How much time do you spend at home? (Studio vs. 1 bedroom)

[JosepLaforet]

Hello everyone,

 

I've made the decision to attend a large research university for a PhD starting this upcoming fall.  In looking around at the housing market, it seems very geared toward undergrads and roommates, with the one bedroom apartments being either very expensive or very far from campus.  Currently, I'm in a one bedroom at a small liberal arts school.  It takes me exactly 5 minutes to walk from my building to where most of my classes are held on campus.  I know that going to a larger school means larger commutes, but I do not want to lose the luxury of walking to class each day.  Unfortunately, the only available apartments close enough to campus within my price range (since I'm trying to not take on any more debt) are studios.  I have definitely grown into the space afforded to me by my one bedroom apartment, and switching to the studios i'm looking at would mean a 1/3 reduction in space.  So, my questions are:

How much time do you spend at home?  If you live in a studio, do you ever feel cramped?  (the last thing I want is to feel like i'm living in the dorms again).

 

Do you walk to/from campus daily?  Does that luxury outweigh the luxury of having ~150 more square feet at home?  Does it matter so much how big your apartment is if you are spending a lot of your time at school?  I've already read a few threads on furnishing studios themselves, and it seems doable.  Would be nice to hear about the experiences others have had actually living day-to-day in the small spaces

 

Thanks!

[fuzzylogician]

These things are so personal, I'm not sure my experience and preferences can teach you anything about yours. 

 

That said, personally, I find that I spend more time at home when I'm more comfortable there, and space is a factor though honestly not the most important one (for me). I lived with roommates most of the time when I was in school and then the only space that was really mine was my own room. That was alright, but of course having the right roommates is very important. In large cities, having my own place seemed like an unjustifiable expense compared to having a roommate (never more than one, though), just because of that price difference. I had a studio for one year but I didn't like it. I like to have separation between where I hang out and where I work, and a studio can't really give you that. Since undergrad I actually always try to live in a place that would give me some reasonable commute to work, since I like having the separation between my personal life and my professional life more generally. This would be anything from 35-40 minutes on the bus/train to a 20-25 minute walk. I've always tried to live in a neighborhood that I like and that's removed from where the undergrads live. But these are personal preferences that I've learned about myself over the years. Obviously, someone else might place a higher value on a very short commute to work, or on space, or not having roommates, etc. 

[iphi]

I lived with my SO in a studio for the first three years. It was hard, but do-able! I personally hate a long commute, so the studio would be preferable. You can also see if you can find a month-to-month lease while you learn the area and decide what's right for you - that way maybe you can move again. As for the space I always wanted more - mostly because my SO has a lot of junk so it was cluttered - but really it was fine.

 

I would say factor in: an SO (if living with you), any pets, the weather (for potentially walking to school), bus routes, your budget and length of lease into your decision!

Edited February 17, 2015 by iphi

[dr. t]

I would assume that most of the 1BRs close to campus would probably come on the market in May or June for September, FYI.

[ERR_Alpha]

Hello everyone,

I've made the decision to attend a large research university for a PhD starting this upcoming fall. In looking around at the housing market, it seems very geared toward undergrads and roommates, with the one bedroom apartments being either very expensive or very far from campus. Currently, I'm in a one bedroom at a small liberal arts school. It takes me exactly 5 minutes to walk from my building to where most of my classes are held on campus. I know that going to a larger school means larger commutes, but I do not want to lose the luxury of walking to class each day. Unfortunately, the only available apartments close enough to campus within my price range (since I'm trying to not take on any more debt) are studios. I have definitely grown into the space afforded to me by my one bedroom apartment, and switching to the studios i'm looking at would mean a 1/3 reduction in space. So, my questions are:

How much time do you spend at home? If you live in a studio, do you ever feel cramped? (the last thing I want is to feel like i'm living in the dorms again).

Do you walk to/from campus daily? Does that luxury outweigh the luxury of having ~150 more square feet at home? Does it matter so much how big your apartment is if you are spending a lot of your time at school? I've already read a few threads on furnishing studios themselves, and it seems doable. Would be nice to hear about the experiences others have had actually living day-to-day in the small spaces

Thanks!

