It wasn't a tough decision, but I should have made it sooner

[hinakiba777]

All right. So in spring of 2009 I chose to transfer from Ladder Ranch University* to The Arid Gulch School for Wayward Buffalo*. At the time I had a lot of reasons for why I wanted to transfer, but mostly it was because Arid Gulch is only 1/3 the cost of LRU. So I transferred.

My time at Arid Gulch has been horrible. My RA was a hypocrite. I had horribly abusive roommates. I had a ton of social and psychological issues, that the school councilor brushed off as "stress". (My provincially assigned therapist tells me I have a few serious anxiety disorders.) And of course, no friends. All of this lead to me suffering academically. I actually started out Winter 2011 with a really strong showing in all my courses, but by the time I got my final grades my GPA was pretty much shot.

On the other side of things, everyone from LRU and The City were begging me to come back. They would tell me how much they missed me, and loved me. How The City just felt wrong without me there. And then it hit me:

LRU is a high ranking university with amazing courses and an awesome community. The campus is beautiful. I have many friends there. It's academically challenging, but there is a lot of helpful services if you are struggling. I never had panic attacks while attending school there. I had a job. And while my grades weren't great in my final semester, I never flunked. Plus i had a job, and I loved the city. Oh, and it was only 3 hours from home. But the tuition is really high.

Arid Gulch is a good school, but there is very little support. It's far from home. The transit system sucks, and the city is boring. I had panic attacks all the time. One time when I asked to be moved housing said "Well other than the emotional breakdown, do you have any reason you want to switch rooms?" I have no job, no friends, and my roommates are jackasses. But it's less expensive then LRU.

Then a friend pointed something out to me. If I focus just on tuition and housing, then Arid Gulch is technically less expensive. However, if I add in the cost of food, services, books, travel, and a few other items it comes out that they are either on par for cost, or LRU is less expensive. Then she said something that really stuck.

"Besides, whats more important low tuition fees, or sanity?"

With that kind of argument, I couldn't deny it any longer. Transferring school has been a really horrible idea. Nothing has gone well since I left The City, and I truly wish I had figured all of this out much sooner.

So what I'm trying to say is; I'm transferring back to LRU!!!!

....or at least trying.

As you remember from earlier in the post, I was under a lot of duress will at Arid Gulch and it really affected my grades and my GPA. I am no where near where I should be academically in order to transfer back to a school as amazing as LRU, but I'm taking the shot. I wrote a letter to the school explaining why I had issues at Arid Gulch, highlighting how well I had done in high school and at LRU, plus I promised I was getting professional aid with my issues. So I am deeply hoping they will give me a shot, and allow me to return.

So I'm asking the wonderful community here at Customer's Suck to do me two small favors.
1) Send me positive thoughts and prayers. I need all the good will and optimism i can get right now. I am so scared and stressed out. I could use your support.
2) Apartment advice.

The Dean of Housing at LRU is a friend of mine, and when I talked to him about coming back, he told me housing was full. But he promised he would tell me the moment something opened up. However, he advised me into looking for off campus housing.

Now I found a really great place only 1.3km from school. It's a beautiful building, very secure, and right next to a grocery store. The rent isn't too bad only $830 with heat and water included. I have found cheaper places but they are either very far from school in bad neighbourhoods, missing crucial things like stoves, or the utilities aren't included.

So, what do I need for my first apartment if i get one? I have friends who say I just need a bed, a dresser, a couch, and kitchen table. I already own a microwave, toaster, book shelf, and kitchen stuff. Like pots, plans, cutlery, plates, etc.

What should I get? What should I bring? Should I go up and tour the place before I apply?

Also, I will be living alone. No one I know who lives in The City needs a roommate right now, and my therapist advices against me living with unknowns again. I will probably get an old tom cat to live with me so I'm not alone in the flat. Though two of my best friends live in the building.

*silly fake university names my brother suggested.

Anyway, thanks in advanced for all your good thoughts and advice. I could really use it.

[spark]

My apartment furnishing method is haphazard. Basically I budgeted for "stuff" and then just bought things as I realized I needed them. I did a lot of shopping at Goodwill and other such stores, since one can get furnishings, kitchenware, and pretty much anything else a student apartment needs there, for quite cheap. You wander around going "I could use that" and compile a list, total it up, deduct anything that on second thought you didn't need/couldn't afford, and for me at least it worked just fine.

Good luck with this! And yay for cat, a cat is great of de-stressing!

[Mytical]

Hope things go well for you, but I believe you will need fewer well wishes then you think. Cause as I said before you will be awesome.

[Chanlin]

Good luck to ya and let me tell you, heat and water being included in the $830 price tag is awesome. I'd check to see if that is for as long as you live there or if it is a move in incentive.

Those bills can add up but as long as they are included then that seems a really attractive place to live

[Seshat]

Minimal apartment needs:

* Something to sleep on, and any necessary climate-appropriate bedding (eg sheets, blankets, pillows)
* Something to cook on and with.
* Something to eat off (plates etc) and with (it's quite possible to eat straight out of a saucepan, mind you).
* Something to study at, if you can't study on the floor.
* Somewhere to store perishable food.
* Hygiene supplies.
* Critical cleaning supplies.

All the above are available at goodwill/other charity shops. Usually at incredibly cheap prices.

