Apartment Guide For Hosting Guests
Part of the fun of living in off campus apartments in Clemson is experiencing aspects of student life that happen outside the classroom, such as parties. We’re not talking about anything too crazy, but the occasional party is a great way to have fun, relieve stress caused by homework and tests, and interact with lots of new people, especially your neighbors. To help kickstart your event planning, we’ve outlined everything you need to know about hosting guests at your apartment.
Planning A Housewarming Party
People generally move into student apartments in Clemson at the beginning of the semester, which is an exciting time to throw a party. Not only is everyone jazzed about starting new classes, but they are also settling into new digs, and many are living on their own for the first time. This is a cause for celebration, for sure.
But for any event to go off without a hitch, you’ll need to plan for it properly. From whom to invite to what food to provide, here are the main steps to making a housewarming party.
Making The Guest List
A proper housewarming party starts with the guest list. You’ll want equal representation from both friends and neighbors. That way, you’ll feel comfortable with familiar faces around, but you also can meet new people who live nearby. Plus, it’s always a good idea to know your neighbors, as you never know if you might need them to keep watch out for your Amazon package deliveries or feed your dog while you’re on spring break.
Arranging Furniture
Furnished housing is a convenience for students, but when it comes to parties, furniture can be a double-edged sword. On the one hand, couches and chairs make your apartment comfortable and attractive. On the other hand, since you don’t own that furniture, if it gets spilled on or damaged, you’re responsible. Parties are at their best in open spaces anyway, so go ahead and push the dining table, chairs, and couches to the corners of the rooms where they’re out of harm’s way. Your mellowest guests, who tend to gravitate to quiet corners anyway, will find the furniture and use it respectfully, while the more angst-ridden partiers, for whom boundaries are negotiable, will stick to the center of attention at the middle of the room, a safe distance from the furniture.
Buying Refreshments
Although you’re not running a feed-the-neighborhood initiative, a good housewarming party needs tasty refreshments to fuel everyone’s fun. If you’re on a budget, a few bags of pretzels and chips and canisters of mixed nuts should suffice. However, if you wish to stand out from the crowd — always a good idea at your own event — find a few recipes for party dishes that appear fancy but have quick prep times, such as Greek salad skewers, brie on bread, or roasted red pepper hummus. Most of the ingredients for these are sold at Ingles Market, less than a mile from The Ridge Clemson.
Having a good selection of beer, wine, and cocktail mixers is also a great way to keep the atmosphere lively — but make sure everyone is of legal drinking age, and either walks home, calls an Uber, or takes the apartment shuttle. You also should encourage guests to bring their own beer (BYOB), as supplying drinks for a large group could quickly burn through your spare cash. Here’s a pro tip: place the garbage and recycling bins front and center by the island in the kitchen, so guests throw away their empties rather than leaving them scattered around the apartment for you to hunt down the following day.
Hosting A Dinner Party In Your Apartment
Not all apartment parties have to be large enough to merit headlines in The Tiger campus newspaper. Sometimes, a low-key dinner is all it takes to bring the spice out of life, especially if you’re cooking Indian food. Most of the time, students are intimidated by throwing a dinner party. They reference movies and TV shows where June Cleaver-esque homemakers produce lavish, five-course meals. You don’t have to do all of that, though. In fact, it’s better to keep things simple. When you plan a big feast, most of the time your guests are left to their own devices in the living room while you’re in the kitchen preparing everything. That’s no kind of social interaction. Instead, make an appetizer or two and ask a few of your guests to do the same. This way the emphasis isn’t on the food but the time spent with each other.
Throwing A Party Outside Your Place
Two prototypical concerns that plague most apartment parties are inadequate space and excessive noise. Space isn’t that much an issue in our student housing near Clemson University, seeing as our floor plans have four bedrooms, spacious common areas, and multiple levels. What is worrisome is party noise, which can quickly amplify indoors if too many people congregate in a confined area. So if that’s a concern, take the festivities outdoors. The amenities at student living communities rival those at most resorts and condos. From hanging by the pool to grilling up BBQ, you have several options for alternative venues. But keep an eye on the clock. Noise levels are still a consideration when you’re in a public setting, so be conscientious of whether the party is keeping people awake or distracting them from studying.
Prepping For A Parent’s Visit
While it may not be a festive occasion, a visit from parents or guardians is a sacred event that requires the same intensity of preparations. But whereas a party is about making your apartment fun and destruction-proof, prepping for a parent’s visit is about showing them how adult you are by cleaning the place. Buy some Clorox wipes, borrow the vacuum from the neighbors you met at your last get-together, and try to keep anything you don’t want your parents to see hidden well in your bedroom. You’re officially independent now, so show them you’re living that way.
In case your parents elected to stay with you instead of at a hotel, a good way to prepare a guest room in student housing is to bunk up with a roommate for a night or two and let your parents sleep in your room. If you haven’t been utilizing that spacious closet and organizers you’re provided, now is the time to do so. Keep the floors clear, the sheets folded, and the food remnants in the garbage can, and you’ll be ready to impress your parents with the new, independent you.
The Ridge Clemson is a vibrant, all-inclusive student community just minutes from Clemson University. From social gatherings to focused study sessions, our residents enjoy the perfect balance of living and learning thanks to our furnished apartments and modern amenities. To see why we offer the ultimate off campus lifestyle, contact us today!
