Oh where to live sophomore year...

As a freshman in college, housing is probably the easiest decision you will make. You pick the nicest dorm, the dorm closest to your classes, or the dorm that is most recommended by older students that you know. However, for kids attending college for the first time, finding housing for sophomore year can be very confusing. Personally, I am the oldest child in my family so college is a new experience for all of all. I feel like I’m way too young to get a place of my own, but this is something that is approaching quickly. Joining a sorority or fraternity can be an easy way to figure out where to live sophomore year – a sorority was not for me since I’m not very girly, but a lot of my good friends became involved in greek like and are very happy with their decision. At first I was really stressed out about how I should pick a few girls to live with next year, but now that I’ve figure it out, I have a few guidelines that have worked with me so far.
First of all, I looked for girls in my dorm that I knew that had similar personalities to me. The girls that I found have the same work hard, play hard personality that I do; if you are very into classes and aren’t much into going out, I would suggest finding roommates who feel the same way. This will minimize the probability of conflict during the week about partying and things like that. Also, I kept cleanliness in mind. I’m not a clean freak my any means, but if my roommates left their stuff all over our apartment it would drive me nuts; once I found out who I wanted to live with next year I investigated their dorm rooms to get a feel for their habits and their general cleanliness.
Figuring out who to live with is only half the trouble; finding the right location is scary and frustrating. The best advice for me came from people that I knew who are older than me and who could suggest different areas around campus that are great places to live. Purdue also offers a few housing fairs once classes get started, which is a great way to discover different places to live. Also keep in mind that you have to be pushy when it comes to housing. You have to have the initiative to call the different housing companies to find out information and set up meetings.
One last suggestion…. Don’t wait until last minute! The good housing goes fast, so definitely figure out where you want to live and who you want to live with ASAP. The worst thing that could happen would be getting stuck with a crappy apartment in a location that you didn’t want…