With just a few weeks left until summer, all the stresses students have are put toward finals and projects. Those are good things to be worried about. However, if you pass and make it back to Eastern next year, for most there is still a lingering question: “Where am I going to live?” Incoming freshman have it easy with all the dorms that are available to them. But for upperclassmen and those wishing to vacate the dorms, finding a decent place to live can be more challenging than one would expect.

“Me and my boyfriend looked for over a month until we found a house that would not only take us, but that was affordable, too,” said Cory Stone, a junior. “It’s crazy to think that we are in a college town that isn’t that student friendly when it comes to finding a place to actually live. We even called Cheney Realty and they wouldn’t rent houses to us because we are students.”

Stone said she is paying less for her house than she did for her apartement.

With the average cost of living in Cheney at $683 per month, according to citydata.com, students might get a little worried as to how they are going to afford a place to live. Thankfully there are several options.

While Stone was looking for a house, most college students end up in apartments, which are a bit easier to come by though they can be pricey. With options such as The Grove, Boulder Apartments, and Eagle Point, students have many choices in their search for apartments. Again, the downside of this is that apartments are expensive.

The most expensive of those three is Eagle Point, charging an insane $795 a month for a one bedroom apartment. Changing with the amount of bedrooms, the price could get up to $1340 a month. Split between four people however, lowers the price to $335 a month, which isn’t all that bad. Things to remember is that the apartments do have a washer/dryer units but are not furnished, pets are not allowed and if there are four people living in the apartment, only two will have their own bathroom.

The Grove is a little bit different with the highest rate being $540 a month if you want to live alone or even with one other person. The price goes down to $480 a month per person if you live with two other people. Though the price per month when living with two people is a bit more than Eagle Point, one has to take into consideration that with The Grove, every room has its own bathroom, is comes fully furnished and pets are allowed.

Though Boulder isn’t the last apartment complex in Cheney, it is one of the more popular among students. This complex has the potential of being the cheapest of the three with a three bedroom coming to around $310 a month per person. However, if living alone is the preference, it is right up there with Eagle Point charging $768 per month. Again, like Eagle Point, a drawback is that if you have more than one roommate, someone is going to have to share a bathroom. Unlike The Grove, Boulder is not furnished, but, on the upside, they do allow up to two cats.

With even more apartment complexes in Cheney, it is clear an apartment might be the easiest to find. Not only that, but they also offer a new sense of freedom, at least for freshman coming out of the dorms.

“I moved into an apartment right after living in Dressler and it was definitely an easier transition than moving into a house would have been,” said Eastern senior Nate Loague. “The only bill I paid was for rent, which made it easy. The best part is that there are no CAs so you really have a newfound freedom that you don’t get in the dorms”

Clearly there are positives and negatives to every housing option in Cheney and it is hard to pick the best one. Whether it is the cost, the amenities, the need for a pet or just friends, one has to think about what is most convenient when making the choice. Houses, though more difficult for students to find, offer more freedom than most apartments, but bills will come in bunches. Apartments offer the convenience and amenities, but even without bills they are expensive. With summer approaching, leases are being signed and places are filling up. It is time to make that decision and lock down a nest for next year’s Eagles.