a Little Light

Note: This will also appear in the next mentor newsletter. Here’s the unedited preview.

As the second half of your first year at Washington State draws to a close, reality soon begins to set in that the resident hall room in which you currently reside in will probably not be home any longer. Since the freshman live-in rule no longer applies to you, the world of Pullman becomes accessible to you. But where should you live? Who should you live with? What are my options? These are some of the issues we will be touching on over the next few paragraphs.

Housing in Pullman essentially breaks down into 3 popular categories: resident halls, on-campus apartments and off campus housing.

The residence halls are where you likely spent your first year at WSU. While you experienced a part of what the resident halls have to offer, there’s a lot more to explore and take advantage of. Age restricted housing in places such as Rogers and Orton offer age restricted housing, offering single rooms as standard, optional RDA and a quieter living environment. You may also want to try living in the new $26 million dollar Olympia housing, there’ plenty more Resident Halls can offer.

On-campus apartments like Chinook and Chief Joe are popular because they are close to campus, maintained by the university, no leases are required and it’s affordable. It takes the best parts of living on campus and mixes it with the freedom and independence of off campus living – Chief Joe even pays the electricity bill for you!

Off campus housing can be tricky because they often require leases and require dealing with a third party. Benefits of off campus housing include the ability to own pets and begin to attempt independent living. Some popular off campus managers include DABCO and Hill apartments.

What does this mean? Here’s a simple flow chart. If you consider yourself irresponsible, too lazy to cook, lack a car or access to a car and are financially stable, your best bet is to probably stay in one of the resident halls. Otherwise, if you prefer a close location to campus, prefer dealing with the university for rent and are looking for affordability, you should explore on-campus apartments. And finally, if you’d like to own a pet, want extra perks like dishwashers and inside washing machines, might stay in Pullman for the summers and have no transportation issues, off campus housing may be the best option for you.

As far as roommates go, your best bet it to not necessarily live with your best friends. Rather, the best thing to do is live with people who match your style and personality. Try to find roommates who have the same biological clock, cleanliness and responsibility level as you. Otherwise, early birds may get sick of insomniacs, OCD cleaners may hate slobs and punctual bill payers may get irritated by late and forgetful roommates. If you happen to be friends, even better, but the priority should be to find others who share your personality.

The bottom line is to find housing which will match who you are as a person. Just because it worked for your best friend or parents doesn’t mean it’s the best option for you.

And, as always, if you have any questions, don’t hesitate in asking one of your friendly student mentors.