Living Off Campus

I'm only a sophomore, and I don't plan on living off campus until my senior year.
A week ago, that meant that I didn't even need to think about my options and plans until the end of this year/ beginning of next year.

But then came the storm of people going for showings, signing leases, and finding out that availability for TWO YEARS from now is not guaranteed.

This has opened a Pandora's box of things to consider.  Who will I want to live with in two years? Will we still be good friends? Where will we live? Is it safe? Is it clean? Is it reasonably priced? How will I get back and forth to campus? Will I have a car? A bike? What if it snows? Or rains?  Too many questions!!

After a full week and a half of constant research, I have found three friends that I am fairly confident I'll still want to be around in two years (I sound so cynical!).  We've narrowed our choice to one townhouse development that's only a year or two old, and we've contacted a private landlord for a showing!

Hopefully this works out.  The idea of living in a house all by ourselves, with the responsibility for food and gas bills and cleaning is rather daunting.  But at the same time, if I want to go to med school, the first time I pay a cable bill shouldn't be the same week I wear a white coat for the first time.

This growing up thing is happening way too fast.  I'd like to go back to fourth grade, please?