I have lived off campus for almost two years now, and I definitely prefer it to living on campus. However, there are some perks to living on campus. I have lived in Towers East and also the Sigma Chi campus house. I will say that I miss the meal plans, janitors and the fun atmosphere of dorm style living, but I still prefer to live off campus with just a few of my fraternity brothers, instead of more than 30 of them.
I like having an almost clean house and being able to do whatever I want. I really like being able to cook my own meals and the freedom of living without the on-campus rules. The days may not be as exciting living without so many guys down the hall from you, but it's a lot more peaceful. I will say that the worst part about living off campus is having to try to find a place to park when you need to go to class or other buildings on campus. There are definitely pros and cons to both ways of living, and I am very fortunate to have experienced both.
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I am actually for living on campus. I think that living on campus has a lot of perks -- you build a sense of community, you are more connected to the university and you never have to cook at all if you don't want to.
Living on campus is how I established the majority of the relationships I have built. You constantly get to meet people and can have dinner with them, study with them and more. Sure these are all things that can happen off campus, but it just seems more convenient because the places you eat, study and sleep are all within walking distance.
And as for food, I am not the best cook, so being able to go somewhere with food I did not have to make myself is a life saver. I also know that many complain about it being more expensive, and if you live in LaFerla with a 20 meals a week plan, yeah, it'll be more. But if you live in a modest dorm and don't eat everything in sight, you'll be fine. When you live off campus your rent may be less expensive but you have to add the cleaning supplies, food, utilities and more, which can really add up.
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I think that living on campus has really allowed me to grow. While you aren't completely independent, living on campus can teach you social lessons. For one, just learning how to live in the same room as another human being is something that I think made me have to become more responsible. You have to learn how to solve roommate and suitemate disputes, be a good neighbor and learn how to take care of yourself.
You still have to clean and do laundry and take out the trash and buy toilet paper. No, you don't have to pay rent or buy all your food, but you are going to have to do that for the rest of your life. College is the time to learn how to survive as an adult, but that doesn't mean that you have to immediately take on all adult responsibilities.
Instead, embrace the meal plan, embrace the free Wi-Fi and embrace the camaraderie. It's not going to last forever, so enjoy it. Living off campus can be a great life lesson, but living on campus isn't that different and offers a support structure that will catch you if you fall.
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Moving away from home and into a dorm room at a brand new school with brand new faces is pretty intimidating, but signing your first lease is even more so. In my case, the space was all my responsibility. No roommates. No free Wi-Fi. No cafeteria. But then again, it was mine. It's the best kind of exhilarating and terrifying to find yourself in a position where you can feel confident enough and adult enough to sustain living on your own.
I think there's definitely something to be said for dorm living though, too. You meet people you'll always be friends with. You have dining halls and a meal plan to not have to worry about budgeting and only eating Ramen for a semester. You're learning the ropes and it's nice to not have the added worry of bills and maintenance on top of everything else. Still, off-campus living has just as many perks. You get complete independence. You can pull an all-nighter if you have to and not worry about disturbing anybody. When it's 3 in the morning, you can make pancakes just because you're craving late night breakfast food. Either way, I truly think you should do both. Whichever living style, each brings out a different aspect of college life that deserves to be experienced.
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I have lived on campus for the last two years, and I must say that it has definitely had its perks. I live in Dearmont Hall, also known as the Dirty D, and even though the rooms aren't that spacy, I have enjoyed it. It is a lot better this year since Dearmont is now single-style living with no roommates, but I've known everyone in my hall since my first semester at Southeast, and I can always rely on the guys in my hall to have something to do on the weekends.
I definitely feel like I'm getting the full college experience because I think you make lifelong friends by living with them every day. I feel pretty independent since I do everything for myself and RAs never really get on to anyone, unless someone is just blaring music. I get to do whatever I want with people that I've known for the last two years, or I can just chill in my room and watch "One Tree Hill" on Netflix while procrastinating on homework. I certainly wouldn't trade it all away to live in an apartment or house where I would have to pay bills and other expenses that most college students can't pay up front.
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Living off campus can be pretty thrilling. Personally, I live in Cape Girardeau, so I've never had to live in the dorms, but I did move out of my parents' house for a while in 2012 (and then I moved back in like a typical 20-something bum child). The experience was liberating in a way, but I had always had the freedom to come and go at my parents' house anyway, so it was basically just the same living situation, only in a different location with a whole lot more expense tied in.
Living on your own outside of your parents' house or a dorm is a big undertaking when it comes to responsibility because at that point there are no RAs, there are no parents, just a landlord who may or may not be super strict when it comes to your bills. Living off campus is nice because it allows you to be independent, to decide on your own curfew and it forces you to 100 percent take care of yourself. Some people may say that coming to college on your own is the biggest step for a young person toward becoming an adult, but I think it's living on your own. Can you keep up with your rent and utility bills? If you said yes then congratulations, here's your adult card. Use it wisely.
