Living off Campus
Like with many things at university, you get lots of options. You don’t always have to do the same thing as everyone else! There are different course types, extras, and accommodation to choose from. One of the most significant decisions you make as a student is deciding where to live. Do you want to live on-campus or off-campus? If you’re not sure of your answer, then keep reading. This post should help you with the right choice. We’ve outlined some of the biggest pros and cons to living on campus to help you make your decision. Here’s what you need to know about living on campus:
Pros
Here are the pros for you to consider:
Close By
When you live on campus, you’re next to everything. The main one being classes, of course. There’s nothing better than being able to lie in because you’re a quick 5-minute walk away from your 9 am lecture. It means being late is a rarity (unless you sleep in), and it’s great if you need to pop in and speak to any of your teachers at the last minute. It’s not just the classes that are close either. Your university campus will have everything from shops to cafes to eat at. By living on campus, you have almost everything you need in one place! What more could you want?
Security
Everyone wants to feel safe in their home, and if security is one thing you’re worried about, campus living is the best place for you. Every university has security for their accommodations, and it makes students have one less thing to worry about as they go. Especially if you’re living in a big city, security might be a serious concern for you, so it’s always important to think about it. Make sure to put your safety first.
Social life
One of the most extensive parts of university is social life. So many people say they go for the experience (whether they should or shouldn’t), and the best place to get that is on campus. As mentioned before, the university will have its own bar usually, and they will often hold club nights for everyone to attend. Living on campus means you’re close to these as well as all your friends! Getting to leave your accommodation at any time and popping over to see your friend who is two minutes away is the best feeling. Living near your friends is one thing you’ll never forget so really consider this when you choose.
Food
Depending on your university, you might find they have catering facilities, but this only really happens with on-campus accommodation. If you like your food or just want to save money on it, living on campus is great, and catered accommodation is the best option! It’s also great if your cooking skills aren’t up to scratch just yet. Also, the shops and cafes on campus are a gem because they’re usually at student prices to support you. If you want to save money, often these are the best place to go.
Events
Speaking of on-campus student nights, universities love to hold events for their students on all different occasions and being nearby is the best way to get involved. To be honest, there is almost an event on every day at uni, and if you’re too far away, you might find yourself missing them. The events could be anything from fashion shows to freebies (you definitely don’t want to miss those) and even competitions. If you’re looking for things to do, they’ll be lots there.
Cons
In this instance for us, the pros definitely out way the cons. However, you might find some of these cons are too big to ignore:
Expensive
This one can vary a little, but you can often find way cheaper off-campus accommodation than you can on. Again, this can vary because there are also many expensive accommodations outside off campus, but it’s all about finding the right one. If you think some of the places are too expensive, looking around at the rest of the area could be a good idea for you. You also might find you can save money getting non-catered accommodation, but if there’s none left, then you’re stuck. Having a look at the wider area is sometimes better as you never know what you’ll find.
No personal space
If you’re a very social person, then you’ll thrive in on-campus accommodation, but if not? It might feel overwhelming, and you might be itching for an escape. Living on campus means you’re constantly surrounded by students, and sometimes that’s just not what you want. If that’s the case, off-campus accommodation is better suited for you. Depending on where your accommodation is, you might be able to find more deserted locations. Sure, they’ll take a bit of a commute, but it’s up to you if that is what you want.
Noisier
The truth is, students are noisy, especially when they’re partying. This is quite similar to the latest point in that you need to decide what you want to be around. This is important if you’re there to focus on your studying more than your social life. The last thing you want to hear when you’re revising is music pumping through the floor. If you’re in a city, it’s going to be noisy anywhere near the campus, so moving a little outside could do you good.
Live where you want
Another great point is that you can truly be wherever you want to be. Maybe you don’t like the location of the university? Is it actually a little far from the city centre? Because if you want to visit lots of shops and be close to the nightlife sometimes living off-campus is a better decision. This massively depends on the location of your university and what exactly of it you want. But what is nice here is that you have complete freedom of choice rather than being restricted. If your friends are thinking of living outside of university too then, this is a great way to get together and find somewhere nice!
So, there we have it, which do you think is better? On or off-campus living?
