Decided on a University? Still Indecisive about Accommodation?

Are you getting prepped for your new college life and still confused about where you are going to stay? With college, students get to experience life outside the home for the first time in their life. Therefore, the first thing that you will come across to decide on your own is accommodation. Where should you live? On campus or off campus?

While almost all universities provide dormitories for their students, but still students sometimes prefer to live outside. It depends on what you feel comfortable with. You may want to evaluate multiple options such as choosing an idle location for your apartment or feeling like living in a university dormitory with other roommates and may also have to manage your expenses at the same time. So before deciding whether you want to live on campus or off campus, let us have a look at certain pros and cons of both scenarios.

Let us first look at the pros and cons of living off campus.

Pros

First things first, living off campus is much cheaper than university housing.
You can afford more space and more privacy.
You will have more freedom and independence even if you want to study alone as it will be less distractive.
It would be a welcoming change to have a new neighborhood every summer (if you want to change) and a flexible schedule. You can always call your mom and dad to stay with you.
You can let your imagination run wild on how to set up your room according to your wish.
You can have your own kitchen and yes, you will have your own personal bathrooms.

Cons

Although living off campus is cheap, the initial phase of setting up is a little expensive. You might have to give security deposits and rent, then buy furniture, appliances, groceries, and general utilities. This means more responsibility.
Commuting every day becomes a big task whether you are driving or taking a public ride. A lot of your time can get eaten up if you stay far away from your college. So it's better if you avoid that.
You may become less social and interactive because you live off campus and may also have to stay after college hours if you are an active participant in college activities. You may get isolated from the college's day-to-day happenings.
It would be a tiresome job as you will have to do all the chores on your own, be it cleaning, laundry, preparing meals, or buying groceries.
Sometimes finding a roommate becomes a hectic task if you want to cut down your expenses.
No free WiFi or internet!!! You will have to pay for your own internet and TV cable connection.

You may find living on your own very exciting. But let me tell you that living on campus has its very own benefits. Think about living with your friends and taking a walk around campus. I know it sounds perfect, but every perfect thing does have some flaws as well.

Let us take a look at the pros and cons of living on campus-

Pros

Think how convenient will it be when you wake up just 15 minutes before your class and still reach your class on time. No hassle of commuting and traffic.
Roam around the college campus when you are free and feel like a part of the community and various college activities such as sports, seminars, and club festivals.
No need to do chores such as cooking, grocery shopping, cleaning, and laundry. Everything is included in the dormitory fee. You will have resident cleaning staff and cafeterias.
You can have a simpler and more convenient life with no room rent to pay, no electricity bill to pay, and no need to buy furniture. You will save not just money but your invaluable time.
You will have easy access to all on-campus resources which will be available to you anytime you need them.
Lastly, you are going to meet new people and cement good friendships with different people with whom you will hang out and even grab lunch or join a club together.

Cons

Since you will have to share the room, you will have to compromise on privacy and space. You might even have to share your personal things with your roommate. (Only if you are not comfortable doing that)
RULES!!! Hostel life will come with stringent rules. You will have a fixed schedule of lunch and dinner. You will have to be back in your room before 10 PM. Oh, and you won't be allowed friends of the opposite gender to enter your room. Now that's strict.
You won't be alone ever!! There would always be some person who will be in your room even when you need alone time. There will always be noises of chatter and talking.
No matter what people say, it is Expensive!! All the facilities that you are provided on campus dormitory are quite expensive and are included in your fee structure.
Because of the strict rules, you may have very less contact with the outside world. You will always be a part of some club or community that will have you occupied all the time. This would mean missing out on some late-night parties.

Now that we have listed out the pros and cons of on-campus and off-campus accommodation, it is up to you what you decide. Since finance plays a huge role as a deciding factor, you may evaluate your options firstly based on the cost. Think about your budget and then weigh your expenses. Even if you are an international student, your first preference would be on-campus rooms but if not, there are many housing and accommodation options available especially for international students. So you may relax and stop getting concerned about your residence.

With regards to the on-campus or off-campus debate, there's actually no right answer. As you can unmistakably observe, every choice accompanies its very own arrangement of advantages and disadvantages. It's a choice that genuinely boils down to individual needs and inclinations. Furthermore, at last, regardless of whether you come to lament your decision, you can in any event relax in the acknowledgment that your residence circumstance is just temporary!

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