As you head off to college for your freshman year, you have a lot of decisions to make. One of these decisions is whether you want to live on campus or not. As you think about off-campus housing, you should know what the benefits of living off campus actually are. These are the five major benefits of finding off-campus housing.
Five Great Benefits
1. You can have some extra freedom. On-campus housing often has strict rules that you are required to follow. If you are caught breaking these rules, you can be kicked out of your apartment or may even be kicked out of the University. The rules of on-campus housing can include things like visiting hours, rules on drinking in your apartment, and a curfew. These can have a big impact on how you can live your life. When you live off campus, there will be less strict rules, so you can experience more freedom.
2. You can save money on rent. On-campus housing can be very expensive, and chances are you won’t get much space for the money that you are spending on rent. The further you look off campus for housing, the more cost-effective your apartment will be. You can spend the money you save on rent on other things like books or food.
3. You can avoid required meal plans. Most universities require that you purchase a meal plan when you live on campus. Meal plans can be expensive, and you can only eat the food that they choose to serve that day. The food is often unhealthy and can lead to what is known as the “freshman fifteen.” If you choose off-campus housing, you can have more control over your food and will likely save money on groceries. As an added benefit, you get to cook!
4. You can focus on your school work. On-campus living can be constantly loud and distracting. People may be in the halls or even in your apartment having fun when you are trying to study or just relax. It can be difficult to keep good grades. When you live off-campus, you can choose to hang out with friends or party when you want to and spend time studying and relaxing when you want to.
5. You can find parking when you need to. Parking is almost always a problem on campus. You can spend a lot of time looking for a parking space and end up parking really far from your apartment. If you choose good off-campus housing, you can have a designated parking spot or at least a choice of spots that are close to your apartment.
