By Aarah Sardesai | Staff Writer

For many Baylor students, moving off campus isn’t just a decision; it’s a milestone in their college career.

From finding the right roommates to looking for a neighborhood that feels just like home, some students who signed their first lease walk away happy, prepared and satisfied that they’re taking their first step to an independent life.

However, this doesn’t show the full picture behind what goes on in the minds of students that are preparing to look for a house off campus for the first time. For many students, the lease is the first official contract that they’ve ever signed. Even initiating the housing process can leave people feeling stressed.

The Woodlands freshman Jaxon Luddeke hasn’t signed his lease yet, but is already thinking of what matters most. Luddeke said he was trying to learn from upperclassmen, his parents and other mentors before making any housing decisions.

“I want to understand what to look for during tours,” Luddeke said. “Things like safety, maintenance and what utilities actually cost each month. I don’t want to be surprised later.”

Luddeke is also thinking about the timeline and process of signing a lease and what others’ experiences have been.

“Everybody says to start early, but I don’t want to rush into something just because other people are signing,” Luddeke said. “I want to feel confident about it.”

Keller senior Rebekah Dunning remembers the moment when she and her roommate decided it was the right time to move off campus. Dunning spoke with friends who already lived off campus to hear about their experiences.

“I also looked across social media to get honest reviews on how the places were,” Dunning said. “But there were two main non-negotiables: it must be walkable to campus, and it must be safe.”

Dunning also said the lease process was surprisingly clear. She said the leasing manager walked her through every section, and while she had considered practical things like safety and walking distance from campus, she was caught off guard when she had to consider the benefit of various utilities.

“It was pretty up front,” Dunning said. “Everything matched what was advertised, which made us feel good about signing.

Katy senior Zahabia Kanchwala also lives off campus, and her experience came with a few surprises. When she moved off campus for the first time, her electric and water bills came as a shock to her.

“I thought that my electricity and water bill would be around $40 or $50 considering it’s split between me and my roommates,” Kanchwala said. “But this month it almost went to $100. No one warned me that it could get this high.”

Kanchwala also described how her complex went through a stretch of security challenges that made things inconvenient.

“Unlike on campus where packages go straight to your mailbox, here there’s a whole system you have to go through just to pick something up,” Kanchwala said. “They were also renovating the security system and replacing all the community gates, and at one point the gates were down for almost a month.”

Despite these issues, Kanchwala still described her overall experience as positive. Maintenance was quick, the environment felt safe once renovations were complete and she loved having her own space.

“Even with the extra costs and the security hiccups, I don’t regret living here,” Kanchwala said. “I genuinely love living here, and it is a good place for me.”

Despite shocks and issues, the seniors agreed that their roommates were some of the best parts of living off campus.

“It really reminded me of my family experience, and it gave me a chance to build a community and expand my community by hosting events and meeting new people,” Dunning said.

Both seniors also agreed that students should start looking for places to live early on. Kanchwala started nearly a year before she planned to move in, and Dunning started looking for potential places early as well.

“I honestly felt like I had just settled into my dorm, and I was already looking for another place to live,” Dunning said. “But it also gave me a couple of weeks to figure that stuff out and find a good place to live.”

While moving into off-campus housing was a big change for both of them, Kanchwala and Dunning said it helped them build new friendships and learn how to be adults.

“Living off campus teaches you a lot,” Kanchwala said. “Embrace it, because it is one of the best experiences that you can get from independence.”