To start off I’d like to say that I have lived on campus for my first two years of college and I am now living off campus for my first time this year as a junior. The main reason that I moved off campus was because at my school it's just what you sort of do when you become a junior. Now that I have had a chance at both experiences I can safely say that I have a good grasp on the pros and cons of living off campus.

First, welcome back to the land of house chores. The tasks we all grew up doing for our moms around the house comes back to haunt us. Chores including, dishes, sweeping, mopping, vacuuming, laundry, wiping down countertops, cleaning your own room, taking out the garbage, taking out the recycling, bathroom clean up including, scrubbing the toilet, scrubbing the sink, and maybe a few others I forgot. Not to say that these can’t be benefits in keeping a house clean, like the feeling of accomplishing something for yourself and learning responsibility. Also, at one time or another we are all going to have our own house (hopefully) to take care so why not start now and have fun with your friends while you’re doing it. On the other hand, living on campus you have cleaning people that come in and clean your bathrooms, clean your shower, your sinks, the floor, etc. So if you hate cleaning you’ve got it made in the dorms.

Pro of living off campus, you get have your own room, free to decorate and set it up any way you like. You can individualize it to your taste exactly how you like it. Decorating the rest of the house with your roommates is a fun, bonding experience for everyone in the household because you are making that place your(s) own. Also, one of the biggest draws for me…no more Sodexo. Say it with me now! I don’t think it's any secret that Sodexo basically puts in the least amount of effort as possible when making our “meals,” but now you don’t have to spend all that extra money buying groceries or ordering takeout on top of that hefty meal plan that you barely even get your source of meal from. Living off campus you can make whatever you like, however, you like, and at whatever time you like. You can make family meals with your roommates, make a little snack when you have the munchies late night, this one I can only see under benefits. Also, one thing I forgot to mention but that I think should be said is how there's no more need to scramble around to get your car out of the parking lots before a snow storm because you have your own driveway.

Finally, the last pro versus con on the debate is seeing friends that are now farther away than they were when they were down the hall. It takes more of an effort to make sure you get that time with them and not turn into a total couch potato. That was something I really liked about living in the dorms because there’s always people around so you’re never lonely and your best friend could be right down the hall. So when you decide to move off campus, invite your friends over, but also go see them whether they’re in their own house or still in the dorms. It’s the effort that they’ll appreciate.