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This checklist will help you ensure that you have everything you need for your first apartment. Adulting can be hard, so we’re here to make sure you’re fully stocked up and ready to make the most of your experience as a uni student.
This checklist tells you what items are not included in your University Apartments student apartment, so make sure to stock up on these before you move in! We’ve included items that’ll help you make your place as cozy as possible, as well as some more functional stuff that often goes forgotten.
If you’re looking to move out but aren’t ready to live on your own, finding roommates can turn into an incredibly daunting task. Where can I find someone who would want to live with me? 🤷♂️ Or, more importantly, who would I want to live with? How can I be sure we have similar living styles and needs? How do I find someone who’s looking for the same kind of living situation as I am?
The fact of the matter is, there’s really no need to stress over this! There are so many great resources online to help you find the perfect roomie, and so many opportunities to meet new people when you’re at university. Here are 10 places you could meet your future roommate(s)…
1. Social media
Social media is an amazing way to connect with people with similar interests. You can use it in endless ways to find a potential roomie:
- See someone that looks cool and lives in your city? Maybe send them a follow request and slide in their DM’s
- Make a wanted ad on TikTok – chances are other users who have a ton in common with you will come across your video on their FYP (thanks TikTok algorithm), so why not give it a shot!
2. Student housing & roommate finding groups
There are loads of housing groups on Facebook and run through universities that are meant to facilitate your search for roommates and apartments. Just type in [Your city] Housing in the Facebook group search bar and you’re bound to find a group. Here are just a few of the Facebook housing groups out there for both Montreal and Hali students…
Montreal housing groups:
- Chez Queer Montreal
- McGill Off-Campus Housing
- Appartement à Louer Montreal – Apartment For Rent Montreal
Halifax housing groups:
- Homes for Queers Halifax
- For Rent in HRM
- Newcomers Halifax
Pro tip: always make sure to join your uni graduating class Facebook group to connect with other students in your year.
3. In class
See someone who matches your vibe and seems approachable? Strike up a conversation and see what happens. The possibilities are endless; they might end up being a study buddy, a friend you can hang with during breaks, or even a potential roommate!
4. Part-time jobs
There’s nothing that brings two people together more than a crazy shift at work. Tons of part-time jobs are available on campus or across the city that could connect you to some great future roommates.
5. Residence
Residence is the ideal place to meet future roommates. Typically everyone moves in solo and is eager to meet new friends. Once lease signing time comes around, they’ll be the first people you reach out to since you’ve basically lived together already!
6. School clubs and societies
School clubs are a great way to meet new people with the same interests and hobbies as you. Harry Potter Fan? Join the Quidditch team! Passionate about charity work? Join a society that volunteers on weekends! Living with people who you share interests with is a great way to make sure your apartment is a fun space as well as a safe one.
7. University athletics and intramurals
Early morning practices and games are so much more bearable when your roommate is getting up at the same time as you. Whether it’s varsity athletics or casual volleyball intramurals, someone that’s passionate about the same sport as you will probably make a great roommate.
8. Working out
Friends who sweat together stay together, right? Once those endorphins start flowing, strike up a conversation with someone in your workout class or at the gym. Having a roommate who has the same workout routine as you or who is just as passionate about going to the gym as you are is a surefire way to keep yourself consistent and accountable.
9. General interest Facebook groups
Love plants? Pets? Geology? Ghost hunting? Whatever it is, there is likely a local facebook group for it. Join the conversations and you may meet some awesome people!
10. Bars, clubs, and events
Alcohol really gets the conversation going, so if you’re in need of new friends who could be your future roommates, heading out to a favourite pub or club could be a great place to start! Plus if it’s your favourite bar, maybe it’s theirs too and you can claim that corner booth for the rest of the school year.
No matter where you choose to go to find your future roommates, make sure to look for someone whose lifestyle is compatible with yours and who has similar living expectations as you do.
Above all, it’s crucial that you live with someone with whom you feel comfortable having potentially difficult or uncomfortable conversations, since conflict will inevitably arise when living with another person. Living with roommates who will listen to you, support you, and establish mutual respect is something we can all achieve and something that you should really strive for.
Now that you know *where* to search, check out our article “5 Things to Look for in a Great Roommate” for some tips that’ll help you select the perfect roomie!
As organizers worked within provincial COVID-19 guidelines to keep things safe, there was lots of joy and excitement among first year students on Dalhousie’s campus at this year’s O-Week and Welcome Week events.
After the pandemic forced Dalhousie students to move to online learning for the Fall term in 2020, O-Week (the highly anticipated introduction to university life) was also forced to go virtual that year (Ramesar).
