Student Living: Campus Housing vs. Apartment

There’s a never-ending debate over which student living arrangement is better: campus housing or an apartment. The answer is ultimately just a matter of personal choice, because there are pros and cons to both situations. Here are some things to think about as you weigh your options between the two.

Campus Housing Advantages

1. You can purchase a meal plan with your housing plan, so you never have to cook.
2. All of your bills are included in one payment.
3. You can roll out of bed 5 minutes before class and still make it there on time.
4. There’s always a group of people around to socialize with.
5. You’re closer to the campus library and other study groups and resources.
6. Laundry facilities are in the same building, and laundry costs are included in your housing fees.
7. The noise from your neighbors is usually controlled, and you rarely have to deal with noisy neighbors yourself (send the Resident Advisor to take care of it).

Apartment Advantages

1. You never have to eat “dorm food”.
2. You have more privacy and more space to yourself.
3. Your furniture will be more comfortable.
4. You’ll have fewer interruptions during study time, because you don’t have 200 neighbors who will want to pop in and distract you.
5. If you shop around, you can find an apartment that’s cheaper than campus housing.
6. You’ll be closer to more off-campus activities and shopping.
7. You’ll have your own parking space at your apartment building.
8. You can have pets (possibly).

Campus Housing Disadvantages

1. Drama and politics are right there from many, if not all of your dorm neighbors.
2. Too many friends can lead to too many distractions from studying. Some dorms have a constant party atmosphere, which can be detrimental to finishing your degree on time.
3. Dorm meal plans are very repetitive.
4. College campuses are notorious for not having enough parking spaces, even for students who opt to pay for student housing.
5. You lack privacy, because you usually have a roommate. In many cases, there are communal restrooms.
6. You don’t get to choose whether or not you’ll have a roommate, and as a freshman, you won’t get the option to choose who you get for a roommate.
7. Petty theft, date rape and other crimes are common in campus housing situations.
8. You can’t have pets.

Apartment Disadvantages

1. You’ll have trouble finding parking on campus.
2. You have to budget for food and other expenses, and you have to do all of your own meal preparations or eat out all the time.
3. You don’t have a Resident Advisor or other college authority to deal with neighbor conflicts. You have to handle those on your own.
4. You miss out on a lot of social activities that happen on campus.
5. You have to monitor and manage your monthly budget more closely.
6. You’ll have increased fuel costs, because you’re traveling to and from campus every day (sometimes more than once).
7. It’s harder to find college roommates.

As you can see, there’s an upside and a downside for both types of student living. It all depends on what you’re looking for. The local market for renters can have an impact on your decision as well. If housing is tight, it may be a cheaper and easier option to go with student housing. On the other hand, you may want the independence and freedom that an apartment affords.

Tags: Student Living

Related Posts:

• College Apartment vs. University Housing
• Advantages of Renting College Student Apartments Near Campus
• Pros and Cons of Apartments Near Your College Campus
• Moving Tips for the New College Student
• Should a College Student Rent Furniture?

This entry was posted on Friday, September 18th, 2009 at 2:22 pm and is filed under Find an Apartment. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.