Winter Quarter marks the start of house-hunting season for many students seeking to live off campus the following year.
“I’m done living in a dorm,” Communication sophomore Emma Parker said.. “Two years is enough for me. I want my own space with a kitchen and the chance to be a real person.”
Parker plans to live in an apartment near South Campus with three roommates next year.
“We officially started looking before Thanksgiving but we didn’t actually do anything until after Christmas,” Parker said. “Our strategy was to get started as early as possible so we could get something we really liked and wanted.”
It is difficult to find housing that fits the criteria of all students involved, especially if they don’t act before others who are looking for housing as well, Parker said.
“Right now it is still relatively early, but it’s starting to get competitive,” Parker said. “My roommates and I just wanted to get in there fast. So once we found a place we loved, we got our applications in immediately so we could secure it.”
Finding quality housing is particularly competitive among rising seniors, SESP junior Becca Flamm said.
“Senior year is the year everyone typically moves off campus,” said Flamm, who will also be living in an apartment near South Campus next year. “It’s pretty uncommon to find a senior still living on campus.”
Searching for off-campus housing is stressful not only because of the competition among students, but also because it’s a protracted process that usually burdens one roommate more than the others, Flamm said.
“It takes a lot of time and energy when NU students obviously have a lot of other things going on,” Flamm said. “It usually also ends up falling on one person out of the group to do most of the searching which is unfair and ends up making that person really mad.”
Nancy Gabriel, who oversees the management of more than 250 locations in Evanston, said the most important thing for students to keep in mind when moving off campus is to find a renter who requires that tenants fill out proper rental applications.
“Research thoroughly and talk to your parents,” Gabriel said. “Also, know your rights as a tenant and know that you have to register to vote at your new address. If you want to have a say in the quality of life you have wherever you live, you have to register.”
It is also critical to rent at a place where you feel comfortable, Gabriel said.
“Wherever you rent is your home,” Gabriel said. “You will spend more time at home than you will in class, so pick a place where you feel happy.”
