It seemed back when I was a freshman that my time to move off campus was so far away. I could still bask in the comforts of a safe campus, while also resenting the fact that security guards still almost acted as parents. They decided your curfew, what you could and could not have in your room, and how many guests you could have and when/for how long. The 2 years since I began college in Marian Hall have flown by right in front of my eyes, and I jumped at the chance to live off campus for my Junior year.

I thought I had experienced off-campus living before; my boyfriend is 2 years older than me and had lived off campus since I met him. I wasn't expecting to be surprised when it was finally my turn. However, in the few short days I have been officially stripped of my residency at Marist College, I have realized great differences in living in an off-campus house.

You have to cook everything.

I never realized how much work it was to actually feed yourself 3 meals a day. I've been pretty good with eating real food for each meal but so far, it's exhausting. I know it won't last very long especially when the school work and other activities kick into full gear. Takeout and microwavable meals will probably start to dominate my diet. While I was beyond tired of the dining hall, I actually found myself missing the convenience it offered me the past 2 years.

You have to clean everything.

Aside from its convenience, another beauty of the dining hall is the fact that you never have to do your own dishes. I feel like 85% of the past week has gone to cooking and then doing dishes. I'm sure having a dish washer would alleviate some of this issue, but many houses rented to college students don't have one.

The lack of true security.

I never felt so safe walking around at night as I do on Marist's campus. Security guards are at the entrance to every residence hall. Blue light phones and SNAP members litter the sidewalks. This is taken away from you once you decide to move into a house. And let's be honest: Poughkeepsie isn't the safest area. It's important to stay aware of your surroundings, something that wasn't at the front of my mind at all when living in Marian and Midrise.

The gas.

I didn't realize that the only reason my gas tank lasted me 3 weeks last year was because I didn't have to drive back and forth to campus several times a day.

The freedom.

While there's plenty of things you lose when you move off campus, one huge thing you gain is the freedom. There's no RAs checking up on you all the time, telling you to turn your music down or enforcing quiet hours on a Saturday night. There's no sneaking alcohol wrapped in a bunch of scarves or a jacket and stuffed into your bag into your room anymore. You're pretty much free to do as you please, and you don't have to hide anything. While you have to abide by the rules of your landlord and the town of Poughkeepsie, you can hang whatever you want on your walls, bring your own furniture, openly light candles and incents, have an air conditioning unit, have parties, and maybe even a pet depending on your lease.

While I am extremely excited to begin my year off-campus, being a resident student definitely came with its perks and I even found myself missing it at times so far. Deciding whether to move off campus or remain in Marist's housing is difficult choice to make, but whatever you decide there's pros and cons to each.