The benefits and drawbacks of living on campus

Living on campus completely changes your college experience. This is the first time in many peoples lives where they get to experience independence away from home. However, with any decision, there are benefits and drawbacks to living on campus. If you're considering it, I hope this helps make your decision easier.

Some major benefits of living on campus include: the time to study/socializing, campus amenities, and independence. The whole reason why you're going to college is so that you can STUDY and become successful. When commuting, not only do you waste time driving back and forth from home, but you can't stay at the library until 4 AM to study without your parents freaking out. This is especially important when you're like me and can't study at home. Furthermore, you have more time to socialize and do things that you like. Club meetings are sometimes held at weird times and if you're always on campus, it's a lot easier to hang out with friends. When college ends, you won't have that much time to socialize so take advantage of the time you have right now and go party when you don't have to study. Additionally, most campuses include amenities for free such as a fitness center, student center, libraries, and etc. These amenities can only be taken full advantage of when you live on campus. Let's be honest, sticking to a gym schedule is hard but when you're always on campus, you can go to the gym anytime. The last major benefit is independence. Learning how to pay bills, how to budget your money, how to keep your apartment/dorm clean, how to time manage, and etc. are important life lessons that you need to learn sooner or later so why not.

Some drawbacks of living on campus include: money, food, and being homesick. Money is a huge drawback that you must consider especially if you're not getting financial support from your parents. Apartments can be expensive and there are many other costs associated with apartments (such as utilities, internet, furniture, and etc.). Furthermore, if you don't know how to cook and are used to homemade meals, this process can be a struggle. In college, you don't have a lot of time to experiment around and cook so food can be a huge problem. However, if you do know how to cook or if your parents cook for you at home and give you rations, then you're in a good position. There's always the option of eating out but one can only eat out so much. The last major drawback is being homesick. When you live with family, you always have someone to talk to or hang out with. At one point or another, your roommates become your family but they won't always be there for you like your parents and siblings are.

At the end, I would highly recommend living on campus for one year if you have the opportunity to do so. I lived on campus for all my years and I saw a positive correlation in terms of my grades and social life. There are many cheap apartment options and if you get roommates, it becomes even cheaper. The bonds you make with your roommates will never be broken as you move thru life because you LIVED with those people. You only go to college once so go for it.

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