Where Should I Live This Summer?

     The birds are chirping. The snow has melted. The days are longer. The warmer weather has you dreaming of summer days. Except, one thing has been gnawing at the back of your mind for a while now – where is the best place for me to live this summer?

Luckily there are plenty of solutions to that answer. It is ultimately what you feel most comfortable doing. Below, I weigh the pros and cons of some common options.

Staying in Madison for the Summer Off-Campus – This would mean you have your own place. You don’t have to share a shower with tons of other people. You can wake up to the sound of birds (or the dratted alarm clock) instead of people running in the hallway. You get to leave the dishes in the sink without getting a warning from your RA. However, having your own place comes with your own responsibilities. Rent, Internet and electric are the three most common things that renters have to pay. Some places in town also charge you for water, garbage, snow removal, etc. Most off campus places also require you to sign a year-long contract, extending your stay there into the school year. There are plenty of places (houses and apartments) listed in the Madison newspaper. (http://www.dailyleaderextra.com/classifieds/)

Staying in Madison for the Summer On-Campus – What? DSU offers on-campus housing for the summer? Yes. And, it is fairly cheap as well. Internet, rent, electricity, etc are all added into one bill per week. You pay for it the way you pay for school, on WebAdivisor. Summer housing is located in Higbie Hall. They even provide you with an air conditioner for the summer! Contact or stop by the Student Services located next to Einstein’s Bagels to ask for details on how to live on campus for the summer.

Living at Home – This is obviously the most cost effective choice. Parents generally do not make you pay to live at their house for the summer or eat their food. However, if like me, you are from a small town, the lack of jobs drove me out of my small town in the summer time, and forced me to look in Madison for a summer job. (Shout out to Beadle Hall and Prostrollo’s.) I also know several college students, who, after a year or more of living away from home/mom and dad, find it very hard to adjust back to living at home with mom, dad and possibly brothers and sisters, too.
Money is a large component of choosing where to live. If you feel that living in Madison for the summer would be the right choice for you, I do know there are plenty of jobs on campus or off campus that would be happy to hire a college student with the right skills and mindset for their job. (I found my job in Madison through the SD Dept. of Labor and Regulation. After registering, you will be able to virtually browse any job in any town in South Dakota. Just peeking at Madison currently, there are dozens of jobs available at the moment. https://seeker.sd.gov/SS_Seeker_Registration.aspx).

Happy almost-summer!