After high school, it seems like life flashes before our eyes just imagining the various wonders that are yet to come to us. College always felt like a faraway thing that we all strive for good grades for. Along with college studies, college living is an area of many options that change with in time. Many colleges provide housing for those students traveling from a few hours away, across state borders, across country, another country, you name it. We all gather to a new and brand new situations.
On Campus
Living on campus is honestly having social media right in front of you. By living among others, keeping up with the news of boyfriends/girlfriends, fights, classes, new things come up, the latest updates - aka your newsfeed. While living among others, privacy becomes scarce. Most college campuses provide dormitory style living which is living in a building, usually with one or more students per room and share facilities of laundry, cafeteria and bathrooms. By seeing all those movies of college, it is very unlikely to find co-ed rooms - sorry guys. Everything is all of sharing, and majority of students coming in have had own rooms, never shared, so this is would be a new experience for them.
Issues among this living style all varies on how you work together in a living situation with others. The biggest concerns from my experience are respect for others. The golden rule - pshh preschool does mean a lot. We all strive to do well in school but we are human and want to have fun. We all are different, and sometimes understanding one’s feelings, opinions mean a lot when living with someone. Working together isn’t easy when we all are busy with school, don't care, nor want to. The way of survival is listen and communicate with each other.
Off Campus
One of the joys of living off campus is the less control of campus staff and having your own space! Don't have to be around annoying people, being an adult, having your own responsibility, yeah that's the greatest but it isn't easy, but if you are up to the challenge, definitely try it.
The biggest problems with living off campus, budgeting money. It is nice when parents and student loan help pay, but it isn't going to pay everything. Gas for the car, food, utilities (internet, electric, gas), side money, so many things require those plastic cards in your wallet. If not careful, living can be a nightmare, landlords throwing you out. When signing the lease for your off campus house, you're an adult and anything bad falls back to you.
But living off campus isn't so bad as long as you are stable financially, college and living outside campus, piece of cake.
Living situations vary from person to person. Those who like to have the “news feed” and know everything, go for on campus. For those who enjoy quiet living with lots of responsibilities, try off campus. Make college time yours, do what's best for you, then at the end of your college career, lift up those glasses to toast off the best years of your life.
