Guest Author - D. Lynn Byrne, Ph.D.

If you’re like most students, you spent the majority—if not all—of your undergraduate education either living in a dormitory on campus or living at home. You’re a graduate student now—older, a little more settled, maybe not so much into the idea of communal living anymore. What are your options?

Whether you’re single or married, living on campus is still a good option. Many universities have special dormitories or apartments on campus specifically targeted for graduate student housing and larger universities often have housing specifically for married graduate students. Though this may not be your preferred housing, it does give you the benefit of easy access to the university and its facilities as well as constant peer interaction. There is a financial benefit to on-campus housing in that many universities include an allowance for this housing in a student’s financial aid package. The biggest negative is that most on-campus housing is available only during the active semester and some universities may require you to leave during long breaks (i.e. winter and summer breaks).

If you aren’t enamored of living on campus, you might consider a housing cooperative. Cooperatives are usually off-campus, communal housing facilities that are owned by the university or a contracted housing provider. The benefit of the cooperative is that your rent is usually lower than what you would pay for a standard apartment and you also have the advantage of communal living (roommates)--but on a much smaller scale than that typically found in on campus housing. Like on-campus housing, you can usually contract to rent your space on a per semester or academic year basis. However, you won’t usually have to worry about leaving your space during long breaks.

Multi-family housing (the standard “apartment) is another housing option for graduate students. Renting an apartment allows you some control over the roommate situation as you can choose to rent a single bedroom apartment or you can choose to have roommates. The biggest advantage to apartment living is that you gain quite a bit of freedom and still have the luxury of someone else to do the grunt work—fix broken windows, handle plumbing problems, etc. However, you generally have to take at least a six-month lease and most complexes will require a credit check and/or co-signer.

Other rental housing (duplexes, triplexes, quads, houses) options will vary tremendously. The costs of renting other housing is generally higher than that of an apartment and you may not have the luxury of a handy-person to fix things. But if your objective is quiet, space and independence, this type of housing may be your best option.

If you decide that on- or off-campus housing is not a viable option, and you have parents you can call on in a pinch, you might consider living at home—at least for the short term. Living at home can be a good experience. If you were away for most of your undergraduate years, this time at home could provide you with an opportunity to re-establish a connection to your parents. If you are worried that your parents will attempt to impose rules and restrictions on your activities, sit down with them ahead of time and work out the new “rules of the house.”

Whichever option you choose, locating and procuring adequate housing during graduate school should be as much a priority to you as is your actual enrollment. If you don’t like your first option, there’s always next semester…

Until next time! Lynn Byrne