The struggles of living off campus at VT

Virginia Tech is known for great food and crappy dorms. Unlike other colleges where students spend the majority of their undergrad years living on campus, Hokies feel a push to spread out into Blacksburg apartments and houses.

Finding your future home

The off-campus housing search begins around mid-October every school year. Sophomores and juniors have the unfair advantage of experience. They know where they want to live, who they want to live with, what bus to take to campus, and who they will be surrounded by. The freshmen are not so lucky. Living without their mom and dad for the first time in their lives, the world seems big and scary.

Exploring your options

There are about 10 popular apartment complexes in Blacksburg. Students get to choose from a wide variety of cheaply made, over-priced buildings. Essentially, your only choices are whether or not you want a pool, your own bathroom and a gym. The only apartment complex where you can have it all is the Edge at only $9,000 a year, because the cost of tuition isn’t high enough on its own.

My broken window. A month later and it still isn’t fixed

Are the amenities worth it?

The Edge offers close proximity to campus, a pool, a gym, four bathrooms and a hefty addition to your student debt. Terrace View provides cheap rent and the scent of the 1970s in the air. The Village comes equipped with a pool, a gym and the filth leftover from the previous owner (my apartment came with a broken window and pubic hair in the bathroom).

They didn’t even bother to put the same color door knob on

Making it to class

While off-campus housing does have its perks, getting back to campus is not one of them. The privacy and freedom that come with having your own room and kitchen means a better night’s sleep and a greater chance of over sleeping. No longer can you just wake up 10 minutes before class, throw some sneakers on and run across the Drillfield. Living in an apartment means taking the bus. Unless you’re one of the few blowing all their money at the Edge where you can walk to campus, you’re stuck on the bus for at least 10 minutes before you get dropped off at Turner, Squires or Burruss.

Even though off-campus housing comes with many challenges, it still beats living down the hall from an RA and wearing shower shoes. After your room and living room are all decked out with tapestries and throw pillows or beer cases on the walls and a pong table, all the issues with the apartments won’t seem to matter. All you really need is a place to sleep, study and party.