Reflecting upon a solid 6 weeks of off-campus living, I feel (at least partially) qualified to discuss the pros and cons of the situation. In case you are considering moving off campus at semester, next year, or are just curious, here’s my take on the situation.
The pros: First and foremost, it’s SO MUCH FREER. I can check in and out when I want; I can have people over past midnight without them having to sign in and out, and much more. It’s fantastic.
I knew that I was living off campus for a while before I actually moved into my apartment, so I sincerely enjoyed pre-planning the décor. This was especially fun because I can poke holes in the walls, hang things and provide my own furniture. I spent the summer months Pinterest-ing all sorts of crafts that make my apartment feel cozy and like home. It truly is a Mecca for crashing after stressful days.
A side note to that fact is that I have my own furniture here. I have a pillow top mattress that is so much comfier and cleaner than the dorm beds, even if it is a hand-me-down. I got my couch brand new on sale, and I have the satisfaction of knowing exactly what has and hasn’t happened on it.
Additionally, I cannot tell you how nice it is to get to cook my own food. I can control what I’m eating, when I’m eating and how much I want to spend on my food. I have a full kitchen supplied with everything I need.
There is also more privacy in my apartment. No one comes to my door to demand that I must go downstairs for dorm meetings. I can do things on my own time, and there are no potluck roomies (thank God). Fortunately, my husband shares similar tastes with me in music and television, so we can watch or listen to whatever we want whenever and don’t have to worry about sharing the TV with roommates. There’s also none of that awkwardness that comes from having a roommate’s boyfriend or girlfriend spending the night and locking you out of your own room.
If that’s not enough, there are no room checks. If I want to have alcohol or a candle or a power strip, no one stops me. I don’t have to have my room cleaned on a specific day of the month. I keep things clean, but dorm room checks inevitably happen at the busiest times of the year and I don’t have to deal with that.
Everything off campus is cheaper, too, if you choose the right place and have a roommate. Splitting the bills for a little apartment is a lot less expensive than the costs of living on-campus for each semester, especially when you add in a required meal plan.
But you know what the best part of living off campus is? I get to have my cat! There is nothing more comforting than coming home after a long day and snuggling with my cat, Squeaky. Pets can be so therapeutic.
Cons: All of this is not to say that living off campus is always fantastic.
For me, the worst part about living off campus is that although I know that it’s cheaper, I see the costs a lot more. When you live in a dorm, you can take out loans and pay off your housing after you graduate. In an apartment, rent is due each month, there are utilities to pay and internet bills (although the internet is much more reliable). When you live on campus, you live with the care-free attitude that all of those costs are a worry of tomorrow when the dreaded graduation day arrives and you enter into the real world. Living in an apartment is being a part of the real world.
It’s also harder to see friends as often when you live off campus. When you live in a dorm, there is always the opportunity for late-night philosophical discussions when you and a roommate are avoiding doing homework. There are also organized dorm-wide activities, random movie parties, and other events that encourage a social life.
My husband and I are paying for our apartment and all of our expenses on our own, so we are really busy between classes and working enough hours to support ourselves. There isn’t a lot of time or energy for interaction with other people. On top of that, we never know when on-campus activities such as movie nights or Subway nights are because we don’t have the benefit of the hearsay of friends.
In our apartment, we have a full kitchen, but that doesn’t mean that the oven or any of the built-in features are any better than those that are provided in the dorms. Our oven is terrible—it doesn’t stay the same temperature for more than a solid two minutes. Plus, there’s not always enough time to cook, so there are a lot of mac ‘n’ cheese nights. And I mean a lot.
Instead of idiots next door screaming at Call of Duty, you have idiots next door with screaming children. We have a neighbor who screams at her child constantly. This same kid also rings our doorbell constantly to talk to us while we are busy. It was cute the first time. Not anymore.
Sometimes, the landlord doesn’t give a rip about the issues in your apartment that they should give a rip about. We had to repaint our entire apartment because the walls were disgusting. Our landlords told us they would buy us a new oven when they won the lottery. The lawn and the outside of the building are not always well-kept.
A final thought, if you aren’t getting married, good luck affording everything you need to cook, clean, and just live. It’s expensive! We got lucky because our wedding gifts helped us get everything we need to survive. I don’t know how people can afford to move out on their own otherwise.
Overall, living off campus is a lot of fun, but everyone should weigh the pros and cons for themselves.