In a world full of success and hustle culture, watching the friends you grew up with pack their bags to move to their dream city might spark feelings of insecurity. Despite this, it’s important to remember that everyone is on their own path, on their own time. It might not sound as glamorous as a packed U-Haul barreling its way to a new city, but returning to your hometown post-grad is just as fulfilling.

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.

While many crossed city or state lines to get to Baylor, others crossed oceans and looked for ways to make Baylor home thousands of miles away.

For some, sharing living spaces with siblings and family was the norm. Yelling at a sibling to stop hogging the bathroom, touching your clothes or stealing your personal items is a part of life for some, but for many, living in a communal space is a foreign concept that is difficult to adjust to.

Data from the National Association of Professional Organizers shows that disorganization can lead to a 20% loss in productivity. According to Mental Health America, a clean living space helps promote a daily sense of calmness and control in your life.

As students continue to search for housing, it is important to note that not all generationally passed down houses are a cheaper option. Costs will vary based on location, upkeep and chapter expectations.

First-year Baylor students are required to live on campus in one of Baylor’s dorm communities, meaning all these students will inevitably have to manage living with limited space. However, not all dorm spaces are created equal.

As Baylor’s student population grows, students face rising rent prices and tough trade-offs when searching for off-campus housing, from affordability to location and safety.

By prioritizing mental health in roommate matching, Baylor has the unique opportunity to transform nightmare roommate situations into partnerships that support and uplift roommates.

Dorm rooms and shared apartments function like small laboratories of adulthood. They are imperfect, crowded and often uncomfortable by design. You learn quickly that no one is coming to enforce bedtime or remind you to eat vegetables. In that absence, habits quietly step in to fill the void. How you wake up, how you respond to mess, how you treat shared space, how you handle tension — these patterns begin to solidify long before you realize they are becoming yours.

The Bryants moved into a house on 11th Street in 1966. Now, the neighborhood looks different. The old houses have been torn down, replaced by student rentals and boxy apartments built fast and cheap. But the Bryants’ home remains.

Students across campus noticed a stench coming from their dorms and apartments this month. From Oct. 20 to Nov. 17, Waco is performing an annual routine water systems maintenance, leaving students confused as Waco’s tap water reeks.

With 11 different off-campus apartment complexes and dozens of individual homes in its real estate portfolio, Baylor houses far more than the 39% of students who live on campus, and the number is growing.

“Student staff do not have carte-blanche access to every space in a residence hall,” Engblom said. “The average CL or faculty member couldn’t just swipe into every single room. We don’t grant [access] to everybody.”

Whether you subscribe to the beliefs or not, astrology offers a fun way to explore what kind of housing might suit your cosmic personality. So, grab your astrological chart and a cup of tea—your next move could be written in the stars. Literally.

For those who have lived in Dawson and Allen, the renovation is very welcome. Houston senior Natalie French gave an example of just how old the dorms really are.

“A girl and I lived down the hall from each other [in Dawson], and her Grandma went to Baylor, and she lived in Dawson. When she walked in, she goes, ‘Oh my gosh, it looks the exact same!””

Clayton, Calif. junior Ben Williamson said he is concerned about the lack of public safety in neighborhoods surrounding Baylor. Williamson said even a small boost in security could potentially lessen crime in the areas that students inhabit.

Chip and Joanna Gaines hit television show “The Fixer Upper” created a brand for the city of Waco as the hosts revitalizing old, rundown houses. These houses are now unaffordable for the poor community.

In 2014 10 years ago the average rent in Waco was $600-$750 and the cost of groceries was $40-$70 on average for one person a week, which means students living off campus would spend around $1,050 on groceries and rent a month. These numbers have only risen since then.

International students are an asset to the local and global community through their studies and contributions. However, they need to be welcomed into the community and shown care in order to thrive.

If you have to settle for a low-quality yet pricey apartment, well … there’s not much you can do about it in this housing market. What you can do, though, is take the initiative to advocate for yourself and know your worth.

The Baylor Graduate School announced the addition of the Speight-Jenkins and Pinetree apartment complexes as two new graduate student housing options. Starting in the 2024-25 academic year, graduate students can rent these apartments closer to campus.

Nichole Bekken, project manager of construction services, said she began planning for the $7.5 million renovation of both Allen and Dawson halls following the Board of Regents budget approval for the year in May. She said she is focused on creating community spaces that will enhance the connections between the LEAD Living-Learning Community—which is the community currently in Dawson—and the IMPACT LLC, following a fall 2022 merger of the two.

A nightmare of a living situation can ensue if students haven’t thoroughly read their contracts and done research before moving in and signing with their housing complex. First-time residents can be easily walked over simply due to a lack of experience.

Increased enrollment is generally a good thing for Baylor

— unless you have to live in the

residence halls.