When you think of college one of the exciting feelings you get is living on campus in a residence hall and being a fun time there for your time at school. Well it was nice and dandy living in a pretty neat resident hall, but having to pay an arm and a leg was not pretty. With that being said during my sophomore year I decided to live off campus. It was a big decision for me and I lost the luxury of the full college experience where I was just a few footsteps from all that the campus had and enjoyed the fun programs that my resident hall had offered. I can proudly say that I am ok losing that luxury because living off campus was the best decision I made for numerous reasons.
1. Saving a ton of money.
The usual cost of tuition and living at Lander per semester is roughly around $10,000. It just depends on what resident hall you live and meal plan you get and this is not counting the books you will have to get as well for classes. When I decided to live off campus I only had to pay the tuition fee which resulted in me getting a nice refund check to keep my financial status in a stable condition which was a huge relief for me especially of all the hard work I have done to obtain and maintain my scholarships and grants. Now since I don’t have to pay the fee for housing I save a lot even including what I have to pay for living off campus since I pay roughly around $1,000 in rent per semester not counting food, but with smart budgeting it is roughly around $1,500 which is still under the usual amount if I stayed on campus and had a meal plan. Now this is vary of where I decided to live and such. All of this helps myself and my parents save money on not paying tuition and can focus on other things such as emergencies or they just feel generous. Saving money while at college is a huge plus especially when maybe I don’t have to marry rich in my life.
2. Having a pet.
Pets are amazing, you get to be a fur parent and it is so amazing. Most colleges don’t allow pets in resident halls and the closest you can get is a beta fish (which they die easily I heard...) or if you can get one for medical purposes. Now most places you live do have a pet fee which is a bummer, but some places don’t which is really great! Having a pet with you during college is like having a best friend that always agrees with you. If you are sad, happy, mad, or whatever they are always there for you and I just love having my dog with me. She is just a ball of energy and has made my life much exciting since I started to live off campus. So if you love pets and live off campus, get one!!! They are amazing….as long as you be responsible with them.
3. You decide on your roommates.
One problem I had living in resident halls is how they pick roommates. Now I’m not saying my roommates were horrible, but the interests I had with them didn’t match. Now just for clarification, sometimes college roommates is not like the sister hood of the traveling pants. You may or may not become BFF’s with them immediately. Now when living off campus, usually living with other people is an option since you can split costs of utilities and such. This is a great way to pick people you like to room with. Beware: sometimes that backfires, so when deciding roommates, you need to let them know what will happening in the home and also tell them anything that could cause conflict such as sleep dancing or whatever problems roommates could have. Luckily with trial and error I found the perfect roommates and they are just amazing. The key to it is communication. Sit down and talk to them even if you are socially awkward. If you communicate then there will be no hidden problems.
4. Having a sense of freedom.
At my college, all the freshman residents halls had a process where if you had a guest you had to sign them in and at a certain time of the night anyone that was the opposite gender had to leave. A real mood killer especially when college is supposed to be about responsible freedom. Now on their behalf they do it because of safety reasons, but you should be smart to let in a creepy person into your room. Living off campus you don’t have to sign anyone in. The only thing you have to sign is your checks to pay rent every month. It is a nice feeling not having security constantly watching your every move and plus if you have a guest who is there just for a little something something, you don’t have to worry about the front desk person judging you on that, just only you and your pets if you have any.
5. Becoming more of an adult.
Finally which is the most important reason why I commute is that it helps me become more of an adult. Unless you want the lifestyle of living with your parents, you have to grow up and be responsible for things such as budgeting, paying bills, making sure your house won’t fall down, and more. These are the things you will be doing once you graduate so why not start now? You get to experience the life of adulating earlier than others and the more experience you get the better you are off in the long run. Plus when your friends cry to you that being an adult sucks, you can just pour them a glass of wine and be like it will be ok, it will be ok.
Now for anyone who is an upcoming freshman, I recommend you living on campus (if given the opportunity) at least for one year. It is really exciting and such, and if you have the financial status to afford off campus then go ahead and do it. Do what is the best for you, but I can say living off campus has made me a better person and much responsible that I thought I was. Plus I get Phoebe and she is the best dog in the world.
