Find your perfect college degree
Incoming college students often face a dilemma when it comes to starting their new educational journey. The thought of moving away from home and embracing college life can be both daunting and exciting at the same time.
Many students seek a rich college experience where they will be able to meet new people and manage their own time.
Research reveals that almost 60% of full-time college students in private, non-profit, four-year institutions live in college housing. Meanwhile, about 36% of college students in public colleges live on campus.
Going away to college for the first time requires careful consideration and preparation. You may be considering living on your own for the first time, especially if your choice of school compels you to leave the comfort of your home.
This brings the question of living on campus or finding a place to stay off campus. There are no right and wrong answers. The choice, ultimately, lies in your hands.
It can largely depend on what you need and want. Living on campus has its own share of advantages and disadvantages. Weighing your options will require knowing and understanding exactly what awaits you if you do choose to try on-campus living.
Campus Life: What to Expect
For many, college life could be your first taste of independence. It offers you a wealth of opportunities, from making lifelong friendships to learning important life skills.
It is often a unique experience for each student. It is a great chance for you to participate in different activities, join clubs and societies, meet new people, establish your network, and expand your horizons in various ways.
Managing Your Academics
One of the most important aspects of college life is that your academic studies will take up a lot of your time. While it is exciting, it can also be very challenging as you will find yourself adjusting to a whole new different experience compared to your life in high school. This means deciding your schedule and managing your time accordingly.
You may need to create a strategy when it comes to structuring your time, including determining specific study hours, setting your goals, and sticking to them.
Choosing Your Major
It might not be often apparent, but choosing a major is quite vital to your professional goals. You are expected to choose a concentration of courses in a specific academic field or subject to help you achieve the degree that will suit your needs.
This will often require you to do some self-evaluation. What are your passions? What are you good at? Your major is often something that interests you and that you find enjoyable. You may also want to consider the practicalities, such as the future career path you would like to follow and whether your choice is lucrative.
Joining Greek Organizations
Not all students will find Greek life interesting, but for those who do, Greek organizations are often present on many college campuses. Joining a Greek organization can offer a sense of belonging, allowing you to find fellow students who share the same goals and interests.
It is a great way for you to build your network and build lasting friendships. If you are someone who can handle the financial and time commitment required, then experiencing Greek life could be a rich experience for you as a college student.
Living with Roommates
Whether you choose to live on-campus or off-campus, you may need to deal with roommates. Many housing options in and around the campus require sharing a space with strangers. Roommates can take getting used to, especially if you are someone who moved away from home for the first time.
While it can be daunting at first, living with roommates and getting along with them can enrich your college experience.
Types of Housing Options on Campus
Colleges and universities all over the country offer students the opportunity to experience campus life. Those who choose to live on campus may take advantage of various housing options available at the school of their choice. Some have dorms, apartments, and sorority or fraternity houses.
Dorms
One of the most common residential buildings on campus, dorms contain quarters where students share a space for sleeping. It may also have community spaces such as bathrooms, laundry rooms, and study areas. Some may have common living rooms and social spaces where students can gather and bond.
More often than not, two or three students will share a room in most dorms. While possible, single dorm rooms are not very common. Sharing a space with roommates in the dorm can pose challenges, which will often require flexibility and setting boundaries.
You can also expect to share shower and toilet stalls with everyone on the floor. Since students usually share rooms in the dorm, living in the dorm can often be a more affordable housing option for those who want to live on campus.
Campus Apartments
Some colleges and universities offer campus apartments. These are often in the form of apartment-style buildings with two stories or more. In most cases, an apartment is composed of four bedrooms and two shared bathrooms. There might be a living room and a full kitchen with appliances and tools for cooking. Students may also enjoy laundry facilities and study lounges.
Depending on the school, apartments may allow for gender-inclusive living. It is generally more expensive compared to dorms since students in apartments are often allowed to do their own laundry and cook their own food.
Greek Houses
Sororities and fraternities often do have houses, but the sizes vary depending on the population and capacity of the Greek organization. Those with larger houses can accommodate officers and sophomore members. It is usually a great experience to live in a sorority or fraternity house, as members can get to know each other better.
Some Greek houses provide three meals a day during the week and allow the members to share a meal in common dining rooms. They may also have a laundry room and a common living area where everyone can gather.
Benefits of Living On Campus
Living on campus offers a ton of benefits. It is often a benefit that most first-year college students get to enjoy. Choosing to live on campus can be an enriching experience, providing a safe environment to nurture your worldviews and cultivate your extracurricular interests. Here are some of the many benefits of on-campus living.
Meaningful Connection with Other Students
On-campus housing options often inspire a greater sense of community as it requires sharing a space with other students. You may choose from a variety of housing options. Living in a traditional dorm, for example, will often compel you to live with other students. While it can prove challenging, it can also be a rewarding experience after the adjustment period.
Living with roommates will help you deal with homesickness. You can form a bond with fellow students as you share a space.
Eventually, you will be able to find common interests, exchange stories and dreams, and weather the difficulties of college life together. Many students who live on campus get to form long-lasting friendships.
Easy Access to Academic Support
Living on campus gives students the chance to access faculty, staff, and other resources that can help them with their academic needs. For example, many dorms have resident advisors. These are essential in lending support that helps freshmen students transition from their sheltered lives to living independently on campus.
Resident advisors are often seasoned students who get assigned to specific floors or within small groups in the dorm, tasked to oversee the safety and well-being of younger students. They are also trained to handle emergencies and create a welcoming space for students in the dorm.
