College: On Campus or Off Campus?

[Elite Overlord LeSabre™]

For those of you currently in college: Do you live on or off campus? Why did you choose to live where you did? Are you satisfied with your decision, or did it not turn out the way you expected?

For those not yet in college: If your college offers a choice, would you want to live on or off campus, and why?

As for me, I lived on campus every year I was in college. Originally, I chose the on campus option since I didn't bring a car to college and on campus I would be close to classes, dining, and events on campus. I eventually got heavily involved in residence life and even became a Resident Assistant. I made a lot of good friends and I don't regret living on campus at all... even if the mattresses sucked and fire alarms could go off at any hour of the day or night, lol

 

[Nick]

After I graduated high school, I went away to college in Pennsylvania, but I made the decision to move back home and go to community college for two years. Once those are up, I'll transfer out into a four year school and live on campus there. I much prefer to live on campus.

 

[Sammi]

The short time I was in college, I was on campus. Dorm was cheap enough, and I liked being around everything. At that time I probably couldn't have dealt with living off-campus. Probably would've been too lonely.Also I wouldn't have been able to pay rent...

 

[Overlord Drakow]

I lived on campus for all three years of my degree. It was so worth it. It is truly unique and probably a once in a life time experience. Those have been the best three years of my life so far and that most likely won't change. If you can afford it, I strongly recommend anyone planning on going to college to live on campus. I spent my first year in university accommodation and the remaining two years I shared a small house with a house mate, which turned out to be an incredible experience for the both of us.

 

[YungKnowledge]

I'm currently at a two year college and I live at home. I don't mind its free room and board but I'm also helping out my grandmother by staying with her. I do plan on going to a four year state school as soon as I finish my degree for my two year college.

 

[mikey]

Living off campus right now, mainly because im going to a community college. Next year I will go away and live on campus~

 

[Sheep]

I like being off campus. My home has everything I need and more, so it's too much of a hassle to dorm with someone (I prefer being alone) and deal with the bad internet lol. Would like to live alone, though... just not on campus.

 

[Cherrim]

I lived on campus for two years and never again. :/ I loved my first dorm for how nice it was (suite-style) but I didn't like my floor at all. I was with what I assume was every arts student in the year so they were all partyers and my don was a cheerleader for the other university just down the street that we have sports rivalries with so. Second year, I was in townhouse-style dorms so it was still better than having to share a room, but it was quite a ways from campus (~15 minute walk?) and I didn't really get along with my roommates so... not fun.

The buses are pretty good here so even if I'm not living within walking distance of campus (well, not really), it's still not difficult to get to school. I vastly prefer this and I never have to worry about possibly getting a double room or something. It's also been a lot cheaper than dorms were.

 

[Esper]

I lived on campus in a dorm, then off campus in half of a house I shared with two friends, then on campus in a student apartment, then off campus in a huge house of 10 people who were mostly strangers.

Living on campus is very convenient. My school was very pretty, too, and large, so I could live there for a long time before I felt like I needed to get out into the 'real' world. Dorms are kind of a pain, but on-campus apartments are pretty nice since they're generally clean and you don't have to worry about the conditions of the building like I did when I lived in town. (One place I lived in had a slipping foundation and the other didn't have doors that locked, among other problems.)

 

[Alice]

My college doesn't have dorms, but they did completely rent out an apartment building right next to the school to use as pseudo-dorms for the freshman this year. I didn't sign up in time, so I'll still have to find an apartment, unless another room opens up there, unfortunately. (It was such a good deal... had free transportation, and all amenities other than cable, which I wouldn't need anyway. Even a kitchen and washer/dryer in your room.)

 

[Shining Raichu]

For my short stint at university I lived about 20 minutes away from my school, so I lived at home. There was no option for student housing anyway, unless you were an international student. They had some provisions for them, but there was no dorm system or anything like that. And judging from the amount of people who commute on the train daily from home to the larger universities in Sydney, there's little-to-no student housing options in most places in Australia.

The whole 'dorm' thing isn't really part of the culture here in Australia, which sucks. I love the idea of American college and living in dorms and going to college parties and that whole 4-year shabang. Given the opportunity I would take it in an instant. I'm so jealous of everybody in the UK and America who live at university.