Other things, such as a couch, a kitchen table, etc, are optional. Nice to have, but not by any means essential.

Clothing can be folded and live in piles on the bedroom floor.
Books can also have sorted piles on the floor.
Even non-perishable foods can be stored on the floor!

Next line of purchases:
* Pantry
* Bookcase
* Clothing storage

And that's in order. You want to get your food off the floor first, then books. Clothes you can pick up and dump on the bed if you need to mop the floor they're on. Food and books are more awkward to do that with.

[Dreamstalker]

Yes, get food off the floor ASAP. Even though everything was in sturdy bins, that's how I found out my old place had mice (the property management was useless in dealing with them..um, most buildings want to know that they have wildlife).

For clothes, I got a few nylon-fabric storage boxes at a local hardware/home store. A lot of places here have specials and sales for incoming students.

$830/month? I'd be over the moon if I could find a place here in a good area for that price.

[Seshat]

Ultra-cheap shelving: find a building site and ask permission to take any excess bricks and boards they have after the construction is done.

Up the road from us, there's a building-recycling place: they buy building pieces in good condition, and resell. Fencing, gates, hinges, shelf brackets, wood, particleboard, baths, basins ... it's a real rummage sale of a place, but absolutely great for getting stuff cheap. If such a place is near your apartment, check there for supplies. Ours doesn't often have actual furnishings, but sometimes has things like a bathroom cabinet or a kitchen cabinet - things that are normally fixed to a wall. You can often use those.

[AdminAssistant]

Others have given you great advice, so I'll just add this. If you have any trouble sleeping, you want to set up a separate study area ASAP. Don't study in bed. Even if it's just a chair in a different corner of the room, it'll help.

[trailerparkmedic]

Bulk trash days are great, but if your area has bedbugs, DON'T PICK UP ANYTHING.

Otherwise, start with a bed. Futons are great because they are a bed and a couch. Start with stuff to sit on, lamps if needed, and a table or two to put stuff on (desk, coffee table, end table, whatever is cheap). Beanbag chairs are cheap and fairly comfy. Start with just a few things and you'll figure out what you personally want.

[BookstoreEscapee]

The money is worth it if it buys you peace of mind. Think of it as buying a better life instead of just a degree.

When I first moved into my apartment in PA, I spent the first couple weeks sleeping on an air mattress until we were able to move my furniture in. During the summer I put the air mattress in the living room so I could sleep with the air conditioner (which did next to nothing for the bedroom due to the layout of the apartment and the location of the AC unit). When the weather cooled off I put the air mattress against the wall and used it for a couch (otherwise my living room only had a recliner and a coffee table that my parents gave me). My first "kitchen table" was a card table and folding chair (which doubled as a computer desk). I got a set of dishes (4 each of bowls, mugs and large and small plates) cheap at a discount department store...10 years later I still have them (they're boring off-white and I want new ones, but I haven't bothered yet since they're perfectly useable).

If you can see the place, that's always best; next best would be seeing a model apartment in the complex if that's a possibility (that's what we did; the complex office is also a model one-bedroom apartment, and they have a map of the layout of the two-bedroom. We didn't get to actually see our apartment until we got the keys, since someone was living there and we had to make a decision before they were scheduled to move out; I was a little wary about that but it's worked out fine).

There are least one or two threads about moving and apartments around the archives with lots of info.

[Chanlin]

Don't study in bed. Even if it's just a chair in a different corner of the room, it'll help.

This is some very good advice. From an educational psychology stand point its been proven that the closer you study to the conditions you will actually work in (ie at a desk, no music etc) the better you will be able to recall the information later.

[Becks]

Too true on that one as it just might be why the furniture is being tossed.

In college towns, the students and/or their parents usually just don't want the hassle of hauling that stuff all over the place, so they put it to the curb.

[Bella_Vixen]

In college towns, the students and/or their parents usually just don't want the hassle of hauling that stuff all over the place, so they put it to the curb.

I've heard you can find some very nice stuff sometimes.

[hinakiba777]

Thanks for the kind thoughts from those who said so. And the awesome advice from everyone.

The apartment has cupboards, so I don't think I'll need pantry containers. And as i said, I already own pots, pans, cutlery, plates, etc. But thanks for the advice. I look forward to more, and more good wishes. It makes me a little less stressed when people say they are hoping for me.

In college towns, the students and/or their parents usually just don't want the hassle of hauling that stuff all over the place, so they put it to the curb.

See the ONLY issue with that, is that stuff gets tossed in April when people are going home for the summer. So in August and September, you really don't find much stuff on the streets in The City.

[hinakiba777]

Today I picked up the mail. Inside my mailbox was my application packet. Apparently 2 stamps was not enough, and I was off by 7 cents for postage, so they sent it back to me. Over two weeks after I sent it. Almost a week after the application Deadline.

I am having a severe panic attack. It is all I can do not to call the Registrar's Office every 5 minutes leaving messages. I want to know if I Next Day deliver the letter will they accept it? Or what if I just drove to the city now?! It's only three hours away. It's not that far. Then I could be sure they would get it.

I am really freaking out.

Edit: Noon Atalntic Time: Alright still haven't heard back from the school because they are very busy. So I have decided to just drive to the city and hand it to them personally. Leaving now. Wish me luck.