2008 Woodie Awards
Ma! The Meatloaf!
UAlbany Students Discuss Moving in with Mom and Dad
James Whittet
Issue date: 5/5/07 Section: Postgraduation
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Freedom: The unalienable right of humankind.
People have lived for it; people have died for it. People uproot their whole lives in search of freedom. It is what America was founded on, and it is the one thing that you simply cannot put a price on, or at least that was the idea...
In reality, many young adults fresh out of college are willing to do just that, put a price on their freedom. That price comes in the form of rent and groceries. With car payments, student loans finally accruing interest, and credit cards still accruing interest, one may find their freedom extremely expendable. These pressures result in many formerly independent college students moving back home with mom and/or dad.
With many University at Albany students facing this "diploma dilemma", there are a variety of opinions and options regarding how to avoid or accept parental acquisition:
Alex Shifrin:
"The obvious perk is free food. Beyond that, there is a cost benefit analysis: privacy versus convenience. Personally I am dreading it. Alas, it is my only option."
David Heller:
"I am moving back home to study for and take my GRE's and/or GMAT's to get into grad school for the fall. When in doubt, go to more school I guess. I am not happy about being home. I enjoy living on my own and the freedom it comes with. I also will not enjoy the endless amount of questions about what I am doing every minute of the day and with the rest of my life. But that's what comes with the territory and I shouldn't complain about free housing."
Tara House:
"After graduation I'll be moving to Hoboken, N.J. with some of my closest friends. Some people think I'm crazy for moving out immediately after college and not saving money for a few extra years. I say all the money in the world can't hold a candle to ending this journey on my own, as an adult--and what a journey it has been.. This is not the end, it's only the beginning."
Elizabeth Murray:
"I'm moving back home, but only for the summer. I'm going to save some money and look for jobs. I'm fine with it... my parents are great and I love my baby siblings."
For students simply unwilling to move back home, there are a ton of places on the Internet that can help to locate housing. Google has 16.8 million options for you. One popular tool is Craig's List. To use Craig's List, you must first choose your location from the columns on the right side of the screen. Next, look to the search box on the left hand side. Under the box is a pull down menu of the things you can search for; choose housing. Then just type in "apt" or your desired zip code, hit enter, and watch the results pour in.
There are plenty of ways to find a place to live. It's paying for it that tends to be the problem. Best of luck to UAlbany's class of 2007!