Introduction
While entering a university, students have to choose where they would live, either on campus or another place. Since both campus and off-campus options have advantages and disadvantages, this choice becomes quite complicated. Students often pay attention to such issues as costs, locations, comfort, meals, and so on. Although on-campus living can be more social, enjoyable, and located properly compared to off-campus living, the latter is more expensive, provides fewer opportunities to make friends, and sets transportation challenges.
Cost, Location, and Interaction in On-Campus vs. Off-Campus Living
Location is the first point that should be taken into account while comparing campus and off-campus living while attending a university. As a rule, a campus is placed near the learning classes, libraries, campus labs, and cafeteria, which allows for saving time (Cherry et al., 2018). Successful graduation from university requires completing a lot of tasks, which is related to the need to access various learning materials and equipment. However, it should be stressed some big universities have several learning campuses that are located in neighborhoods, and students have to overcome these distances. In comparison, off-campus living requires more time to go to the university and use public transport, bicycle, or any other means of transportation (Cherry et al., 2018). At the same time, many universities provide online access to digital databases, which allows finding and using articles and other academic sources remotely. The proximity to the place of a study eliminates additional costs for transportation and also saves the most valuable resource – time since the path from the place of residence to university is minimal.
Covering the costs of university education and living compose another issue. Even though renting apartments can be more expensive, it ensures peace and comfort (Skaggs, 2021). On the one hand, the costs for utilities can be higher on campuses, but they are often covered by the university. On the other hand, campus life is associated with a lack of privacy, which is not acceptable for some people. One of the options is to rent apartments with friends to lower the costs. Nevertheless, kitchens, showers, and WC are shared by the students living on campuses. Compared to the campuses, rented living spaces provide more furniture and devices, while it also depends on the overall cost. If some students do not pay much attention to the comfort of the accommodations, others consider it to be significant. Without costs for meals, a university life discussion would be incomplete (Sheffield, 2016). In many universities, meal plans are included in the tuition fees, which allow students to avoid additional expenses.
People are social beings, which is especially true for students. Those living on campus often become one big family and help each other in difficult times. This may be where one will find real friends. Certainly, living among other students can be much more interesting than living alone in apartments or with parents (Graham et al., 2018). This way one can truly experience student life and student atmosphere. Before entering adulthood, students learn to find a common language with fellow students. In addition, if one needs to find any textbook or additional material, she or she can contact the residents of the next room and borrow it from them. Another benefit is that the cohabitation of students is regarded as conducive to better learning (Mitchell, 2017). It is extremely useful when students learn to work in a team, resolve problems and find a compromise.
Students preferring off-campus education lack the opportunity to immediately share some ideas with friends. Nevertheless, the Internet allows for calling them or messaging, which is also convenient and quite fast (Wode, 2018). At the same time, another enjoyable bonus is the free Internet, which is needed for studying, and it is sometimes necessary to relax, watch a movie or news on social networks. While the speed of the Internet can be limited on campuses, universities are constantly working on improving this. The so-called taste of independence seems to be easier to experience for those who live on campuses than those who remain with families (Sheffield, 2016). Campus life means independence and greater responsibility, but off-campus is related to less stress and lower demands.
Conclusion
To conclude, the choice of on-campus or living off-campus during university education is complicated as both of them have certain benefits and drawbacks. On the one hand, campus living ensures social interactions and many friends, who can help with learning and support in difficult times. On the other hand, such intensive communication is not necessary for all students as some of them prefer individual work on the tasks and a higher degree of privacy, a lack of which is a disadvantage in campus life. While some universities cover on-campus living, meals, and utilities, it is costly for off-campus living to rent apartments and solve transportation issues. Thus, every student should consider a set of personal factors that would determine the final decision.
References
Cherry, C. R., Riggs, W., Appleyard, B., Dhakal, N., Frost, A., & Jeffers, S. T. (2018). New and unique aspects of university campus transportation data to improve planning methods. Transportation Research Record, 2672(8), 742-753.
Graham, P. A., Hurtado, S. S., & Gonyea, R. M. (2018). The benefits of living on campus: Do residence halls provide distinctive environments of engagement? Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice, 55(3), 255-269.
Mitchell, T. D. (2017). Teaching community on and off campus: An intersectional approach to community engagement. New Directions for Student Services, 2017(157), 35-44.
Sheffield, J. T. (2016). The quality of life and the financial burden of living on campus versus living off campus at the University of West Alabama: A cost versus benefit analysis of renovating Selden Hall. The University of West Alabama.
Skaggs, D. (2021). “Can you come tell people to be quiet?”: Analyzing chat questions from on-campus and off-campus patrons. Journal of Library & Information Services in Distance Learning, 1-12.
Wode, J. (2018). Identifying the factors that motivate students to choose off-campus housing. Journal of College and University Student Housing, 44(2), 44-63.