Goodbye small rooms, sticky elevator floors, community shower stalls, busy laundry rooms and overbearing community advisers. Hello independence, privacy, peace of mind and, of course, bills.

Residence halls, as wonderful as they are for making friends with people you’d otherwise never talk to, are often characterized by highly unfavorable stereotypes. To whatever degree those may be true, it is a sure thing that many students end up moving to an apartment.

“I moved into an apartment because I wanted more freedom,” said Caitlyn Kurinsky, a sophomore sociology major. “The dorms weren’t all that quiet and I wanted to have a quiet environment so I could study in.”

Freedom and noise levels aren’t the only reasons people move to apartments. Having control is another.

Jim Mason, owner of Mason Properties, said being in command is another reason students choose apartments over residence halls.

Nate Hillman, a junior kinesiology major echoed the sentiment.

“There are more freedoms and more options in what you want to do with your space and time,” Hillman said.

Living in an apartment is also less chaotic for Hillman.

“I can come in as late as I want and still find a parking spot,” he said. “Living in an apartment just gives me an overall peace of mind.”

Having peace of mind and privacy may be important, but at what price?

Kurinsky lives in a three-bedroom, three-bathroom apartment and her monthly expenses include rent, electricity, cable and the Internet, gas, water and food. With a nine-month lease she pays $5,075. She pays $3,995 without the cost of food.

Piece of mind costs Hillman, a tenant in a two-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment about $5,715 for nine months.

The increased cost of living in an apartment is heavily contingent on food. In the residence halls, food is provided with the room and board but apartment tenants are on their own when it comes to eating and this can cause problems.

“It’s hard when you’re hungry and trying to rush out the door,” Kurinsky said. “You can’t just run down to the dorm cafeteria and grab something to eat and run anymore.”

Aside from a few minor lifestyle changes, the transition into an apartment is relatively easy, Kurinsky said.

“The biggest adjustment I’ve faced is making sure that I have enough in my budget for rent, utilities and food,” Kurinsky said. “On the other hand, I have a lot more space in my apartment, and I have a private bathroom that I don’t have to share with 20 girls like I did when I lived in the dorms.”