It’s been a little less than a month since I started living off campus, and so far, it’s been full of ups and downs that I didn’t even expect. Here’s an honest list of pros and cons that I’ve compiled from my personal experience of living off campus. If you’re curious about what it’s like to live off campus, hopefully I’ll answer some of your questions!
PROS
The kitchen and the bathroom are only a few steps away, and they’re all yours!
My two years of living in a dorm have adjusted me pretty well to communal bathrooms and kitchens, but now that I live in my own house, I don’t think I can go back to sharing a shower with twenty other women. I also don’t have to walk down an entire hallway with wet hair from the shower because my room is just one door away from the bathroom.
Nobody cares what you do because it’s your own house.
I no longer share my room with another person, which means I don’t always have to fold the laundry right away, and I can turn the music up as loud as I want (whenever I want). Little freedoms like these may not sound like much, but they definitely make living a little bit more comfortable and fun.
It’s safer than you think.
The biggest concern people have about living off campus is safety. During the day, I find that it’s pretty safe to walk to/from campus because there are a lot of students who are also walking or biking. During the night, most students take advantage of the bus system that drops them off very close to where they live. For me, I take the Gold Line, and it stops on almost every corner of the streets where most off-campus housing is located, so it’s a convenient and safe mode of transportation. Yay, UR buses!
It’s cheaper than you realize.
While every student’s financial situation is different, living off campus is a lot cheaper than living in a dorm for most students. Talk to your financial counselor, but also talk to other students who have a similar financial situation and who have experienced living off campus to get a more accurate picture of how much money you might be able to save.
CONS
Staying clean is your responsibility.
There are no longer staff members taking out the trash and cleaning the bathroom for me. Not only do I have to clean my room, but I also have to clean various parts of the house, including the bathroom and the kitchen. Oh, and remember to take out the trash! While it may not sound like a big responsibility, it can become a burden as the semester goes on and the schoolwork piles up. It really helps to set up a chore schedule with housemates, so that I’m living in a clean environment.
You have to stay conscious of how much energy you use.
Now that I’m living in my own house, I have to think about how much electricity, gas, and water I’m using because eventually I have to pay for it. It’s one of the luxuries of living on my own that also has potential consequences—while I have unlimited freedom to use water, gas, and electricity, I also have to pay for it.
It’s more of a challenge getting to class on time.
When I used to live on campus, sleeping in late was not a big deal because I could rush out the door and be in class in a matter of minutes. However, living off campus is a different story; sleeping in just a few minutes means missing class because walking to campus takes about fifteen to twenty minutes. I recommend having an organized sleeping schedule so that you’re not missing class or an important exam.
Having a balanced diet can be hard.
As a freshman living in Sue B., I had access to various foods and vegetables just a few flights of stairs from my room. Now that I live off campus, I am responsible for meals that are nutritious and easy to make. I have zero experience with cooking, so watching YouTube tutorials and learning from experts definitely helped. I can tell you for sure that cooking does get a lot easier with time!
Living off campus has definitely been a test of how responsible I can be and how well I can balance living on my own while also attending school. While it may not be for everyone, I like to think of this experience as something valuable that can help me in the future!