Time to move out from your parent’s house, sort of…

The housing assignments are mostly made and some of you have already started packing things for move in day, which is still a month and a half away. The biggest challenge that many of you will have, is not moving to a new place, but the challenge of making responsible choices. One of the first things you can do is to learn how to transition from living at home to living on campus.

The importance of this transition is why many universities, like Southeast, require living on campus for the first two years. It is a way to help you move from living under your parent’s roof. This on campus living experience is slowly edging you into the adult world and the reality of taking on more responsibilities. This will become very clear when you go back home over winter break or summer break and see the difference in terms of living on campus and then moving back in with your parent/guardian. Living on campus is the best way to cross from your parent’s house to living on your own.

The best way to transition from home life to college is by living right on campus in the residence halls at Southeast. Each residence hall has people that live there who can help called “RAs (Resident Assistants)” and “Hall Director.”  They are there to help keep order and to help you, they are not there to make sure you go to class, to tell your roommate to help clean the room, or to deliver messages because you won’t call/text/email back your parent/guardian. This is where responsible choices come into play.

In the residence halls, you have freedom, you are your own person, yet you have to abide by the University’s and residence hall rules. You have a variety of dining areas to choose from, you have to do your own laundry, and you are responsible for keeping your room clean. All of these provide opportunities to demonstrate responsible choices and demonstrate you are taking that next step from living under your parent/guardian’s roof to being fully responsible for yourself. 

Adapted from "Transition from your parents house to living on your own" by Herb Ammons