"Look, a spot!" Chances are, that phrase got many of you excited, especially if you attend UNT. Have I got your attention now? Good, because the odds are that parking on campus is a factor that lead many of you to decide whether or not to stay on campus past freshman year. So let's get this out of the way in the beginning: parking on college campuses is notoriously awful, especially here at UNT, but there are many more factors that go into a person's decision to live on or off campus.
First, let's go through the best parts of living on campus. On campus you are so close to your classes! Professors may not like it, but you could roll out of bed 10 to 15 minutes before class and be fine. That was one of the best parts of living on campus my freshman year; I would go back to the dorm in between my classes that were only an hour and a half apart and nap. Yeah, you heard right! I could get a nap in between classes and it was as awesome as it sounds!
Another plus is that on campus, you are right in the middle of the action. Oh, there's a cool meeting for that club you want to be in? It's cool, you're already on campus anyway. Living on campus really makes it easy for you to get the most out of your college experience if you want to.
Lastly, on campus, you're pretty much guaranteed parking when you live in a dorm. Just ask anyone you know who lives off campus — finding spots is near impossible after moving away from campus. I know I pretty much said that twice, but seriously parking is AWFUL on campus and it really makes me miss the dorms.
So we've discussed the awesome parts of living on campus; now it's time for the not so awesome parts. So the obvious one would be that in most cases, on campus, you have a person sleeping five feet from you at almost all times. Sure, it may not seem so bad, especially if you both are friends, but sometimes one of you will just want some space at night.
Another factor that really gets overlooked is the cost of on-campus living. The cost per square foot in your average dorm room really is quite high, even higher when you consider that there's two of you in that room usually.
Thirdly, living in the dorms allows for less freedom. Random room checks and rules from RAs can cause tensions between the residents and the staff. I remember in my time in the dorms, I got into trouble for having an extension cord plugged in. There are little freedoms that come with living in an apartment that I have learned in my time away from the dorms.
So now let's discuss the best parts of living off campus. First of all, it can be significantly cheaper, from lower monthly rent payments to living at home (which is often times free).
Another thing that I have learned to love is cooking for myself now that I am no longer in the dorms. Often times in dorms, there is a communal kitchen for the floor or sometimes even the whole building and it becomes hard to cook for yourself. In an apartment off campus, I am finally able to cook exactly what I want, when I want instead of eating what the cafeteria has available.
Lastly, in an apartment you get the whole room to yourself, and often times your very own bathroom! Now that may not seem like much but if you are someone who really values their alone time, it is a major step up from the loud and noisy dorms.
So this may have made it seem like living off campus is amazing, but there are some downsides as well. For instance, missing rent sucks! If you miss your rent payment, the money really starts to pile up as they add fee after fee.
Secondly, off campus, I feel like I'm missing out. There always seemed to be something going on in the dorms, something to do, someone to talk to. It's very easy to get too comfortable being alone in an apartment room.
Lastly, with increased responsibility comes... well increased responsibility. Sometimes I just don't feel like going grocery shopping and I wish someone could just do it for me.
Overall, you can't really go wrong with either decision, there are good and bad parts to both. Just remember to make the most of your time in college, whether it be on or off campus.