Whether home is a plane ride away, or a stone’s throw from Halifax, 2021 first-year students were understandably eager to get on campus, experience human connection once again and welcome a brand new chapter with a world of possibilities… University Apartments was equally keen to meet with students face-to-face again, especially after we’ve all had such a long hiatus from in-person events!
We set up camp as sponsors at O-Week to welcome first year students to Dal and introduce ourselves. As a data-driven team, we conducted hundreds of surveys in order to gain a better understanding of our students’ needs and wishes, allowing us to incorporate them into our projects. The personal interactions we have with students inform our work, there is nothing we value more than being able to listen to and learn from students directly.
Move-In & Registration
At O-Week registration, we had the opportunity to welcome tons of students to their first day on campus. While many are living in residence this year, they know it’s never too early to start the hunt for an off-campus apartment. It’s clear from our conversations with them that in their search for a home after res, students are becoming increasingly concerned about the hectic and unstable rental market in our city.
That’s where we come in. Between move-in and registration, students stopped by to chat with us about SEE-MORE, our beautiful new student community building on Seymour Street near Studley Quad, which will be ready for them to move into as of September 1, 2022.
Carnival Day
The fun continued the next day after students had the chance to settle into their dorms and explore campus. The Studley Quad looked a bit different, having been totally transformed into a full-blown carnival complete with music, games, delicious food, and lots of exciting activities for all.
We had our share of fun, too, practicing our aim with a bow-and-arrow, shooting soccer balls at a giant inflatable target, and getting cotton candy and snow cone-induced sugar rushes. We gave away Starbucks gift cards to those who completed our survey about their housing needs. Hopefully that helped out a bit with all the inevitable post-O-week hangovers! 😉
Movie Night
After a great day at the carnival, students brought their blankets and snuggled up for Movie Night in the McInnes room in the SUB. And what is movie night without a lil’ pre-film bingo, right?!
We hosted an INTENSE few games of Surviving Dal bingo, which naturally didn’t have your standard bingo game calls… Climbed the wave on the Halifax waterfront? Ditched a zoom class? Mistook the Killam Lib for a jail? Yup, bingo will never be the same again! We smiled, we laughed, we gave away some great prizes to our bingo winners, and, most importantly, we connected with many, many students.
Dalhousie O-Week 2021 brought us out of our year-long Zoom fatigue and the relief was felt all over campus, we got even closer to our Tiger family 🐯 We learned so much about the struggles students are facing when it comes to off-campus housing and how our project will benefit the community. The need for affordable student housing has become even more apparent and pressing. Students deserve to feel safe and have easy access to campus in order to make the most of their university experience.
All Eyes On Us
Dalhousie University has reduced their residence capacity to 80% due to the pandemic, and students are scrambling to find a place to live while battling Halifax’s affordable housing crisis (Willick). In 2021 Halifax saw the rental vacancy rate increase to 1.9% from last year’s record low of 1%. However, rental rates have increased by 4.1%, and the university is not offering much support to students (Woodford).
We spoke with so many students who told us that they are still living at home or commuting over an hour to and from campus because they can’t find or afford suitable housing close to campus. COVID-19 has had a far-reaching impact on young people heading out into the world and exploring their independence, and we were moved by how many obstacles students have had to face while beginning their journey into adulthood.
With all these challenges, everyone from CTV, to the dean of Dal, to the students themselves were interested in learning more about SEE-MORE, our new purpose-built student apartment building featuring fully-furnished, beautifully designed units, launching on September 1, 2022 right on Seymour Street. We hope to help the community rally with more options for students as they establish themselves in what continues to be a difficult time for everyone.
Big thank you to Dalhousie University and Dalhousie Student Union for hosting. You can head to our full Dal O-Week 2021 gallery on Facebook for more photos!
References:
Ramesar, Vernon. “Orientation weeks get closer to normal at Halifax universities.” CBC News Nova Scotia, 5 September 2021, https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/orientation-week-halifax-universities-covid-1.6165771.
Spurr, Bill. “Student-oriented apartments going up on Halifax’s Seymour Street.” Saltwire, 28 May 2021, https://www.saltwire.com/atlantic-canada/business/roger-taylor-student-oriented-apartments-going-up-on-halifaxs-seymour-street-100593696/.
Willick, Frances. “Dal students scrambling for housing after university limits residence spaces.” CBC News Nova Scotia, 22 June 2021, https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/dalhousie-university-residence-covid-19-1.6073775.
Woodford, Zane. “Apartment vacancy rate moves up to 1.9% in Halifax, but average rents are up too Apartment vacancy rate moves up to 1.9% in Halifax, but average rents are up too.” Halifax Examiner, 28 January 2021, https://www.halifaxexaminer.ca/province-house/apartment-vacancy-rate-moves-up-to-1-9-in-halifax-but-average-rents-are-up-too/.