A house’s crooked door opens to reveal a spacious living room full of
character and life. The walls are adorned with maps and street signs found and donated by roommates. An elementary school desk, the latest find, sits in the
center of the room acting as some sort of
recliner for guests.
An apartment down the street houses a foosball table that takes the place of its kitchen counterpart. The cramped living room is limited to one leather couch and a television. Sports magazines and spiral notebooks are strewn across the coffee table.
Finding housing is a decision all college students must face. Before plunging into any living establishment, students should take time to find a place with the right fit.
Most people who decide to live in a house do so because of the extra space.
“Typically what houses allow for are bigger groups of friends to live together,” said Kathy Cotta, property manager at Jennings & Co. “There’s also more independence because neighbors aren’t as close.”
Senior Janet Stevenson lived in an apartment for two years before moving into a house. She said it is quieter living in a house than in an apartment.
“Occasionally the neighbors are loud, but we can go inside, and our walls aren’t connected,” she said.
For many students, the advantages of living in a house include the convenience of having a washer and dryer, having back and front yards and having more privacy in general.
The most significant disadvantage to living in a house is the cost of utilities, especially in larger houses where electricity bills can
get expensive.
“EWEB has gotten very high,” Cotta said. “And a lot of the campus homes are older and they don’t have all the new windows and the new installation, so it’s more expensive to keep them warm in the winter.”

For residents looking to meet new people, apartments are a great avenue. Some apartment complexes, such as Duck’s Village near Autzen Stadium, organize activities such as barbecues and contests.
Still, such a living situation has its drawbacks.
“You are very close to other people and at certain times of the year, it could get loud,” Cotta said. “If you have a personality conflict with somebody, you’re stuck with them for a very long time, and you just have to figure out how to make it work.”
Many apartment complexes, unlike houses, pay a portion of utilities such as water, sewer or garbage, which helps control the price of utility bills. Michelle Turner, the Duck’s Village office manager, said utilities are less expensive in an apartment because tenants have less square footage.
“Houses are a bigger upkeep … a much bigger undertaking,” Turner said. “And I don’t think that students realize just what they’re getting into sometimes if they go into a house in comparison to an apartment.”
Overall, the choice of whether to live in
a house or an apartment hinges on
personal preference.
“I’m a pretty flexible person — apartment or house — it doesn’t matter,” Stevenson said. “It’s the people you live with that really count.”