I love in a ~760 square foot apartment with my SO. When he goes away for weekends, the apartment feels absolutely massive to me. Personally, if I ever lived alone, a studio would be plenty. I'm not home a whole lot, and I only really cook dinner / do work / watch tv while I'm home. There would be no need for two separate rooms for a bed and a couch if I didn't have an SO who stays up late watching tv. Some studios are also rather large, I would say square footage is more important than rooms.

Also something to think about- do you ever plan on having people over? It's not important to us, but it may be something to consider if you like to entertain.

[shadowclaw]

I personally enjoy my home time. Studying and reading in library gets annoying as the semester progresses, and when I study in different rooms around the department, people always find me and bother me with questions. Or worse, want to study with me. Ugh, I hate studying with other people. I also get approached by undergrads for tutoring, which is really annoying. It used to happen a lot when I was an undergrad doing peer tutoring... they wouldn't come during my hours but they'd see me working on something in the library and ask for help with their lab reports. Errrg.

 

Basically, I hate being interrupted while studying or reading and I have trouble concentrating with other people are noisy. So I prefer to do that sort of stuff at home. I also prefer to eat at home with my husband, and most of the grad students in my department who have SO's also prefer to go home and eat/hang out with them. The single students, on the other hand, often linger and socialize and go out to eat together. So that's something to think about... if you have a SO (who's living close to you) or you happen to meet someone, you might appreciate the extra space at home. However, if you don't or if you just like socializing with other students, you might not spend as much time at home.

 

Personally, I'm really sick of long commutes, so I might pick a studio for the convenience of being able to walk or bike to school. Especially in a big city, driving might get really annoying really fast.

[rising_star]

I enjoy living in a nice place. In grad school, I never lived more than about a 10 minute commute, though the mode of transit varied (car, bike, or walk, depending on when we're talking about). I had roommates for many years and it was fine most of the time. I'm also one of those people that likes having some separation between where I work, relax, and sleep, so a studio would be hard for me. This really is incredibly personal though.

[i.am.me]

I live in a small space and I like it. My friends have complained about the space actually (lol) but I don't care because I chose my space to be closer to campus. I am situated in the capital area of my campus and am about 10 minutes from my office and department. However, I rarely work at home because I have made my space so comfortable...I just end up watching k-dramas. 

[maelia8]

I live with two roommates in a very expensive area, and my bedroom is basically a closet (8x10). It's cozy for sleeping and my tiny desk holds my laptop, but since my space is so tiny and we don't share community spaces in my apartment, I spend ALL of my time at the gym, reading/working at one of a dozen libraries at my large research university, out to eat, or at my boyfriend's place, since he has a studio. I live a 20 minute walk from campus, or a 5 minute bus ride, and it's perfect for me. That being said, if I had a tiny studio to myself, without roommates, I'd probably spend a lot more time there.

[juilletmercredi]

I think this is a really personal choice.

 

I personally hate studios. I love space - as much space as I can have - I live alone and considered renting a 2-bedroom when I first moved to my postdoc so I could use the second bedroom as my office.  (Two-bedrooms in Postdoc Town are only marginally more expensive than one-bedrooms.) I also do not like my spaces all melting into each other - I like having a defined living room where I can bring guests without having to worry about whether my bed is made up or whether I left my pajamas hanging out of my dresser drawer.  I also like chilling in my living room.  Bedrooms are for sleeping to me, and I am really only in my bedroom now if I am sleeping or changing clothes.

 

I am not built for cities.  LOL.

 

That said, my best living situation in graduate school was when I lived in a relatively spacious 2-bedroom apartment that I shared with one roommate - we had an eat-in kitchen, a large living room, and each of us had a very decently-sized bedroom. It was a 20 minute commute on the subway to the main campus, but I didn't care about that - the commute was kind of nice; I could read a book or just let my brain wander before class.

 

My worst living situation was when I lived in a 185-square-foot single room when I worked in residential life. It was directly on the main campus, so I was like 0-5 minutes from anything I needed to do, but it was so tiny that my full-sized bed basically took up the whole place. Second to that was the two-room studio I shared with my husband for two years. It was right behind campus, so everything was a 5-10 minute walk away, but I had no room to entertain guests (they'd have to sit at my kitchen table) and living in only two rooms for two people is kind of hard - if I wanted to be truly alone I would have to leave my apartment.

