One of the biggest decisions that any college student has to make is whether they want to live on campus or off campus.
Discussions with current students boiled down to one key question: What do you think is important? If it is privacy and finances, then you are better off living off campus?
Junior psychology major, Miranda Liebtag, shares her experiences of living off campus.
“After living on campus my freshman and sophomore year, a group of friends and I decided it would be better to move off campus,” Liebtag said.
“While it is cheaper to live off campus, it is very difficult to keep up with rent, which is why I have to work while I am in school. With classes this can be very stressful. I also have to watch how much I spend during the year in order to pay rent,” Liebtag said. “While I did enjoy my time on campus I have found there to be more freedom to do what I want without an RA down my back all the time and more privacy in my own townhouse.”
“With the difficulty of the market it the increase of prices it was very hard to find a nice place at a reasonable price but once we found it, we have not looked back since.”
Senior criminology major, Ashlee Hofner, shared her experiences about living on campus at Cabrini.
Hofner has lived all four of her college years on Cabrini’s campus finding new experiences with every hall she has lived in.
“One of the biggest pros of living on campus is being in the midst of the action,” Hofner said. “I can walk to class, work and any events that are occurring. Therefore, I am saving money on gas and I can leave 10 minutes before class starts and still be on time.”
However, Hofner did highlight the negative side of living on campus: the financial burden.
“The financials are a big con for an individual living on campus. Campus housing is fairly expensive,
approximately $13,000 per year and depending on where you live these individual numbers can fluctuate,” Hofner said. “In a five person suite in the Cabrini Apartment Complex, where I currently live, the individual living in the single room amongst five roommates has to pay around $2000 more which is ridiculous because the person is sharing the remainder of the living space with four other people,” Hofner said.
Hofner also mentioned the parking being an inconvenience.
“For the people who park on campus, we are paying almost $100 for a spot each year, but in reality this spot is not convenient when there is no where to park on Resident Blvd. Furthermore, you would be realistically walking from the Dixon Parking lot just to get back to your room. It honestly is rare to find a good spot close to your residence hall,” Hofner said.
Whether you choose to live on campus or off campus there is a place for everyone.
“Living on campus was a great experience for me and I would not trade it for the world, it is ultimately where I met my friends for life,” Hofner said.
For more information on housing prices on campus visit here.
