Time to move, NDSU

I’ve come up with the perfect New Year’s resolution. See, like a lot of you, I’m moving after this semester. It’s the end of the academic year, and maybe you’re out of the dorms. Maybe you just realize your college apartment is a hole in the wall and you’d really like a different hole in the wall. For us seniors, we’re graduating and need to figure out what the hell comes next. Naturally, my New Year’s resolution is to get my post-grad life in order. What makes it great is that I can’t fail it until May. That’s a whole four more months than last year.

Deciding on a new apartment can be tricky though, so let me give you some advice.

You can live in squalor in a nice part of town, or you can live in a sketchier section in slightly less squalor. 

First, you’ll want to decide if you’re willing to have roommates and how many. I have three roommates, and we’ve managed not to kill each other. The only revenge I take on them for sharing my air is unsealing their food at night so it goes bad faster. In other words, it’s not ideal, but if you have a good bunch it’s doable.

Next, you’ll want to decide what part of town you want to live in. You can live in squalor in a nice part of town, or you can live in a sketchier section in slightly less squalor. Sure, a room all to yourself would be great, but is it all to yourself if there are mice? At least you get to name them when you find one in your fridge.

There’s one question I ask myself when I walk into a new place: Does it look like there was an earthquake? 

Now, I’ve done some apartment shopping in Fargo, and there’s one question I ask myself when I walk into a new place: Does it look like there was an earthquake? A painted over crack that runs straight across the ceiling says “yes.” Cabinets and mirrors that don’t fit quite right say “yes.” The room violently shaking says “yes.” Granted, in Fargo, I would hope they just need to replace their dryer.

An important thing to keep in mind: apartments have quirks. You’re not going to find something that’s perfect, so be willing to make a trade-off. Maybe it’s far from work/school. The neighbors could be loud. There could only be two prong outlets in the whole apartment, which is absolutely something I saw. You just have to decide what you, personally, are willing to live with.