euphanda

Less Expensive & Better...WHEN YOU DO YOUR RESEARCH!

I have been at Texas Tech since August of 2008. My expected graduation date is Fall 2013 (being a music major requires 5 years). That being said, trust me on a lot of this:

MY CURRENT OFF-CAMPUS SITUATION: I lived in the Fine Arts Learning Community in Wall Hall for one year. I applied to be an R.A., but they didn't have an opening for the FALC halls until after I signed a lease. Upcoming 3rd year at a duplex in a quiet, family neighborhood. I live with 3 other people, and the house has been passed down by music majors since before 2007.

The loop that takes you all around the city is behind our neighborhood, while two of the fastest streets are bordering the neighborhood as well. This makes commute to the school anywhere from 7-15min. The supermarket is a 10min walk/1min drive. If internet shuts down, we walk to Starbucks. We can walk to Walgreens, as well as the firestation. They're all literally bordering our neighborhood. I assure you it is very quiet, safe, & gorgeous (shooting stars in the night sky!)

Also, I have my own washer & dryer, fully accessorized kitchen, a 2 car garage, a garden in the front yard & a small backyard that produces over 1k delicious peaches each summer. The best part of this...rent by my roommates ranges from $250-300 a month (depending on which room you get. The master is $300). The house is spacious & doesn't even look like a duplex!

Bills are easy to manage & the cable company, Suddenlink, and the utilities company, Lubbock Power & Light, monopolize the city & have been long established for a while. PROS: They know what they're doing...most of the time, and billing is fast & easy (you can split the bills among roomates). Also, they are SUPER LENIENT on late payments. CONS: They monopolize Lubbock. Deal with them.

Our landlord is AWESOME. She's down to earth, has a great sense of humor, but knows when to be serious. I had an awful situation at the beginning of 2011 (one of our roommates was racking up serious bills, destroying the house, and had an attitude. I can't begin to describe...). After the situation escalated to the point that she deserved to be evicted, I discussed the issue at hand to our landlord (BE ON THE LANDLORD'S GOOD SIDE. ALWAYS!!!). She was very understanding, talked to our roommate, then decided that she did, indeed, deserve to be kicked off property. She's also lenient with payments.

CONS OF LIVING OFF CAMPUS: Not everyone will get this lucky. The first thing people do when they're sick & tired of dorm life is look at TTU affiliated apartments (University Trails, Raider's Pass, etc). DON'T CONSULT THIS FIRST. DO YOUR RESEARCH!! Off-campus average is usually $500/month to share with 3 people. This is ridiculous my friends. For the same price, you can live BY YOURSELF in nice studio apartments, also close to campus.

Unless you can sleep through anything, THIS IS NOT THE PLACE FOR STUDIOUS, CONSERVATIVE, OR EASILY IRRITATED PEOPLE! There are parties, every night, ESPECIALLY starting Wednesday. There will be a ruckus outside your window, down the hall, below your bed, and above your ceiling. The best situation is to FIND A PLACE THAT IS QUIET. YOU CAN ALWAYS GO TO A PARTY OUTSIDE. YOU DON'T WANT THE PARTY TO BE IN YOUR EAR EVERY NIGHT! Not to mention, parking inside the apartment complexes is beyond frustrating.

The only good thing I can think of is that it is very close to campus (walking distance), and there's high quality cable & a tanning booth & gym in most apartments. The utilities bill is also targeted per room, so if one of your roommates liked leaving all their electronics on all the time, it won't affect YOUR bill.

Only a few of the apartments have a Laundromat. The ideal situation is to have your own washer & dryer (or a really nice friend). The next best thing is to go to a Laundromat. The absolute worst thing to do, is attempt to use the dorm laundromats. Many lost quarters, lost time, lost clothes, lost tempers...

As for safety: Like anywhere else, DO YOUR RESEARCH. There are parts of town that you generally want to avoid. The more East you go, the less safety (you'll be able to tell where the East starts), the more South you go, the safer...& more expensive. I live on the NW. It's generally really safe. If you're paranoid, like me, buying a studio apartment for yourself is usually not the way to go. If you want to get away from retards & drunk partiers, don't sign a lease for an apartment complex that everyone goes to (you'll know).

PARKING: This is a very frustrating topic. The main lots on campus that are cheap & don't require you to live in the dorms are on the corners of Tech, and trust me, TTU is a BIG campus. If you're running late & you can only park in those lots (you still need to purchase a commuter pass), you might as well accept the fact you'll be late. It's less embarrassing to be late to class than to walk in huffing & sweating. There are places on the bordering streets of campus that generally are free. Otherwise, they provide parking passes for cheap (way cheaper than passes through Tech), like at a restaurant parking lot or church parking lot.

OVERALL STATS FOR LIVING OFF-CAMPUS:

COST: GENERALLY CHEAPER WITH INCLUDED COSTS (BILLS), GAS, & FOOD.

EASE OF LIVING: DEPENDS ON WHAT YOU KNOW TO BEGIN WITH (if you've never used an oven before...well, learn.) & YOUR ABILITY TO GET ALONG WITH OTHERS (Roommates, Landlords, etc)

AVAILABILITY: MORE OPTIONS & ROOMS THAN ON-CAMPUS.

VARIETY: WIDE. STUDIOS, APARTMENTS, DUPLEXES & MULTIPLEXES, HOUSES, TRAILER HOMES ALL AVAILABLE.

HEALTH: CLEARLY BETTER!! THE DORMS ARE THE FASTEST WAY TO GET SICK! PLUS, LIVING OFF-CAMPUS FORCES YOU TO LOOK AT YOUR DINING OPTIONS & MAKE CHOICES FOR YOURSELF. (There are still Commuter Plans available). NO ONE IS DEDICATED ENOUGH TO CLEAN HIS OR HER DORM, BUT YOU WILL BE DEDICATED TO KEEPING YOUR OFF-CAMPUS HOUSING CLEAN, WHETHER YOU EXPECT TO OR NOT.

SAFETY: VARIES ON LOCATION & YOUR HABITS. IT MAY BE SAFER TO LIVE IN THE DORMS IF YOU FEEL LIKE YOU NEED HELP 24/7. Also, TTU has a "free & safe ride" system. If you need to get back to campus (CAMPUS, SO ON-CAMPUS ONLY), you can call a number on the back of your ID which will get you a sober & alert taxi driver. They will pick you up anywhere as long as you're in town.

One more consideration: You're in COLLEGE now. Living off campus will start you on your way to experiencing the real world. Even if your parents are paying your bills, YOU are the one to deal with handling paperwork, legal issues & deal with your possible roommates, bank, cable & utilities companies, and landlord.

Hope this helps! :)

-A music major living in one of the cheapest, safest, and happiest homes for 4 years of her undergraduate career.

Read more: http://collegeprowler.com/texas-tech-university/survey/process/#ixzz1NDXKzKUu