Two weeks into the school year, students are settling into their lives. Homey Waco. But which home is the homiest? Freshman have learned already how small a dorm is, and how much showering in flip flops should be saved for summer camp. Upperclassmen know if they prefer leasing houses or apartments. And everyone knows whether or not they want to share a room. Well here are the pros and cons of the best Waco has to offer.

On campus apartments are a good way to transition into an off campus apartment. But you still have to swipe your student I.D. about 20 times before getting to your apartment. Oh yeah, and then you have a key to your individual room. While you don’t have to shoo members of the opposite sex out of your room by 10 p.m. or midnight, you still “have to have them out” by 2 a.m. And living in an on campus apartment is waaaaaaay more expensive than living in a bigger, cozier, off campus apartment. But you still have the luxury of rolling out of bed and walking to class without hassling with parking garages or bus schedules.

Off campus apartments are bigger, cheaper, and much often furnished with more than a twin bed and a nightstand. Forget the days of sharing bathrooms and escorting guys or girls out by a certain time, instead you have noisy neighbors who throw rowdy weekend parties. People will smoke within 30 feet of the building entrances and you actually have to drive to get to class. But at a lower price and more freedom, it may be worth it.

The other option is to lease a house. You can either get really lucky or really shafted with this set up. Some housing leases in Waco have leases as low as $400 + utilities/month (per resident – example taken from a 3 bedroom/2 bath). Even though you may have to furnish it yourself, it’s much better than pay close to $1000/month to live with lots of strings attached (on campus). Plus you get a backyard. How cool is that? On the down side, you could end up paying close to $1000/month and no backyard. You still have to drive to campus, but some people like that.

Weigh your options, consider what you want in a living space, or home, if you will, and make a final decision. My final words: know the neighborhood before signing a contract.