As I was signing my year-long lease two years ago, focusing on controlling my sometimes disobedient cursive “z”, my landlord told my seven friends and I that the most practical skills administered in college are learned when dealing with off campus housing.
Since, I have learned, mostly through trial and error, to fix a broken chain in the toilet tank, make out a rent check, memorize the scheduling of garbage day, familiarize myself with City of Poughkeepsie ordinance laws, and discovered the amount of burnt popcorn fumes it takes to send the fire chief to your front door.
According to a representative at Marist Housing and Residential Life, “at any given time there are 200-300 students that have chosen to live off campus within a 2-3 mile radius.” Selecting an off campus house, thus deeming yourself “a commuter” to Marist, presents numerous opportunities and considerations.
Poughkeepsie, divided into the Town of Poughkeepsie and the City of Poughkeepsie, consists of several “neighborhoods,” or streets, where Marist students tend to congregate. Continue reading