At one point in your quest for academic excellence, you will face the fact of leaving your home to your college or university.
As you plan on getting there, the debate on where to live as you undertake your studies will require you to look at student housing choices to make a decision that favors your situation. The joyous decision-making moment will see you gain more than a guiding life experience after college life.
Therefore, before starting your first study semester, you need to weigh the difference between living a campus dorm life and living off-campus.
Either way, you have to cautiously look into the matter with a different lens as it is not an easy issue. All aspects on the ground of financial or social concerns can illuminate both good and bad.
To make an informed decision, here are advantages and disadvantages on both instances to help you weigh which kind of accommodation best suits you.
Living On-Campus Advantages
1. Meal Schedules
Many tertiary institutions have low-priced cafeterias and canteen with complete courses of lunch and dinner requiring you to choose a meal plan.
Therefore, you do not need to budget, cook, or do grocery shopping; furthermore, cleaning staff on the campus often relieve you of other chores. You also will make friends swiftly since you share common areas like the kitchen or cafeterias.
2. Transportation
Living on campus gives you the proximity of being next to the class. You can comfortably roll out your bedding for about 15 minutes to class time.
Being close to class helps avoid the commuting expenses and save time spent to spot a place at the parking lot, the time you wait for the bus, stay in the traffic, and all that jazz.
Lastly, students enjoy free bus transportations in some universities located in residence halls far from the classes’ locations.
3. Living Expenses
Just like your tuition fee, your residence fee is a one-time payment with no additional expenses.
In addition, you have free and total access to campus amenities and resources such as water, internet, electricity, and computers. These amenities help you transition from your home to your school environment.
4. Security
Students are customers to the universities and colleges, and so their safety is priority number one. Still, if you are a college student, make sure that you have gone through some guides about On-Campus college security.
For instance, some on-campus residences will have check-ins and doormen to frisk the guests coming in. Moreover, their security personnel patrols the school 24/7 making you feel at ease learning and operating in school freely.
5. Medical care
Most colleges and universities take a one-time fee for your residence that will include your medical care concerns. You receive medical assistance with no extra costs other than the one included in the residence fee unless otherwise stated.
Disadvantages of Living On-Campus
1. Paying Upfront
It can be costly to live on campus as you pay upfront for the school’s running, including facilities and convenience.
In addition, registering for a room requires a lot of paperwork; for instance, some campuses need an excellent admission outcome and appealing general score during your study time before allocating you a room.
2. Privacy
Living on campus deprives you of your privacy as you will not own the room. You share with common roommate areas, kitchens, and bathrooms.
Finding time to concentrate on your work might be challenging due to the parting, social opportunities, loud roommates and even choosing a college roommate is another tough task to do; thus you may find it challenging to focus on your studies while on campus.
In some cases, due to fewer residence rooms with the large student overflow, you may expect multiple roommates and not get to choose who to share with the dorm.
Advantages of Living Off-Campus
1. Privacy
Living in your private apartment gives you control of your privacy with your kitchen and bathroom. You can opt to go to the common area alone to do personal studies, relax, or do that in your room. You will have the growing up essence as you will have to manage responsibilities by yourself.
Some universities offer commuter programs that enable commuters to have a free will to choose and participate in social and networking involvements to gain experience.
Living off-campus gives a sense of independence, offering you an opportunity to choose how much space you need for yourself.
2. Living Expenses
You might choose a few of your trusted friends and share an apartment, thus reducing the bill expenses that would otherwise have been burdensome if you were to pay alone. In addition, sharing costs help you save money for other uses.
3. Meals
It is cheaper and money-saving to manage your meals since you can choose what to eat rather than living in residence and buying food plans.
Disadvantages of Living Off-Campus
1. Transportation
You are likely to live far from school, so you need to consider transport costs while commuting to school. If the public transport system does not accommodate you, you may factor in buying or renting a car.
2. Living Expenses
To live on campus, you pay a one-time fee inclusive of your food and bills. However, living off-campus life factors in the added responsibility of paying your bills like water, electricity, and internet.
Depending on your lifestyle, unexpected charges can prop up anytime, such as maintenance in case of breakage, high utility bills, and deposits. It also depends on the type of landlord you have; the charges might strain you.
It may be a challenge to find a roommate if you opt to share. You may have a flaky roommate who does not adhere to your agreement to share bills, which might stress your pocket.
3. Security
Living in a private apartment means being under your own or landlord’s custody. When not in school, your safety is in the hands of your landlord or yourself.
4. Medical Care
Some universities may not consider taking your medical responsibilities when you opt to live off-campus. Therefore, you are independent of your medical bills.
Finally, choosing whether to live on campus or off-campus entirely depends on you. For example, you might be effective in learning from a cozier private apartment or are productive when setting up the school residence.
Either way, you choose, the ultimate goal should be studying in a conducive environment that fosters better performance.
