In exchanging stories of living situations, students learn of enjoyments or difficulties that resonate. Other times, when we peak into someone else's life, we get a whole new perspective of theirs or our own.

Married, with apartment

For an eclectic mix of residential streets and happening business districts, nothing in Milwaukee beats the Eastside. Ashley Kernstock, 20, recently moved here from Ohio with her husband of one year.

They live in an apartment near the lake. It is more expensive, but she said it is worth it because of its quaint character and convenience.

“I don’t have to go out to find anything to do,” Kernstock said. “We get home from work and like to relax. We can take a nice walk down the street and go to the bars.”

One gripe she has about the Eastside is that closer to campus, people can be more rowdy.

“Near campus people hoot and holler off the balcony and nobody knows what to do with their trash,” she said. “It kind of drives me crazy.”

Kernstock said that key to success in living with someone is to identify their strengths and weaknesses. Do the chores you think are important, and let it slide if the other person doesn’t do them as long as they help with the things that you dislike.

“I don’t care if he does not clean the bathroom because he is willing to do so many other things,” she said.

Rockin’ roommates

Steven Kasprzyk, 19, shares an apartment on the south side with a good friend from high school. They get along because they are both on the artistic side and have an indie-rock band called Eloso. They perform at Mad Planet on Center Street and will also perform at the 8th Note Coffeehouse in November.

He said the south side location of his apartment is affordable, and he likes the serenity of his neighborhood.

“I like the peace and quiet.” he said. “There are not a lot of kids that live in our apartment complex. It’s good when I need to study.”

Home (sick?)

Many commuters live with parents. Noah Lichtenstein, a senior, lives in Mequon and takes the 49 UBus from Brown Deer to get to classes.

He said that living at home during college allows him to save money to do things with friends. On the down side, he said it can be harder to study.

“I seem to get more work done at the library,” he said. “At home, parents bug you to do your homework.”

Many of his friends live in Mequon. He said that he values his longstanding friendships, but would also like to have friends to hang out with on the Eastside.

“You fit in a little bit more,” he said.

Safe and sound in Sandburg Halls

Convenient, yet crowded, the dorms are very social setting. For Lindsey King, a sophomore and returning student to Sandburg Halls, the experience has been a success.

“I only came to Milwaukee with one friend,” King said. “I met all of my closest friends in my suite … five girls and we are really close.”

Overall, King likes Sandburg, but visiting a friend’s house can be fun because there are not any restrictions such as music volume.

King really appreciates the security at the dorms and throughout campus. With the guest pass system, she can decide who can come to her room after 7 p.m.

Living single

Betsy Herman, 23, has lived in all of the above scenarios, but now lives in a studio by herself and finds it to be the best choice.

“Living with a random roommate because I needed a room was probably the worst option,” Herman said.

A reason for this was that it was inconvenient to adjust to someone’s life when neither person was included in the other’s plans.

When Herman moved into her own studio, “for the first time I felt really free,” she said.

“I could do anything I wanted without anyone there to bother me.”

But living single is lonely.

“I spend a lot of time at my best friend’s house or at my mom and dad’s,” Herman said. “I wear down my cell phone battery pretty early into the evening on most days.”

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