New beginnings are always difficult as well as interesting. When we think of going to college, we brood over Living on-campus vs off-campus which is the better option.
What are on-campus living and off-campus living?
When the students reside within the premises of the college, then it is called staying on campus.
When the student resides out of the campus then that is called off-campus living.
There are a lot of speculations for the best options, but both come with their pros and cons. Whatever you choose for yourself is suitable for you. Analyze before determining.
What are the pros of living on campus?
Living on-campus comes with a lot of benefits while living outside comes with a lot of troubles. So do consider these facets before choosing any of these. Please find the conditions below.
Traveling time and cost
If we live on campus, we will be able to have a lot of time that would have otherwise gone in traveling. If we stay within the campus, we can spend only half an hour freshen up and get to our classes on time.
This will not only enable us to sleep more but also save the transport cost. If we live out of our campus then it would have cost us some thousand rupees a month to reach the campus.
But living on the campus ensures we have a few minutes of walk to the classroom. The relationship with the college grows strong.
When you stay off-campus you cannot have a close relationship with the college. Also, you have limited time with the departments.
Don’t spend a long time in the library. Have to ensure the transport availability. You have to be on time for the classes which means you need to get up much early to get ready and for traveling too.
Get easy access
When you reside within the campus you can get access to the library and other amenities for a longer period. They also get help from the seniors whenever they need it.
There is a group of students on the campus who are either studying or having fun. So, it is easy and fun to be in the crowd if you enjoy it.
But if you are an introvert then surely this is not the place for you. You will feel suffocated to be a part of the crowd.
Then you should be either alone in some rented place if you are studying in another place or travel from home. Your comfort is what matters.
Friends group
You will learn to adjust while staying with friends. We are generally not accustomed to sharing when we are single children.
But when we stay on the campus, we learn to stay with the other students. Group studies help in exchanging valuable information as well as effective learning.
This is so because you are not used to sharing things with many especially if you are a single child.
Difference of responsibility
You don’t need to do cooking or cleaning which is included in the campus service. You can easily have your meal at the cafeteria or canteen.
The cleaning is also done by the staff, so there is no responsibility to be undertaken. You just can take care of your life on-campus.
If you think any of the facilities are not up to the mark, then you can just complain about it to the assigned designation and the problem will be addressed.
But if you reside off the campus then you need to be attentive to cooking, cleaning, and security too. You have to maintain groceries and cook daily. This is quite tiring at the end of the day.
Security of the students
Yes! The security of good apartments and houses is not bad, but they are not as good as the hostels. Hostels are much secured as the security system is responsible to answer the college head.
Thus, they take good care of their students with every detail of the student’s entry and exit. If you are a medical student or preparing for the USMLE Step 2 CK course then you need to secure yourself.
You also have timings to return to your campus before a certain time to ensure safety.
What are the cons of on-campus staying?
Every aspect comes with both the positives and the negatives. So does the on-campus!
When you stay within the campus you find certain things easy and accessible, but some factors cannot suit you at all. So, make sure you are not bothered by that.
Sanitization and cleanliness
When you are not staying at a place that is sanitized you can attract diseases. You cannot ever regulate the on-campus sanitization and cleanliness, but you can always regulate the cleanliness of off-campus places.
If you are too much bothered about sanitization and cleanliness, then you should choose to reside outside your campus.
Privacy
If you are an introvert or a single child and you have a serious problem in sharing space with others, then you should be better off staying alone. This will not hamper your studies.
If you cannot stay in a crowd then staying on campus is a threat to you. Students sharing a room often tend to invade their private space knowingly or unknowingly. So, make sure you don’t get into the on-campus if you don’t fit in.
Costlier than living off-campus
If you decide to reside on the campus, then it is a very costly affair. The college charge a lot for providing the hostels and other facilities.
So, if cost bothers you then you should better opt for staying out of campus. Rented places are cheaper than campus staying. If you can manage from home then nothing better than that.
Liberty in movements
There are a lot of restrictions when you stay within a hostel. A few of the restrictions are-
- You cannot invite your parents for a longer period.
- Need to be in the dorm room within time.
- You cannot roam around the campus till late.
- And you cannot invite friends of another gender.
- Most of the meals are served within a limited period.
- No need to share your costly items and essentials with your roommates.
Although the off-campus rental apartments and houses also have restrictions, they are not as restricted and fixed as that of the on-campus. Also, you can invite close family and parents when in need for valid reasons.
The other thing is that you can also hang out with friends. You can have your meal at any hour according to your convenience. You can cook at any time of the day and please your stomach.
Also, you cannot be late if you are on the campus premises. But if you are outside the campus then you can make several excuses for your late arrivals.
Conclusion
These are just two options that should be considered well before you make the right decision for yourself. Every human being has a preference and they deserve to decide according to so.
Between living on-campus vs off-campus you can choose whatever suits you. None of this is bad or a perfect option, it is just what is appropriate for your convenience, because the purpose is your quality education.