 

So personally, I would much rather take a 20-30 minute commute to have more space. But my husband loved being able to roll out of the apartment 10 minutes before class started and still be on time, and he didn't want to move further away for more space (I proposed the idea to him). So it kind of depends on your preferences.

[St Andrews Lynx]

Right now I live on campus and can walk to my lab in barely 5 min. I share 2-bed graduate housing - the rent is a bit more costly than anything in the private sector, but still decent value for money. 

 

My honest feeling is that living too close to your workplace is a curse rather than a luxury, because it is harder to disconnect from your research life. Got nothing planned this Sunday afternoon? Well, why not nip over to the office for a few hours? As such, I spend the minimal time in my apartment - I leave after breakfast and come back in time for dinner, maybe heading back out in the evening returning home to crash and sleep. 

 

Previously, I've always chosen a 1 bedroom apartment over a studio. You're practically sleeping in your kitchen in a studio, which is weird for me - I like having separated areas for different domestic things. For me, rent is something I'm willing to pay a lot for, since I really value a space where I feel safe, happy & fits my tastes. 

 

It's really about what is most important to you; cash, convenience, peace of mind, balanced feng shui, etc

[nugget]

I think it all comes down to priorities. Do you value convenience, less travel time and more free time every day (being able to go home for lunch or go home if you accidentally forget something at home ,etc) or do you want more space for yourself and space to entertain guests (providing that the location is easily accessible by your guests, of course)?

 

If you like convenience, consider space saving furniture like a murphy bed, loft bed, sofa bed or futon, for instance. Some murphy beds even have a built in desk that swings under your bed when it's open - you don't even need to remove your books from the desk! There are many options out there if you look around for this kind of specialty furniture. ie: coffee tables that open up into a large dining room table, etc. If the apartment has lots of storage space, shelving, or if you have the ability to store out of season clothing at a family members' home then a bachelor suite could work for you.

 

If you enjoy having parties or want to invite your lab, friends or date over for dinner or drinks on occasion, a one bedroom would be better as long as it's not too far away or difficult for your guests to get to, which would then defeat the purpose.

 

If you do not have a car or don't want to use it daily, also consider local bus routes. If you live in an area with poor bus service your social life could be negatively impacted and buying groceries and running errands, etc will become a lot more inconvenient if you live further away. 

[nugget]

haha... I accidentally gave myself a negative reputation on my last post. Anyone know how to remove it?

[maelia8]

I upvoted you to fix it

[nugget]

Thanks, maelia8! I'd upvote your post but I've reached my daily quota. 

[nugget]

If you've got a good budget for furniture, some of this stuff is really great. (Of course, this is just an example. Lots of places sell this kind of stuff).

 

http://resourcefurniture.com/get-inspired/watch-video/

[MathCat]

This might seem odd, but for me the biggest concern about studios is refrigerator noise. I had a hellish stay in a hotel room with a loud refrigerator, and now I'm not so sure I'd be able to handle a studio, haha.

[FacelessMage]

I live in a 350 square foot studio that's within walking distance from campus and I love being so close, especially since transit is awful where I live. I spend a lot of time at home since I usually work from home most days, and I practically spent the first 3 months of grad school working from bed since I was so sick. It does kind of suck having no separate bedroom (I also hate the lack of space), but the convenience of the location makes up for it.  

Edited February 23, 2015 by FacelessMage

[brown_eyed_girl]

I've lived in a 400 square foot studio for four years, and I love it. Personally I'd way rather have location, a building and landlord you like, and a cute space with less square footage. A small space doesnt' have to mean not entertaining - I have a "living area" and a bedroom area, and friends love my little apartment. It also means you save money on rent that you can use to decorate.  

[music]

My place is 420 sq ft, and it's...ok. IMO the layout is more important than the size. Annoyingly the way my apartment is set out (doors, kitchen etc) means there's just no good way to arrange furniture, so I can't fit a kitchen table in, nor entertain guests. I don't really think it makes any difference in terms of how much time I spend at home vs on campus though. If I want privacy and more control over my environment, I stay at home. If I want to be around people or need certain resources, I go to campus. That will stay the same once I move to a bigger place with my SO. It will just make weekends more pleasant

[ion_exchanger]

Originally came here to say what mathcat said, that studios for some reason feel noisier to me, especially when listening to the refrigerator kick in, or hear the ice maker working.

