And We're Back!

This past summer was pretty hectic. I worked about 40 hours a week and all the money I earned literally went to my new apartment! (I'll get to that in a minute). I did get to take a mini vacation to Hampton Beach in New Hampshire with my best friend for a weekend, went to Six Flags New England for my birthday, saw Batman: The Dark Knight four (4!) times, none of the times I paid might I add, and I saw the Backstreet Boys (don't laugh) in concert for free.

So now here I am, getting back into the swing of things. My roommate from last year and I have a new apartment in the North End that I absolutely love. We have a huge kitchen and living room, a roof deck, and laundry in the building, which is rather hard to find in apartments. Honestly, when I first came to Suffolk I was concerned about the housing issue. Not having dorms available for all students can seem like a major drawback, but it can really be viewed as a strength rather than a weakness. For example, my dad was getting me ready for the business world months ago by having me lay out how much it cost him to pay for me living in the dorm and a meal plan versus living off campus with other expenses such as cable, internet, groceries and rent.

Surprisingly, the totals were very similar. Granted buying furniture for a larger space pushed the cost up higher, but at the same time, I'll have this furniture for the two years in an apartment and who knows for how long afterwards. As I saw it, either I buy the furniture now, or two years from now when I move elsewhere. This is where all my money went this past summer. I refused to let my dad pay for anything furniture related in my new apartment. He's paying rent and tuition and that is more than I could ask for.

While I'm extremely fortunate to be living in an amazing apartment, I never realized how lucky I was to have lived in the dorms my first two years on campus. Not just because I've been supplied with basic furniture and someone to cook me food three meals a day, but because it made the adjustment of living in Boston much easier. I've grown into an even more sensible and smart adult that only Suffolk could have helped me become. I don't think that going to a "traditional" college campus could have done the same thing.

Two years from now when I graduate (yikes!) I will be entering a new world already knowing how to survive on my own, while all of my other friends will just be learning how to. I'm certainly not saying other colleges and universities do not teach fundamental skills on how to become a successful individual when you move out on your own, but Suffolk teaches these same skills without a classroom and a professor; that is something truly unique to Suffolk University.