by Jeremy Jameson

Created on: January 21, 2007   Last Updated: May 02, 2007

Living off-campus while attending a college/university has several advantages.

A major one that often (though not always) applies is cost. If you ever look at the breakdown of costs a college estimates a typical student will incur, take note of the room and board costs, as well as any fees associated with living on-campus such as parking fees, activity fees, etc. Well, all those costs I just mentioned are not of concern to off-campus students. They in a sense determine their own rates for where they live, what they eat, where they park, etc. because they choose their own instead of taking what the campus offers. Often, the money-smart student can find better rates on such things in the surrounding neighborhoods. Also, local landlords may be more flexible than the college when it comes to paying rent. If you pay the college for your room and board, it often gets paid in the form of a portion of the student loans you take out. When you factor in interest, you can end up paying significantly more than the original value. But when you pay your landlord rent on a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly basis, those payments are applied when paid and do not accrue interest. Also, with a little bit of culinary knowledge the frugal student can prepare his own meals for far less than it costs to buy the campus' all-you-can-eat cafeteria plan - and probably eat healthier too! So not only do you save money on the food itself, but potentially also on health problems like excessive weight gain, illness (due in part to poor diet), etc.

Another factor that sometimes (not always) applies is crime rates. Inner-city campuses in particular can be notorious for their crime rates - especially theft. Living off-campus a neighborhood or two away may mean you live in an area of significantly less crime risk.

In some cases location may be the big benefit. If your campus is set out deep in the suburbs a good 30-60 minutes from the major downtown section where plenty of students like to hang out, that's an annoying (and costly) trip just to get some recreation. Alternatively, if you live halfway between downtown and campus, it's only a 15-30 minute drive either way (much better, and for some short enough to bike or even walk if time allows). This also helps if your job is downtown, of course.

Probably the most universal benefit that can be cited is freedom. On campus you likely have a bunch of rules (listed in the student handbook) by which to abide that wouldn't apply if you were living off-campus. For example, I've yet to see a campus that allows weapons, but if you're living on your own away from campus you probably won't have to surrender your 2nd amendment right. You may be able to have a wider range of visitors over to your own place than you would your dorm room (many campuses make guests at least check in with admissions and on some campuses may even not allow entry into the dorms). Also, for students in special situations (e.g. married, living together, several roommates to split rent up more efficiently, etc.) living off-campus may be the preferable - if not only - option.

So while living on-campus certainly has it's own set of perks (there's an article here on Helium about that as well), living off-campus certainly has plenty of its own and is worth at least researching by most students before they resign themselves to dorm life.

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