Many colleges require that their students live on campus for at least one year. This usually means living in a dorm building. After the first year, however, you’ll have to decide whether or not you want to remain on campus or try to find housing elsewhere. Both options offer distinct advantages.

Living off-campus has a slightly exotic appeal; instead of living on school grounds and under regulation, you’ll get to live in a house or an apartment and make your own rules. You won’t have a curfew, you can have guests over as late as you want, and you won’t have to be extra quiet during study hours. You will, however, have to pay rent. And while it is possible to find affordable housing, it may be difficult; especially if you’re going to school in a large city. Not only will you have to pay rent, you’ll also have to pay utilities; you may also have to pay for parking. Other expenditures include furniture, food, and gas, if you have to drive to class. Many people find that these costs are more than repaid by the extra freedom that is offered by living off-campus; others would rather take that money and apply it toward tuition.

Remaining on-campus has many benefits as well. Living in dorms or on-campus apartments is often much cheaper than finding an apartment. Utilities are included and meal plans can offer food at prices that are more affordable than going to the grocery store and shopping for oneself. You also don’t have to worry about driving to class (especially important if you live in a Northern state where the weather and road conditions may make driving difficult). Being close to on-campus resources, such as libraries, educational resources, and computer labs can also be important; driving to the library from your apartment to finish a paper at midnight is much less appealing than walking there.

Both options have benefits and drawbacks; it’s up to you to decide which are more important. I spent two years on-campus and two years in an apartment while I was in college. While I preferred my off-campus apartment to the dorms and the on-campus apartment that I had lived in, I found that I often missed living on campus. I found that it’s somewhat of a shock going from living a stone’s throw away from thousands of people to living alone. While I remained socially active, I missed being somewhere where there was always something going on—concerts, lectures, and film showings were commonplace and I found that I wasn’t aware of as many of these types of events when I lived off-campus. However, the independence that I gained by moving off-campus was worth it. I encourage you to try both and see which you prefer.

As always, if you have any questions, comments or funny stories you'd like me to share about college or the blog, email me at stu@stuvu.com