With graduation right around the corner for some, and a mere couple of years for others, Miami University students have begun to think about their living arrangement plans for the “real world.”

According to students who were interviewed, there are numerous factors they consider before moving to a new place, including job availability, cost of living and the importance of being in a location near family.

First-year Sara Wenger, who aspires to work on Capitol Hill, won’t let anything prevent her from living in her dream location of Washington, D.C.

“I wouldn’t give up D.C. because I have been dreaming about it for such a long time,” Wenger said. “I just have had this picture in my mind for so long, doing something else with my life would be so odd for me.”

Sophomore Kaitlyn Gerken said she dreams of living in the suburbs of a big city.

“I have been to New York City, Philadelphia and D.C. in the past few years, and have fallen in love with each of them,” Gerken said. “I love the history and just the overall vibe of a big city.”

On the other hand, she would be willing to live somewhere else if there was higher job availability.

Sophomore Lauren Kraus ideally wants to live in Europe.

However, she said she recognizes the cost of moving abroad is definitely an important factor and it may be more realistic to move to somewhere in New England.

Students also consider the importance of living near their families.

While Wenger said it would be great to live close to her parents, but not a top priority, Gerken and Kraus agreed that it would be a deciding factor.

Both would like to be near their families, and said it’s important for them to live in a location that would be cohesive for children when they each start families.

Another factor being seriously considered is job availability in various locations.

Jennifer McLaughlin, one of Miami’s Career Services staff members, has found that students who are more lenient with where they want to live have more opportunities.

“It depends on what you want to do.” McLaughlin said. “If you are in a competitive field like advertising, where there are more people than jobs, you might want to make your location broader.”

However, there are still plenty of instances where someone could choose where they wanted to live.

“If you are in a career field where there are more jobs than people that can fill them, such as math or science teachers, you have a lot more options to choose your place,” McLaughlin said.

Like Gerken, Kraus is willing to keep her living arrangements flexible to job availability.

“If I didn’t have a source of income, it wouldn’t be worth it to live there because I wouldn’t be getting the experience I’d expected anyway,” Kraus said. “I’d rather live somewhere I know I can find work, and then maybe move to that ideal location in the future when I feel more secure.”