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    21 Lessons You Learn Living Off Campus

    Meal plan? I don't need no stinkin' meal plan.

    1. Skipping class is way too tempting when you can't just stumble there in sweatpants.

    2. Paying rent means you actually learn how to write a check years before the rest of your friends.

    3. Avoiding the firewall or weird restrictions of campus Wi-Fi is great, but real-world browsing can be super unreliable.

    4. House parties are the best parties.

    5. Being the one who has to clean up? Not as fun.

    6. Speaking of which, bathrooms no longer clean themselves.

    7. The cops that come to your door after noise complaints are not like your friendly stoner RA.

    8. You have severe fear of missing out on group dining hall hangouts.

    9. But without a meal plan, you actually figure out how to, like, feed yourself. You know, grocery shopping.

    10. Cooking becomes more than just making popcorn in your hall's microwave.

    11. Living with roommates can really cement friendships.

    12. Orrrrr late rent and moldy dishes and Sasquatch snoring can turn your friendships into passive aggressive hellscapes.

    13. Apartment hunting means asking 3786346782 questions so that your shower doesn't randomly self destruct after one week.

    14. Dealing with landlords is always fun and productive and never the worst.

    15. You get a crash course in time management because you can't stop by your dorm room for books or clothes or a nap.

    16. Which means carrying everything you could possibly need around all day, every day.

    17. Living on your own can kinda make you feel like a badass.

    18. Off-campus living means more control. More control means you can SAVE MONEY.

    19. Your distance from campus is inversely related to your amount of school spirit.

    20. Not everyone gets it.

    21. But you know what? You can handle this whole "living in the real world thing."