Living off campus can include a wide range of situations and experiences. For example, you might live with

• roommates who also attend your college and maybe are even in the same classes as you
• roommates who go to a different college, or who aren’t students
• family
• your own partner and/or kids

Each of these scenarios has challenges and rewards.

Maintaining habits and schedules offer 2 main benefits.

First, it sets expectations for yourself. If you know you do thing A and then thing B, you don’t have to spend time and energy figuring out what you should be doing—and you set yourself up to make the right choices.

Second, it sets expectations for others. If you stick to a schedule, the people you live with won’t feel like you’re being randomly available/unavailable.

Don’t forget to plan breaks! That includes breaks for yourself and also times when you can hang out with family/roommates.

Boundaries are a way of talking about what is “mine,” “yours,” or shared, including physical stuff, time, and space. “Setting boundaries” is advocating for yourself.

Roommate situations are famous for producing boundary issues: someone’s loud, or messy, or eats your food without replacing it.

Family boundary issues can be even harder, though. Your family may have expectations of you pre-college that have to be re-set to accommodate your needs as a college student. They may also feel hurt when you need to make yourself unavailable.

For both of these situations, communication is key! The more everyone can acknowledge and express their assumptions and needs, the more those needs can be addressed.

(Pro tip: setting healthy boundaries requires that you first figure out what you need so you can advocate for it. That can be harder than it sounds, so make sure to give yourself space to reflect on your needs.)

Living off campus introduces different logistics than living on campus. Here are some examples to get you started:

• time to commute to and from classes
• parking
• grocery shopping and cooking
• renters insurance

There are many more, and they’ll depend on your situation. Keep an eye out for issues that might come up, put them on your checklist, and try to address them as early as you can.

In some ways, it’s easier to keep your eye on the big picture when you’re living on campus, doing the whole college lifestyle thing.

When you’re living off campus, you might have some extra need to be your own best cheerleader.

Pay attention to your self-talk and make sure to use those positive affirmations. Remind yourself that you are awesome, and you’re here for a reason, doing important work.