 

[TRIFORCE89]

I live at home because my university is 20 minutes away. Not a partier and can't afford to live on my own, so living at home it is.

 

[Margot]

I'm technically off-campus even though my building is a five minute walk away from my part of campus and I'm a 20 minute subway ride away from the main campus. I don't mind it though, I'm happy with my set up as of right now :)

 

[Mr Cat Dog]

Given that my university was in the middle of central London - with property prices already through the roof! - there wasn't really a campus to live on. The university, because it only dealt in social sciences, was just a scattered collection of buildings that happened to be clumped together. In comparison to big, sprawling campuses with 'quads' and other such stuff, the LSE one was non-existant.

While I never lived 'on-campus', I did live in university accomodation for two out of three years. In my first year, I had a single room and it was easily the biggest room I'd ever had. It was easily double the size of my current bedroom, and it was en-suite, which was even better! The atmosphere of that hall of residence wasn't great, but I still managed to make most of my uni friends there, and those relationships have sustained long after moving out of there.

In my second year, I moved into a house with three of my friends and... it was fine. It was nice to have our own space that we could do with as we liked, but I lost touch with a number of friends I'd made the previous year, and ended up losing touch with my housemates. We're still friends, but not as close as we were in that first year.

In my third-and-final year, I moved back into university accommodation. This time, it was a tiny room that I had to share, but this experience was the best of the lot. It was probably because I didn't need to worry about grades, but also my room-mate became my sort-of-but-not-really best friend. The atmosphere at this hall was also a lot more social, with dinner being provided for free. 'Cause most of the people who lived there were two years younger than me, I didn't make many new friends, but my relationships with old ones strengthened, and the free food was nice.

 

[Zephele]

I decided to live on campus in a dorm for the first year since I thought it'd be a good way to meet people and easily get to know with the campus and its surroundings. While it's certainly where I met most of the people I now call my friends, I wasn't overly fond of the people in my floor. That, along with the fact that it was horrendously expensive, made me decide to move out after the first year. It's not really a common thing to have people stay in dorms past the first year in my university, anyway, given how cheap and common housing is in my city.

Now, I live in a student apartment 5 minutes away from campus. While it's still quite expensive in comparison to places further out of the city, it's certainly bigger and cheaper than my previous dorm room. I just loved the convenience of living close to school too much to choose to live further away. The amusing thing is that my friends who decided to move further away are now moving back closer to campus, because they realised how much simpler it is just to be able to walk to class within 10 minutes, haha.

 

[Morkula]

I'm in a part-time graduate program right now, so obviously I don't live on campus. But I lived at home when I was in college. Dorm life just doesn't appeal to me - spartan rooms, uncomfortable beds, and above all a lack of privacy. Plus commuting was a lot cheaper than living on campus. I still managed to make good friends and see them regularly, and I went to plenty of campus events, so I can't say I really missed out on too much.

 

[Oryx]

I love living on campus. More than once last semester I walked to a 24 hour place at 3AM on campus. You can't really walk at night in the city surrounding my campus so if I didn't have a car I wouldn't feel nearly as free like I do on campus, hahah.

 

[ivan209]

I'm currently living at home. I was considering moving into a dorm for my first year, however I decided against it. I live about a 20min drive away from school, but it's alright. I don't have to pay for much except the usual gas and car stuff and for stuff needed around the house some times.

 

[Lozz]

I lived on campus in a residential college (yes, Andy - we do have these in australia!) for two years of my degree. The first year it was amazing - I'm a big partier and because these colleges are pretty hard to get into, there's a real inclusive vibe amongst them all. So yeah, that first year was pretty intense. Second year, I was bit over it, but it was still good fun and there was still that feeling of being a part of something pretty special etc. Was definitely ready to leave after two years of intense partying ha ha, I felt like I'd done everything there was to do.

 

[fiOWNya]

I lived on campus my freshman year, and then lived off campus the rest of my time at school. I was saving about $500 a month living off campus compared to on campus, so it was an easy choice for me. I got to cook for myself, have my own furniture, room for storage, no drunk morons waking me up at all hours... it was nice. Plus, I could go find a party whenever I wanted to, so I wasn't missing out on anything like that. I definitely don't regret it.