Tropophobia is the fear of moving, and we in the apartment and student housing industry tend to see this characteristic quite frequently. Our student housing division, Asset Campus Housing, typically sees this phobia with their freshman residents at the beginning of a new school year on move-in day. Most students entering college are between the ages of 17 and 19, having never spent more than a week’s worth of a spring break away from home. Home is where students are used to their parents enforcing rules and curfews along with the benefits of home cooked meals, fully stocked pantries and free rent. Leaving a place you have called home for the past 18 years can be a bit intimidating and that is why we strive to make the transition from one home to the other a pleasant and enjoyable experience.

Both our Student Housing and Multi Family division provide resident activities that will pacify any fear of moving that a resident may encompass. The Cambridge at College Station, a student housing property in College Station, TX, invites residents to move into the facility a week before classes begin in order to have time to get situated and adjust to the new environment. The facility also hosts a Luau the weekend before school starts that includes live music, a pool party and a traditional Hawaiian buffet. Multi Family apartments deal with transitions from home to home on a weekly basis so they have resident CARES teams who focus on welcoming the new residents to the community and inviting them to upcoming events.

Jack Biehunko, Leasing Director at the Cambridge at College Station, stated "move-in day for freshman is one of the most anticipated, yet nerve-racking days of the year for both students and parents. The first couple of days following move-in is when we tend to see students become homesick with the new excitement of being on their own drowning off- this is when we hold activities like the Luau and hall mixers to distract them and get them involved with the community."

We all may have experienced "tropophobia" during one move or another, but at the Asset Campus Housing and Asset Plus properties we put our best efforts forth in providing the ultimate living experience by removing any fears of moving one may have.