They lead in community-building events, encouraging freshmen residents to mingle with fellow students in the same building.
Student Safety is a Priority
Security is an important factor when one chooses a housing option for college life. A lot of on-campus housing options prioritize the safety of students, hence the presence of security personnel. The latter is a great help in preventing untoward incidents and responding to emergencies.
Residence halls often have security personnel in place to oversee the safety of students. They are often on call 24/7, patrolling the residential spaces every day of the year.
There are also resident assistants, community coordinators, and assistant directors. They all work together to keep the residence halls safe. In many cases, card access for building entry and keys for room entry is utilized to enhance the safety of students.
Minimize Transportation Woes
Traveling to school can take up a lot of time and effort. For a college student, this can be quite stressful, especially if you need to juggle your academic demands and extracurricular activities. This can be minimized if you live near the campus and even better if you live on campus.
Living on campus puts you near classrooms and other campus facilities. This means easier and more convenient ways to get around.
You do not have to spend so much time commuting and getting stressed out of it, which is the case if you rely on public transportation. Parking around campus if you use a car for traveling will not be a problem anymore, allowing you to save on parking fees.
Of course, some on-campus housing options may not be within walking distance of classrooms and other campus facilities. Some dorms may offer a free shuttle to help students get around.
More Convenient Living
With amenities close by and most buildings within walking distance, you will find yourself with more time to study and do other activities to enrich your college experience. Most of the time, the meals are also included in the housing fees, along with the internet and on-site security. Having an inclusive meal plan with your residence life costs can help you save a lot of time and money.
With nearly everything close by, you will find most of the essentials accessible. You have access to libraries, computer labs, recreational services, athletic facilities, and other campus resources. This takes the hassle of commuting out of the picture, allowing you more time to devote to studying, building friendships, and joining activities that will help you learn and grow both as a student and as an individual.
More Opportunities to Get Involved
A rich college experience means having more opportunities to meet new people and experience new things. Living on campus will put you in the middle of it all, whether it is about participating in social activities or finding the entertainment you can enjoy with your roommates and floormates in the residential hall.
Campus events are also hard to miss as you will be quite updated with what is going on, from social events and movies to seminars and workshops.
You can easily find your niche on campus, allowing you to explore various clubs, organizations, and sports teams. There are also numerous leadership and community service opportunities for students who can hone their life skills.
Variety of Dining Options
Apart from meal plans in your residence hall or dormitories, you will also find a variety of dining options within the campus. There are dining halls, bistros, cafeterias, and other food options that you can choose from.
Many of these offer an array of choices for students with dietary restrictions, such as gluten-free, vegan, kosher, and vegetarian options. Dining on campus can help you save time, minimizing the need to buy groceries and cook regular meals.
You can free up precious time that you can devote to studying and learning. Plus, a lot of dining places on and around the campus are great spots for socializing. This means you will be able to meet people, make new friends, and build your network.
Enjoy Better Academic Outcomes
Since living on campus puts you in the middle of everything you need, you will have more time to commit to studying and completing your academic requirements. It is easier for you to find resources that will help you finish your coursework, with tutors, libraries, and student unions available at your disposal any time of the day.
Living in dorms and residence halls will also put you around people with similar academic goals, providing you with the opportunity to ask for support when needed and focus on your objectives for better outcomes. Many of those who live on campus tend to perform better academically, gaining better GPAs and graduation rates.
Opportunities to Earn Money
Students who struggle financially may find better opportunities to earn money if they live on campus. This is because they can save time and effort from transportation and meal preparations. Instead, they can put their extra time to good use by applying for jobs on campus, such as that of a resident advisor, student assistant, and other work-study programs available at their disposal.
Some job opportunities may repay you with money, tuition discounts, or discounted rooms in the housing options. It will also provide you with a valuable work experience.
Overall College Experience
They said living on campus allows you to experience the whole package of college life. Your college experience just hits differently when you are in the thick of things. You will not only try living with strangers and adjusting to a whole new environment but will also get to strengthen your character as you learn and grow with like-minded people. It is not surprising to make great memories and build lasting friendships on campus.
On-campus living is something that many freshmen students need to experience as it is a unique opportunity to enjoy what college life has to offer. As they say, you do not need to rush to live off campus. You have the rest of your life to do that. You may want to seriously consider living on campus and enjoy everything that it offers.
Tips for Preparing for Life on Campus
As an exhilarating time of college life, living on campus may also usher in stress and concern, especially for freshmen students who have never experienced living on their own before. But these worries can be addressed with careful planning and preparation. Here are some great tips to help you along.
Take the time to learn some life skills.
Before you move away from home, make sure that you at least know some basic life skills that will prove valuable during your college life and beyond. This includes cleaning your apartment or dorm room. You may also want to develop your social skills as they will come in handy a lot of times.
Greeting your dorm mates when you meet them and even something as simple as smiling can go a long way. You may want to get to know your roommates by asking sincere questions and finding common interests.
Manage your time wisely.
College life is all about getting the most out of your time and resources. It is of utmost importance that you are able to manage your time properly, as it can spell the difference between success and failure.
Maybe you can start by developing a habit of setting your own schedule. Plot your classes in your planner, and make sure to block out time for coursework, sleep, and play. This way, you will have a more balanced and enjoyable college life.
Keep an open mind.
College is an exciting stage of your life. You will have opportunities to grow and build lasting connections. Many people you meet in college will come from different cultures, hence the varied worldviews.
You should not be afraid to experience new things and expand your understanding of the world around you. Be open to possibilities, and the rest will follow.
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