Six Tips For Students Moving Out Of Home
It’s a new year and you have accepted an offer to study at Griffith University. Great choice! Or maybe you are returning after a long hot summer break. Then welcome back! If you are anything like me, you are possibly looking to move out of home to study at Uni. Moving out of home can be an exciting time, but I have a few tips which can make the experience a lot easier for you.
- Decide on if you want to move out alone, with friends, or with strangers in a share house arrangement.
If you decide to move out with friends it might be a good idea to set some ground rules to stop any fighting before it starts. From past experiences I’d suggest you have some rules established for money, the dishes, food and cooking, the dishes, common spaces, the dishes and visitors go a long way, especially the dishes. - Check the location!
Not only does it determine travel time and travel costs to Uni, but it also determines your internet speeds and providers. The NBN might not be super important if you are moving out alone but if you are moving into a share house with 5 people you might need that extra speed and bandwidth. Also, some suburbs are packed with cheap takeaway options which is something that can make a big difference to morale when the studies kick in. Get online and check out the areas near your campus – realestate.com.au/rent - Make a budget $$$.
Make sure to think about and even write up a list out all the costs involved including the rent, bills, travel, groceries, and anymore that you can think of. A separate budget for all the furniture and household items can also be good to make sure everyone is contributing equally. - Make sure you have everything you need to live on your own.It’s good to make a checklist to make sure you don’t forget anything and there is a number of online checklists that you can look at to make sure you don’t forget anything. Try these ones out – Moving house checklist or Things you need for your first apartment
- Inspect the property carefully and take lots of photos, take notes, ask questions and don’t rush it.
You don’t want to sign a lease and then wonder if the property has internet ports setup or you move in only to find out the lines have been damaged and you have to pay for them. Photos don’t lie, and if you want to find out as much as you can from the agent you need to be prepared with the questions that can give you all the information you need. Even now I still take photos, notes and ask lots of questions when I am inspecting a new place. - Remember you can always ask for help.
Moving out for the first time can be daunting, but oddly enough it’s not something you have to do alone. Ask your friends and family for help and check out the support services available to you at Uni. Griffith has a number of support services for students, both, new and old.
Check out Student Support for the services which might apply to you.
Thanks for reading!
Layne Ngatai-Stokes,
Bachelor of Games Design at Queensland College of Art, Griffith University