, you might want to get one of those compact travel printers and leave it in your car for emergency term paper printing.

5. Speaking of your car, it's a good idea to keep a stash of emergency school supplies in your trunk...stapler, tape, pens, #2 pencils, paper, etc.

6. Depending on where your school and apartment are, you need to be extra vigilant about what you keep in sight inside your car. College students are notorious for leaving expensive items on the passenger seat!

7. If you're taking a lit or language class this semester, try to find some stuff on audio CD that you could listen to during your commute. If it's a lit class, there's a good chance some of your require readings are on CD as well. And if it's a language class, get one of those language on CD's so you can practice to and from school.