How living off-campus could ruin friendships – and what you can do about it

By Uloop Writer on September 26, 2012

My first year at Tufts, I was told a horrifying story about how a couple friends stopped being friends because of a fall-out over an off-campus house. It sounded ridiculous yet horrifying, could this happen to me and my friends? Did I really want to live off campus after all? Well, here are the pitfalls that can befall upon those wishing to live together and some ways to counteract them.

Who to live with

This may be one of the biggest pitfalls, whether you decide to go off campus or not. Ultimately, you have to select a few friends that you won’t hate after living with them for year. So choose wisely. The best person to live with is not necessarily your best friend but someone who you are compatible with. When talking to people about housing, make sure to be considerate, honest and kind to them, especially if you don’t want to live with them. If you are the one left out of a housing group, don’t take it too personally. Instead consider the other awesome housing opportunities out there.

Money

Before even starting to search for a house, think about how much you can spend per month and discuss it with your future housemates. Currently the Tufts housing fee is $6,450 for the year which depending on how you break it down, could be $537.50 per month (12 months), $645 (10 months) and $716.67 (9 months). Consider whether you are going to stay for the summer or need to sublet. Talk to your parents (if they are paying) ahead of time to make sure that everything is set before having to make the big housing decision. Most importantly, remember that your housemates may not have the same financial situation as yourself and so you may have to make concessions so that you can all live together.

Location, and more importantly, demands

Everyone wants something different in a house, whether in college or real life (because let’s face it, Tufts is a little bubble of its own). Discuss with your housemates what you all want and realize you can’t have everything. Would you rather live closer to campus, have a big kitchen, even sized bedrooms or not have to pay for your laundry? And when you are looking at different locations, ask the landlord who lives in the building and in the neighbourhood. Living near families will make a completely different experience than living near other students.

Because sometimes the people you meet during your first week of college are the people you want to live with your last year of college

Living together, cleanliness

You’ve found your house, you’ve moved in and everything is great. Except… the house is a mess. Discuss when moving in how you are going to clean and make rules. It may sound silly but trust me, by deciding ahead of time what is acceptable and how the house is going to be run, you will save yourself future arguments. Of course, things will come up that your cleaning schedule won’t have accounted for, such as exams, late night panic study sessions and parties, but they’re your friends, so be flexible and help each other out.

Communication

You may have noticed that I kept mentioning that you should talk to your housemates. That’s because, without talking to them, you’re in for a year of disasters. By keeping each other informed, talking about potential future problems and letting each other know when you are getting annoyed with each other, you’ll build stronger friendships and have an amazing year.

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