It is February. There are all different kinds of colorful pieces of paper on telephone poles and bulletin boards. All these ads are about looking for students who want to rent a room. Prospective students of Kookmin University would like to find the right place, considering the cold wind that blows from Mt. Bukhan in winter. Finding the right place to live for all of university life is almost as hard as getting into the university itself; it makes me think that it is something like a war. I personally had the same experience of trying to find a room as a freshman too. Then how can you survive in this war and be the winner? Here are some tips to follow in order to obtain the victory.

1.All the Information at One Look

When looking for a room, most students only refer to the ads they find on telephone poles and bulletin boards, which can easily be found around the school. At this point, they fall one step further away from the victory. So where can we go to find that special room we're looking for? Let us access to the school website right now! We can find a lot of information about boarding houses and room rentals immediately. Unfortunately, many students have no idea about this online service. But now that you know, be sure to use it and tell others about it.

2.Do not wander from place to place


This is what happened when I was a freshman. I could not find the house even after talking to the host of the house on the phone because all the alleys looked so similar. And although I found the house after 30 minutes, it would have taken a lot less time if I had been better prepared. In this war, speed is the key. Securing your ideal house is like a war as well, so it is very possible to miss out on the house within those 30 minutes. The owner of the house was literally about to contract with somebody else when I got there. There are a number of things you need to keep in mind as you prepare for your house hunt. Get a map of the area around the University, then follow these simple steps:

1.Talk to the owner of the house on the phone.
2.Ask the specific location of the house and mark it on your map.
3. Mark all the locations of the houses you are interested in on the map and plan which one you will go to first, then second, etc. and how you are going to get to each house. I believe this will ease your stress during the house hunting process.

3. Carefully check over the placeas if you are buying your own house.

Although you will not be living in that house forever, there are many things you need to check in order to have an enjoyable university life. The house needs to be safe and well builtin order for you to be able live peacefully without having to worry about what is wrong with the house. Here is the list of the things you need to check:

1. Cleanliness
This is applicable mostly for bathrooms and kitchens. It may not be that big of a deal right now since it is winter, but you might find some very smelly places during the summer time.

2. Heating System
Above all, this is the most important thing for winter time. You need to check what type of heating system they have, how the bill is separated and whether or not the pipes get frozen and burst easily.

3. Windows
Though you may not realize it, windows are very important. I have some friends wholived in a semi-basement, and they had no idea that it was middle of the day because without the sunlight, they felt as if it was night. Try to find a room that has a window on the south side since that is the direction that gives sunlight for the longest time, and it will also help heat up the room some during the winter time.

4. Noise
Because most rooms around schools are so close to each other, there may be some neighbors that make a lot of noise even until midnight.

5. Other Expenses
People usually think that the deposit is about 10% of the total cost. You and the landlord should each have a copy of the written contract and every section that is related to money should either be signed or stamped, so no one can change anything in the middle of the contract. It is also important to check on other expenses, such as key deposit, heating, electricity and maintenance.

6. Make Your Own List
Prepare in advance your own list of things you would like to check for that are important to you. Remember, this will be your house for the next few years.

Tip: The difference between aboarding house and a rented room

Boarding House: The most important thing is security. We sometimes hear stories about things that are happening when students rent houses. Especially if a girl is to live in a house alone,it's good if there are things like a CCTV, fire extinguisher, etc. for security. I recommend that you live with your friends instead of living all by yourself. If you are worried about having trouble with new people, then you should consider having your close friends as roommates. The next things to consider are the meals. Cooking might seem very interesting at first, but you may get lazy or become bored of it as time goes by.

Room Rental: Meals are the best thing about renting a room so you should ask what the meals are going to be like. Another important thing is how comfortable you would feel living with the host family. It would be great if you could find ahost family that is like your own. Nowadays, there are less people that rent out rooms in their own house, so if you prefer renting a room, start looking as early as possible.

Conclusion: I suggest that youchoose a boarding house if you are diligent and extremely independent, but if you are not good at cooking and sleep a lot,I recommend you to rent a room.

Kookmin students, I wish you the best of luck in finding a good place to live.