It was easy to take for granted living on campus. I was a 15 minute walk away from everything, I had groups of friends right down the hall and I could wake up 20 minutes before class and get there on time. So, it is safe to say, living off campus has been an adjustment the past few weeks.
Instead of waking up 20 minutes before class, I now wake up an hour and a half before class. I have to make myself a lunch, pack snacks and make sure I have everything I need for the entire day because if I forget something, well I’m out of luck. While I am living with two of my favorite people, if I want to see other friends, I have to drive – not walk a minute down the hall. And parking is a thing now. I’ve fallen into a routine of places I check before venturing to Plains Road and taking the bus up the hill. I have bills now too, actual pieces of paper that have a due date, not a lump sum of money due at the beginning of the year. I’m responsible for buying my own groceries and cooking something (though as my roommates can tell you, I’m notorious for an easy pizza, cereal or buffalo chicken dip).
It’s been an adjustment, that’s for sure, but I must admit that being able to come home to an actual house and have that space is wonderful. I don’t have to worry about forgetting my ID or making noise past quiet hours. I don’t have to worry about URI secure crapping out when I have an assignment due. I don’t have to worry about rowdy drunk people in the halls at 2 a.m. I have two roommates that are extremely chill and while we all have our own routine, relaxing on the couch and watching some game shows tend to be what our nights are.
Choosing to commute the 20 minutes to the University of Rhode Island every day is also teaching me a good amount of what life will be like after college. Such as having to budget expenses, pay for groceries and bills, plan for the day and factor in traffic time when needing to go somewhere.
I’ll admit, the whole this being my senior year thing is an adjustment in itself, an adjustment I’m still not okay with. Living off campus (so far) is something that I do not have any complaints about.