# Should i live on campus or off campus at University



## dejay72 (Oct 11, 2009)

Ok so im in my last year of high school and i am attending a university next year that is to far away for me to commute to. I was wondering if i should live on campus or off campus. The residence rooms on campus are mostly double rooms but there are single rooms, however, there are limited single rooms available and there is a lottery that takes place to see who gets them. Sharing a room with a complete stranger really freaks me out :afr and i heard rez is really noisy and stuff because of all the partying that goes on so i was thinking maybe i should live off campus . I was thinking of maybe finding a bachelor apartment or something but im kind of worried that i wont be able to survive on my own lol. I have never lived on my own before and i can hardly cook :b. If i live on residence i dont have to worry about cooking though, because i can get a meal plan so im not sure if living off campus is a good idea at the moment. I also need to consider the costs as well. My family is kind of poor so i need to get a loan but will i be able to use this student loan to pay my rent off campus or does it only work living on campus? And which is more expensive off campus or on campus housing? I also kind of want to meet people and make friends but i want my own space i dont want to share a room with someone. I heard if you dont live on residence that its a lot harder to make friends at university. 

Im really stressing here on what i should do. If someone could help me out that would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you


----------



## No-Sturm-und-Drang (Jan 21, 2009)

I think maybe you should find what would be best for your sa. Being surrounded by people at the college could potentially help your sa so i guess my vote is live on campus.


----------



## pita (Jan 17, 2004)

On-campus housing is generally very expensive, mostly because of the price of meal plans. As far as I know, you can use a student loan for anything you want, including beer. Look into the rez prices at the school you're going to, and compare them with rent prices in the classifieds. If there's a residence that doesn't have a meal plan, you'll find that's much cheaper.

I was really lucky in that I got a single room, but that also meant living in a building designed by a man who designed correctional facilities.

Living in residence was challenging for me but I did end up having some good/social times. When I look back, I really do have a lot of nice memories from that time. There was only one bad time in which I literally told my floormates to "STFU, it's 3 am." That's really the only thing from residence life that I regret.

I lived off-campus with roommates for a year, and didn't really care for it. Mystery roommates were too stressful for me. I would only ever live with roommates again if I knew them already.

I currently live off-campus with my parents and it's wonderful on the wallet, but not so wonderful in that I spend hours a day on public transit. If you live off-campus, it really is worth finding something within walking distance, even though that might mean the price is higher. Daily long bus rides are no fun at all.

Living on campus is so convenient that it's almost worth the extra cash and potential social anxiety. You don't have to hang out in crowded student lounges unless you want to, and you can go to the library whenever you feel like it.


----------



## kos (May 19, 2009)

I find that there is something magical about living in on-campus housing atleast where I use to live. I'm from the suburbs so when I was living downtown it was a rush to open the front door and be in the heart of the city. I guess this would depend what school your going to but when I was there I could feel a strong sense of community between my neighbours and my surroundings in general which made the experience that much more awesome.


----------



## Shooterrr (Jul 19, 2009)

You could always try living on campus for the first year just to see how things work out (meeting people, etc), and if it's not to your liking you can get an apartment off campus. That's what I'd do. Good luck!


----------



## AlwaysOnTheOutside (Jan 11, 2010)

One of my biggest regrets is not making the most of college and not really meeting people. I highly recommend living on campus and sticking it out. Sure, get your own room if you can, but if you have a roommate, just tough it out (depending if your SA allows). You will meet a lot of people and then 2nd year you can get your own apartment off campus and hopefully keep in touch with some people from freshman year. I really hope you enjoy college and not let SA get in the way like I did.


----------



## solitarycanadian (Mar 16, 2010)

I lived in the dorms my first year of university. It was one of the best times of my life. I was lucky enough to live in an apartment style dorm where we each had our own room with a lock on the door. At first I thought it would be difficult living in an apartment with 5 other people. Later, I realized they really keep to themselves and eventually as you live and cook in the same area you gradually get comfortable with your roomates. I lived with mostly foreigners which made it easyier for some reason to talk to them. It got to the point were we would all get together on weekends and played drinking games from the different countries we came from. 

However, if I had to live in the same room as another person I would most likely not have done it. On the other hand if you are going to live with this person you will most likely habituate yourself to their presence and eventually become comfortable with them.

My second year I rented a house with some family and noticed that not living at the dorms made university less enjoyable. Living at the university and having a close refuge to go to made it easier then staying at the university between classes and looking somewhere to hide like the library.

Also, you will eventually need to learn to cook. I had the same problem but was lucky enough to live with asian students who taught me how to cook a mean beef-fried rice. I practically lived off it in the dorms.


----------



## Squizzy (Dec 21, 2004)

I hate living on campus, but then again I have no friends at school and my roomate sucks. Also, I am paying about $650 dollars a month to live in a closet, use a public restroom and showers where I acquired a foot fungal infection, and eat crap food. This does not include the cost of parking at my school, and often I have to park blocks from my dorm. Next year I am splitting rent with a person I actually want to live with in an apartment and my costs of living with be about $400 a month. We will have access to a pool, fitness center, game room, etc, plus I will have my own kitchen, bathroom, living room, bedroom, and parking space. I will also be able to eat what I want. I really have the need to feel freedom, though. I also hate camping. Living on campus makes me feel like I'm camping and I'm trapped here in this godawful place. NEED AIR

Apologies for the negativity, campus living is just not for me.


----------



## Sunshine009 (Sep 21, 2008)

Live in a treehouse outside the kitchen facilities' window.


----------



## JEmerson (Mar 25, 2010)

I'm going to live on campus in the fall. I think it'll be good to try and combat my SA and get me out of my shell, and the college has really awesome housing anyway. It's these townhouse apartments that have a kitchen, living room, two bathrooms, and each person has their own bedroom. So it's not the typical tiny dorm.


----------



## Doc Rice (Dec 28, 2009)

JEmerson said:


> I'm going to live on campus in the fall. I think it'll be good to try and combat my SA and get me out of my shell, and the college has really awesome housing anyway. It's these townhouse apartments that have a kitchen, living room, two bathrooms, and each person has their own bedroom. So it's not the typical tiny dorm.


What college are you going to? It sounds better than any I've heard.


----------



## Classified (Dec 7, 2004)

I would highly recommend living on-camps if the dorms are 'good'. The dark, old, small dorms aren't always the best. However, they may also make a lot of friends suffering through the misery.

Everyone is going to have a story to tell about if they had a good time freshman year, or got bad roommates freshman year. It will probably be the best year of college and perhaps of your life, so have fun and try new things.

Don't worry about your roommates too much. If they are good, you will have a great time. If they are bad, at least you will have an interesting story to tell later in life.


----------

