<p>Next year as a sophomore some of my friends and I have been thinking about getting an off campus apartment? has any one done this/have any thoughts on this?</p>
<p>Most people move off-campus sometime around junior year, but there are definitely people who do it sophomore year. The only reason not to move off campus in your underclassman years is that it’s a lot more responsibility, and it can be tough to keep everything organized among friends (even the most flexible of roommates are going to have conflict about bills, cable, cleaning, parties, etc, things that are less of a problem on campus). The other issue is that you’re signing a year-long lease and the logistics of moving, should you stop getting along, are difficult. Also, if you aren’t planning to stay for summer, you’d have to find subletters (which is actually super easy, but roommates might not be comfortable with it).</p>
<p>Not to say that you will start having roommate conflict as a sophomore, but it’s very, very common. I can’t count the number of people I know who moved in with their best friends as sophomores and had total fall outs. So, it’s just something to be aware of. </p>
<p>That being said, off-campus is way more affordable. I don’t remember exact costs of dorms anymore because I’m ancient, but an enhanced double (west village, davenport) you pay over $5000 a semester, so well over $1000/month, while standard doubles (loftman, symphony) break down to something around $850 a month. </p>
<p>Most sophomores and middlers live on columbus or in Symphony area. Symphony area is expensive (usually breaks down to about $900-$1200 per bedroom), but the location is awesome and it’s a bit of a nicer area. Columbus places go just slightly cheaper for what you get, but the price range is about the same. Sharing a bedroom in these places means you’ll be paying less than $600/month, if you’re looking for affordable rent.</p>
<p>Mission Hill is another option, but I don’t really think I’d want to live there as an underclassman because it is a hike. Mission Hill is cheaper ($600-$900 per bedroom), and it’s a nice neighborhood feel with nearby things to do (a park, soccer field, Stop & shop, lots of bars and restaurants). The problem is that most sophomores and middlers will still be on/around campus–and it seriously sucks to walk down to parties and then back up to the hill late at night. It’s about a 20-30 minute walk to campus, which is a downside for most people. It’s also not the safest area… I’ve never had any problems walking home by myself, nor have any of my good friends, but I’ve heard of muggings/robberies happening in the area, so that can be an issue for younger students and their parents.</p>