With that said, where I live we don't have many traditional studios where the space is one room and a kitchen and bathroom. Our studios generally look like very small one bedrooms. A studio means a bedroom without a window, so there is a defined space for a bedroom, where usually just a bed and dresser can fit without a window. It has a door or a half wall that separates it from the living/dining room. Its pretty cool actually. I ultimately chose a one bedroom over the traditional studio that I was considering because it feels weird to me to be able to see my front door while i sleep, and I too like the idea of defined rooms. If you go on YouTube though there are tons of videos that show how people smartly transform studios to create designed rooms, so there's an idea. Personally I prefer a shorter commute, and I basically just use my apartment to relax, eat and sleep. In your case I would probably choose the studio. I do live in an area with a less than reliable subway system and threat of snow, so it would be nice not to wonder if I can make it to lab during a big storm.

Edited February 24, 2015 by ion_exchanger

[kyjin]

I live in a studio and have a bit of a commute to campus (30 to 45 minutes via train; about 20-30 with car), but honestly I don't mind it. My first apartment was a really tiny studio in Tokyo, so I got used to a small space. During my MA, I shared a 2-bedroom with a roommate, but I really missed having my alone time, especially since I do most of my work at home. (Also my roomie was not the greatest at cleaning, so that didn't help matters.) The neighborhood around my campus isn't exactly the greatest, so I would have to commute a bit no matter what. But to live in a really desirable area, I had to stick to a studio since that's all I could afford. My current studio is actually pretty big, with a walk-in closet and more cabinets than I could ever use in the kitchen. I have a defined bedroom, dining, and living area, and the kitchen can't be seen from my bed thanks to a wall. The only negative is that I can't allow the place to get that messy because you can see everything, but that's actually a benefit; forces me to always keep the place in good order. 

 

Like others have said, it really comes down to personal preference. For me, a studio is plenty.

[scarvesandcardigans]

Hello everyone,

 

I've made the decision to attend a large research university for a PhD starting this upcoming fall.  In looking around at the housing market, it seems very geared toward undergrads and roommates, with the one bedroom apartments being either very expensive or very far from campus.  Currently, I'm in a one bedroom at a small liberal arts school.  It takes me exactly 5 minutes to walk from my building to where most of my classes are held on campus.  I know that going to a larger school means larger commutes, but I do not want to lose the luxury of walking to class each day.  Unfortunately, the only available apartments close enough to campus within my price range (since I'm trying to not take on any more debt) are studios.  I have definitely grown into the space afforded to me by my one bedroom apartment, and switching to the studios i'm looking at would mean a 1/3 reduction in space.  So, my questions are:

How much time do you spend at home?  If you live in a studio, do you ever feel cramped?  (the last thing I want is to feel like i'm living in the dorms again).

 

Do you walk to/from campus daily?  Does that luxury outweigh the luxury of having ~150 more square feet at home?  Does it matter so much how big your apartment is if you are spending a lot of your time at school?  I've already read a few threads on furnishing studios themselves, and it seems doable.  Would be nice to hear about the experiences others have had actually living day-to-day in the small spaces

 

Thanks!

 

I'm going through a similar situation. I too would like to afford a 1br apartment within walking distance to campus, but it seems that anything within my budget and distance ideas falls into the studio category. I actually lived in a studio for a year and a half during my undergrad years, and I enjoyed it a lot. The personal space and lack of roommates was comfortable, and I often didn't notice that it was small because I managed to accommodate all of my needs in that space. It didn't feel like a dorm to me at all, especially because I had "my own" space and a full kitchen.

 

I didn't spend insane amounts of time there, I think the most I ever did was on the weekends, and even then it was usually only a few hours. It was a 6-minute walk to campus and I appreciated that more than anything, especially during the winter when I had to walk, or even use the bus to get to campus because it was only a couple of minutes there as well. It's definitely doable, and if you go into it knowing that organization and storage are of high importance, you should be fine!