How to Decide Whether or Not to Live On Campus

By Lorena Roberts on June 19, 2017

When you’re in college, your housing situation can make or break your academic success. If your freshman year roommate was wonderful, you’re one of the lucky ones. Most people have at least one struggle with a roommate at some point in their college career.

There comes a time when you’ll have to decide whether or not it’s time to move off-campus. Don’t worry, I have some tips for you.

You should keep living on campus if:

1. You have a hard time getting out of bed for class

If you’re living in a dorm and it’s just a short walk to class, you should seriously consider what it’s going to be like once you have to get up early enough to get ready, drive to campus, park, and walk to class. The first thing I noticed when I moved off campus was how often I had to give up my morning coffee stop in the library. I just don’t have time anymore. I definitely had to learn how to change my routine around.

2. You struggle to make friends

Living in a dorm provides an easy outlet to get to know people. If you’re scared that you won’t be able to make friends very easily, consider staying in the dorms to stay socially connected. Our floor had a GroupMe that made it easy to find people to go to dinner with, or bigger events, like local concerts. Moving into a floor of girls meant I immediately had people who were like me. If you’re an introvert, it’s probably worth it to just keep living on campus.

3. You want to be in the middle of the action

Once you move off campus it’s hard to stay connected to what’s happening on campus. If you want to be in the middle of all the action, keep living on campus!

4. You utilize campus resources on a daily basis

If you’re going to the gym every day before class, moving off campus is going to make that a lot harder. If you use campus resources more than the average college student, it might be hard to continue that pattern once you live elsewhere.

5. You aren’t a good cook

Living on campus means there’s a dining hall somewhere close by. If you’re anything like me, you aren’t good at cooking and you don’t like it. The hardest thing about moving off campus for me has been figuring out when and what to eat. Being on campus and in a dining hall made all of that a lot easier.

You should move off campus if:

1. You don’t enjoy your RA and the rules of dorm life

I had an RA who liked to knock on the door every few days to “check on us.” As a sophomore, I was not having it. I hated that I had to “sneak” boys into our side of the dorm after a certain time and that I always had to have my key card with me when I went downstairs to do my laundry. It was frustrating to constantly have to abide by the rules my RA and the housing staff put forth.

2. You’re sick of all the crap that comes with campus housing

Living off campus means you have more control over your environment. My dorm room flooded every day for two weeks and I had to keep living in it — with a dehumidifier that never shut up. It was pure torture to try to get to sleep at night with a huge machine snoring in the corner. I hated dealing with campus housing. Living in my own apartment is a much better deal.

3. You want to get a pet

Obviously, pets aren’t allowed in the dorms. One of my main reasons for moving off campus was because I wanted a dog. The second day I lived in my apartment, I adopted my pup from the local shelter. I’ve always been thankful that I made the decision to leave campus because now I have more freedom to make the decisions I want to make.

4. You want to live with all your friends

It’s so much fun to rent an apartment in a complex where all of your close friends live. It’s pretty popular to rent a house and fill it with all your closest buds.

5. You want to save money

On-campus housing tends to be much more expensive than renting a place, as long as you aren’t looking for a top-notch one bedroom. Additionally, you don’t have to have a meal plan if you’re living off campus so food could come out cheaper as well. Moving off campus is a good way to save money, and it’s much easier to save money as well.

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