By Samuel Hebestreit
College students are faced with a tough mental and financial decision when entering college: choosing whether to live on or off campus.
Each choice comes with its own set of benefits, but it all comes down to students finding what fits their personal needs.
Some students switch living arrangements after realizing they are not happy with their initial choice.
BU junior Bailey Venard said privacy played a big role in her decision to move off campus.
“I’m a very introverted person, and I like to have my personal space and my alone time. So, living in a room with somebody was kind of a lot of stress on me when I’m used to having my own space at home,” Venard said.
For students making the switch from living off campus to living in a dorm, convenience was a primary consideration.
“Having those activities after school or practices in the early morning and the evenings, just being here where it only takes me at most five minutes to get to those things has been really nice, especially when they’re in the evenings, not having to go home and then come back here,” BU senior Anna Wells said.
For other students, such as Sydney Heath, an advanced nursing program student, the choice is clear from the beginning.
“I would have to put into consideration time a lot more if there’s traffic, drive time and parking. I would spend more time worrying about those things and that might deter me from coming to class. If I live on campus, I have more time to study, go to the library, or to the gym, or resting,” Heath said.
Whether students are choosing living arrangements for the first time or changing their decision, cost is a major factor for most.
Venard said moving off campus may be cheaper than living on campus. “I think rent in less than room and board. Then groceries, as compared to a meal plan, I think that’s probably about the same,” Venard said.
Regardless of where students live while in college, they need to plan ahead for where they want to live and with whom they want to live, Wells said.
“If you’re planning on moving onto campus, I think it’s great to try and figure out those living arrangements, kind of think it through if you want to have a single room if you're able to get one, or if you want to have a roommate and then if you do that, who’s your roommate going to be,” Wells said.
Venard said: “Definitely start planning early. We were planning on moving in the summer or early fall, and we started looking at the end of the fall semester prior to when we were planning on moving in. Also, finding roommates is very important.”
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