Why I Like Where I Live (articles about TCU housing and TCU apartments)

Winner for September 2008

Tom Brown/Pete Wright Apartment Complex
By Maddison Grigsby

“There’s no place like home…”

Ok, maybe it’s cliché, but for me, a junior living on campus, it is the absolute truth. I live in the Tom Brown/Pete Wright Apartment Complex (Mabee building), and it has become a safe haven for my three roommates and me, not to mention the numerous visitors we host every day.

Though many people would see it as a negative thing to live on campus as a junior, I have found just the opposite. My TCU apartment is right across from Sadler Hall, positioning it perfectly between the academic buildings across University Drive and the new student union. I love that when I walk to class, I am bound to see people I know passing through campus. There is always so much activity going on, and living near everything puts my roommates and me at the center of it. There is an energy that permeates campus constantly, and that energy is contagious.

The TCU apartment itself has everything four college girls need. There are four bedrooms (with full beds)--giving each one of us our own space--two bathrooms, a kitchen and eating area, and a spacious living room that welcomes guests at any hour. A few days ago, a friend who lives in off-campus housing called to take a nap during a break between classes. It is this convenience that makes my TCU apartment perfect.

The safety factor is another aspect I appreciate about living on campus at TCU. The apartment doors lock automatically, and while this can be a nuisance if I forget my key, I would never choose otherwise. Plus, it’s made me more responsible--I never forget my key anymore, because I can’t afford the lock-out fine!

Because TBPW is for upper-classmen only, the RAs understand that we have had TCU on-campus living arrangements before.  They are extremely easy-going, and though they follow the rules, there is no sense of micromanaging or over-control. We participate in roommate contract agreements at the start of the year, and this allows each TCU apartment to make its own visitation rules, cleaning stipulations, etc.

Perhaps my favorite thing about my TCU apartment, though, is the people I share it with. I live with three of my closest friends, and though all of our schedules are filled with a variety of activities ranging from internships to student government, my favorite part of the day is coming home at night and spending time with people I love. There is a sense of safety and connectedness in my TCU apartment, and it’s nice to know that I have three of the best people in the world to come back to each night. We spend time baking, watching movies, laughing, and just sitting. It is during those times spent together that my favorite TCU memories have been made. I wouldn’t trade it for the world. My only wish for TBPW? That it would be open for community living when I graduate, so I could live with my best friends forever!