So the time has come to move out of the dorms and into an apartment or house off campus. What do you look for? Should it be close to campus? Should you look for a three bedroom house and find roommates to help foot the bill, or should you look for a small one bedroom apartment and live alone? The fact of the matter is that there are many things you need to consider before choosing where to live if you are a college student.

First, you need to consider your budget. More often than not, the rent is much higher in places close to campus. If you have a vehicle, it might be a good idea to look for something a little further away.

Finding a three or four bedroom house with a yard might be nice, but you will probably have to pay for all your utilities on top of your rent. This is much easier to do if you can split the bills with roommates.

Many other factors often come into play as well. Do you have pets? If so, there is more than likely going to be an extra security deposit. Is the neighborhood safe? It might be a good idea to ask some of the people who live in the area how many vehicle break-ins and burglaries have taken place there. Most importantly though, it comes down to what you can afford.

Meghan Sanger is a business major at Colorado Mesa University. Sanger said that she looks for a clean and spacious house close to campus so that it’s convenient for her to get to school.

“I like being able to go home to a house that is in good shape, where I can hang out with my roommates, but also have space to myself so we all don’t feel so crammed,” Sanger said.

Joanne Rowe, a nursing student at CMU also looks for something close to campus so she can easily walk to school. “If I drive to school I feel guilty about it,” Rowe said. She also mentioned she looks for something she can afford with a part-time job.

Both of these students have roommates, which helps tremendously. I can’t stress enough how much more affordable it becomes when you’re not the only one paying the bills.

I live in a three bedroom house with my wife about 10 miles from campus. We both work full-time. With our dual income, we can afford it, but I do spend about $30 to $50 in gas each week. If I wanted to live closer to campus, I would have to pay almost double the rent for a house this size.

The best advice I could give is to list out your personal needs, and spend a lot of time looking around. Check the newspaper. Go online and look at what local realtors have available. You could also drive around looking for “FOR RENT” signs.

The more time you spend looking, the better your chances are of finding a place that meets all your needs.