Living on campus can be great. It’s convenient and dorm life can be fun. But many students are ready to move off campus after their first year, and it’s easy to see why.
Here are four of the biggest reasons you might prefer living off campus.
Reason #1: More Space
Most dorm room are not exactly filled with living space; usually, your bedroom, living room, and kitchen are all the same room. Off campus, you can have a separate bedroom from your living room and more space for all your stuff. Best of all, you can stop having to climb up a ladder to get to the top bunk AND STILL have a spot for your friends to sit when they come over.
Reason #2: Fewer Distractions
For all of the reasons that campus life is great, it is not so great for studying (somewhat paradoxically, we know). People are constantly dropping in because they were just walking by, even at all hours of the night. That’s great when you’re in a social mood, but when you have to pass an exam tomorrow they are not exactly welcomed. Living off campus lets YOU be the person dropping in, but gives you the separation you need when you need to study or sleep.
Reason #3: Networking
It’s great to have friends who are in college with you…but it is also great to have friends who aren’t. When you live on campus, the guy across the hall is probably the awkward guy in your chemistry class. When you live off campus, the guy across the hall might work for a law firm that needs a new intern. Meeting people outside of your university can help expand your network of contacts, and what better way to meet people then to see them every day walking into your apartment?
Reason #4: Convenience
Students often associate living on campus with convenience, which is true when you want to go to class. But it isn’t true when you are doing just about everything besides going to class. Living off campus generally puts you closer to your job, your weekend hangout, your favorite grocery store, and the major roads out of town. Convenience for those things might actually save you more time than if you lived right on campus.
What about you – why do you live off campus? Or if you don’t, what would make you consider a switch?
Equal Housing Opportunity
