Measurements

I'll tell you this much, a tape measure is essential when moving in to a new apartment. My roommates and I have already changed our furniture plans for the simple fact that some things won't fit or will just fit very awkwardly. The last thing that we want is for our first apartment to be an ugly one. If at all possible, you should try to see the apartment before even signing the lease. Much to our surprise, we have an ugly blue/gray carpet instead of the beige one that we thought we were getting. But, there isn't much we can do about that now.

Make sure you take the dimensions yourself because usually the floor plans make the place look a lot bigger than it actually is. I'm not really sure how they get away with that, but they do. For example, my bedroom can probably fit a bed...and that's all. Problems arise when you have furniture already moved from one city to another and then have no place to put it! So, plan accordingly so you don't end up wasting money.