I Don't Know Where I Should Live: Should I Live On or Off Campus?

YOUR LIVING OPTIONS 101:

Deciding whether to live on or off-campus, is a huge decision that ultimately impacts your overall university experience. More often than not, initial conversations surrounding where to live rarely require much thought, as most first-year students tend to decide to live on-campus. However, the topic of accommodation is often revisited as students are given a ‘taste’ of the on-campus university experience and may potentially decide to live off-campus in the upcoming year - which is not unusual. It is vital to assess your needs and what is the best option for you as you navigate this new and foreign journey called university. So, here are a few pros and cons of living on versus off-campus to make your decision a bit easier.

Living On-Campus

Pros

Proximity:

Proximity is the most obvious and appreciated benefit of living on-campus. Being on-campus allows for easily and readily accessible facilities and amenities. Hence, it allows you to be physically closer to classes, the meal hall, the library and study hall. Living on-campus helps you to be on time for classes, as you don’t have to worry about transportation to and from campus because everything is within your reach. There is just something about convenience and accessibility that would make anyone say ‘yes’ in a heartbeat- and that... I cannot knock you for.

Friendships and Community:

Living on-campus also gives you the opportunity to meet new people from across the globe. It exposes you to different and diverse cultures that you may not have been previously exposed to. Furthermore, having the on-campus experience, fosters a sense of community, inclusion and comradery by building life-long friendships and relationships.

Cons

Distractions:

This may be one of the issues many students that live on-campus struggle with. University is often characterized by parties, bonding sessions and game nights etc. It is relatively impossible to ignore the loud music, distracting chatter and random noise that always seems to make its way into your tiny humble abode. This issue is further amplified if you are also living with a roommate. In cases where a roommate is involved, you will have to take your roommate into consideration when hosting friends after a certain time and vice versa. In essence, university life is filled with distractions and sometimes it is difficult to escape it. This lends itself to the inability to effectively carve out time for reflection, work or solitude by escaping peers and one of the thousand events that seem to be happening on-campus. I am almost certain that any university you attend, there will ALWAYS be events happening around campus or on residence. So, it is easy to find yourself involved in activities or events and inadvertently neglecting your assignments. I know that it is easy to drop that10-page paper that is due at 8am tomorrow but it is important to remind yourself of the reasons for attending university in the first place.

Lack of Space and Privacy:

Living on-campus means limited space as well as privacy. More often than not, when students live in residence they opt to have roommates- as it is either required or cheaper. However, this relationship can quickly become sour over the battle for space, privacy and silence. Living in residence forces you to share common areas such as, bathrooms, the kitchen or living area. Sometimes this arrangement goes well as it resembles an extended summer camp experience but it can quickly turn into your worst nightmare depending on your roommate and flatmates.

Residence life is not one of solitude. If you are a private or introverted person... this kind of living may not be the best fit for you.

Living Off-Campus

Pros

No Dorm Rules:

So guys, one of the major advantages of living off-campus would be the fact that you are now outside of that “university bubble”. On-campus living tends to involve strict dorm rules and Residence advisors that oversee students. However, if you are living on your own, you won’t have to worry about someone watching your every move. I found residence rules to be quite frustrating because even though I was an adult, I felt as though I was a10-year-old kid living with my parents all over again. So, by just living off-campus…I enjoyed this feeling of adulthood and independence.

Independence:

Ya’ll, there is one thing about living off-campus that I thoroughly enjoy… my independence! I have always been an independent person but living on your own is a whole new ball game. Essentially, you are forced to take on more responsibilities and you basically have to get acquainted with the idea of “adulting”. You are now expected to fend for yourself... well... because you are now living on your own. You no longer have residence advisors nor proctors to take care of you. There is no longer a meal hall that you can grab a quick bite, it is now all up to you.

Cons

Isolation:

Often times, living off-campus can lead to feeling disconnected from campus life. Living away from campus may result in greater isolation from peers as you are no longer constantly spending time with them. However, this may be avoided by becoming involved in university sporting events, games, and other campus activities aimed at getting students involved. This may help you not to feel left out or out of the loop with what is happening on campus.

Living off-campus can sometimes cause you to feel isolated from friends or the university community

Personally, after comparing my experiences while living both on and off-campus, I found them to be quite similar. Even though I was constantly around persons when I lived on campus (which you may think is a good thing), I found myself feeling mentally drained when I had to constantly interact with others as I needed to recharge. Hence, isolation may be viewed as a con but it may also be considered a pro for some persons who are introverted (like myself). I don’t mind being isolated but the danger would be complete isolation and lacking that sense of belonging and attachment.

Greater Responsibilities:

Though greater responsibilities may be seen as an advantage of living off-campus, it may also be deemed as a disadvantage. Living on your own will require you to cook for yourself, clean regularly, do grocery shopping in addition to paying your bills (i.e. phone, water, heat, electricity) and rent. I am pretty sure you’re thinking…“that sounds manageable” and it can certainly be; however, I am aware that there are some individuals that may not be ready to live on their own. Being responsible and living on your own requires organization, efficiency and proper time management which does not come naturally to everyone. But it is important to note that the responsibility now falls on you as you live off-campus. You are no longer solely going to classes but you now have to be aware of those additional responsibilities of taking care of yourself and ensuring that these necessities are taken care of, in order to be successful in other areas of your life. Living off-campus gives you a sense of freedom and self-sufficiency that will be worthwhile as you prepare to take on the world that is around you.

Cost

I intentionally decided to address this topic separately, instead of categorizing it as a pro or con for either living on or off-campus. The truth is… the cost varies. It is difficult to pin-point whether it is more cost effective to live on or off-campus because there are several external factors that need to be considered. Some factors that need to be taken into account include, whether you currently have a part-time job to offset the cost of living off-campus or if you currently hold any scholarships that reduce the cost of room and board if you were to live on- campus. These are only a few factors that must be kept in mind before making your decision to either ride out the campus life or to live on your own.

One on One AnniciaTalks

If you are planning on staying on-campus then I hope you have an amazing campus life experience and if you are deciding to live off-campus … you knows up! Plus, for those persons thinking of living off-campus or just looking for housing, I am going to hook you up with a few resources to help you with your search:

• Classified Advertisements: Craigslist or Kijiji Canada (Kijiji is a reputable site because I had previously used it to find my current apartment) and Local newspapers

• Real Estate Rental Services

However, still do your due diligence prior to signing your lease and take the necessary steps to ensure that your apartment or house checks out and is safe and 'legit'.

Love & Blessings AT Fam