Student Housing: Where to Live
Jessica Tryba stretched her hand into the tattered baseball cap and pulled out a strip of folded paper. "Apartment" was scrawled out in purple ink, and the corner of her mouth curled up in a smile. Tryba, who will enroll as a fifth year senior in the fall, knew how difficult this process had been for the past four years. The piece of paper in her hand finally gave closure to a question that every college student deals with; where to live.
Deciding on the right college housing is one of the most important decisions students make. Where they choose to live affects their academic life, their social life and the money in their pocket. However, a good college experience differs among individuals, and other factors such as cost, location and roommates play a role when deciding how to make the best of your college years. Those who live on-campus graduate with a more positive college experience than those who lived off-campus, according to a study in the Journal of College & University Student Housing. Whether they choose the dorms, go off-campus or live back at home, each option shapes a student's college experience. Here's how to figure out which housing option is the best for you.
THE DORMS
Nothing about college is cheap, except for the ramen noodles you'll be lining your shelves with. "When I think of cost efficient, I think of dorms," Tryba said. However, dorms are not always the cheapest bet. Indiana University has just declared that there will be a 5% increase in campus housing for the 2007-08 school year, according to a recent press release. Although IU offers meal plans in the package, the total will be kicked up to nearly $7,000 a year. An apartment at IU that's just 15 minutes away costs about $400 a month, but those prices also rise every year. University Commons is known to raise their rates $10 every year, according to a former resident.
That may seem somewhat cheap but those prices are continuing to rise. A double room at the University of Wisconsin in Madison will cost nearly $5,600 for the 2007-08 school year. That price, which does not include food, rose almost $500 since the current year, according to the UW-Madison Division of University Housing. The details behind the prices can help students make a decision.
For example, on-campus housing, unlike most apartments and houses off-campus, rent out according to the school year. These aspects are hidden inside thick information packets that colleges give to students. Indiana University provides students with a six-page contract for on-campus housing, which cites warnings for lead-based paint in old rooms, the applicant's agreement to pay all legal fees if need be and the school's right to assess a breakage fee.
Aside from the important, yet sometimes boring details in housing contracts, dorms are the most convenient place to live, according to most students. "You can literally roll out of bed and go to class," said Melissa Iwami, who attended the University of Illinois. "Even though you don't have to live in the dorms your freshman year, it was a decision that was smart," Iwami said. Her apartment in Chicago is filled with U of I memorabilia, and a collage of her "nights out" at school hangs on the wall. "The dorm and community living really lends itself to meeting tons of new people," Iwami said, "everyone was really good friends. You were always able to find someone to hang out with."
Perhaps the chance to meet new people explains on campus housing popularity. Fighting for the right dorm room at Big Ten schools proves fiery for some. "Students prefer double rooms in a traditional residence hall," Associate Director of Housing at Ohio State Pamela Drake said, "the information [on what's preferred] is gather by what types or styles of rooms are used or selected first."
OFF-CAMPUS
Although Iwami wouldn't trade her dorm life if given a second chance, she admits off-campus has its benefits. "Living off-campus is a good idea when it comes to better overall location," Iwami said. "You could get away from the feeling of always being trapped in the academic setting."
Apartments or houses provide the "far from campus" feel that many students desire. Nevertheless, sometimes the location may not be convenient. Off-campus housing can mean a commute. Northwestern's law school boasts that you can live anywhere in the city and commute easily, but they don't mention that it may be hard for some, if not most, students to shell out $20 per cab ride.
The location of off campus housing could enhance a student's college experience. "Students want to know whether a location can provide adequate facilities," a residential advisor at Iowa State said, "some people wan to make sure their place is on a bus route, others care that their place allows pets."
"Some people want to get out of the dorms so they can be closer to the bars, or closer to big cities," Iwami said. But, Iwami warned that if a student spends all their time worrying about finding the right location, they might not put enough effort into finding a good roommate.
Tryba got stuck in a two-bedroom house; she was the only one who lived in it. Her second roommate backed out at the last minute and left her with legal issues, a rundown house and an extra bedroom filled with dust and mice traps. "I couldn't believe I got stuck with that place, the issues I had to go through with the landlady, and my roommate's mother were ridiculous," Tryba said. "No one should have to deal with that, or try to capture mice alone, at the age of 19." Tryba wasn't lucky enough to score that coveted roommate, but there are some who are successful.
Tara Suchland, alum of Catholic University, spent half of her college career living in the apartments with the same roommate. "When you find a good thing you don't let it go, I lucked out and got a great roommate in the dorms," Suchland said. "When I moved out we found an apartment together, and we stayed roommates until I graduated."
Cost is another delicate area when it comes to off-campus housing. "When I found out I was paying less to live in an apartment I wanted to call my parents and brag," Tryba said. "It wasn't until I signed the lease that I found out I was renting the apartment for an entire year, including the summer months when I wouldn't be down at school." Subleasing is always an option, but as Tryba pointed out, many students don't stay at school for the summer, so the rush to find a sub-lease can be overwhelming. "I have never been able to find a sub-lease," Tryba said. "I probably threw away over $3,000 during the summers to have an empty apartment down at school."
Students should also be weary of self-serving real estate agencies that try to lure them in with the illusion of lush apartments and the promise of a life better than the dorms. A McKinley Properties real estate agent cleverly stated why students should choose apartments over dorms, "apartments offer more space," the agent said, "and depending on where you go, they can be cleaner, cheaper and safer than dorms." The most negative aspect of living in a dorm? "Campus dorms are usually small, and add quite a bit to tuition," the agent said.
LIVING WITH MOM & DAD
Fortunately, there's still one inflation-proof choice: home. Mike Silvestri has lived at his parents' home for the past four years while attending Loyola University. "You save the money, you get free laundry service and free groceries, what's not to love about free groceries," Silvestri said. His room is a mixture of grade school meets high school and college, with his guitar propped against a small plastic chair full of Batman stickers. High school awards line the shelf above his bed, and Silvestri noted, "It gets a little tricky when you want to have people over, but I mean, did I mention the free groceries?" Living at home saves students the hassle of dealing with leases or room agreements.
But, living at home doesn't mean students won't have to deal with roommates. "My roommates are my family members," Silvestri said. "My mom still calls me all the time asking where I am. She's the worst roommate, the one who doesn't let your girlfriend stay over." Silvestri regrets not having the "college experience," or living with roommates, but would still pick living at home again. "It's the money thing, I save the most here," Silvestri said. However, the money saved on rent may end up going to the cost of commuting.
The cost of gas money and spending $4 every day to get to and from school adds up quickly. Silvestri must ride on the worn seats of the elevated trains in Chicago to class every morning. "It takes me between an hour and an hour and a half to get to campus from my house," Silvestri said. "I have to drive to the L station first and then catch the train."
Maybe picking from a hat is too risky, or taking the advice of a friend might involve too much liability, but deciding where to live will never be an easy task for students. It entails consideration, finances and the occasional day-dream. Having the kind of college experience you're looking for depends on many things, and where to live is one of them. "I definitely regret picking some of those places that I did, but I'm glad I stuck it out," Tryba said. "At least now I can tell people about it before they make that kind of decision on their own."
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