Being a college student and for many people having to move out of your childhood home for the first time, gives you a new opportunity to try out other living arrangements.
Depending on your class year as well as other factors, you can either decide to live in the dorms or apartments on campus, or live in an apartment or house off campus. Each of these options has its pros and cons.
“It’s a lot easier to socialize and meet new people when living on campus because there’s always people in the dorms but also because of all the different events that are being arranged for students,” Hayden Brown, senior living off-campus, said. “The easy access to resources such as the cafeteria and classes is also a big benefit from living on-campus.”
Social interactions and meeting new people are something that’s highly rated by the students.
“I liked being able to meet people on the floors that I wouldn’t have met if I lived off campus,” Tyler Yates, senior living off-campus, said. “When you live off-campus you don’t see as many people as you do when living in the dorms.”
However, the physical state of the dorms wasn’t in favor of the students and could need some work.
“I didn’t like that the dorms weren’t renovated or at least taken care of very well,” Yates said. “There were always problems with the showers which was very frustrating.”
The hygienic standards of the dorms weren’t living up to the student’s expectations either.
“One of the things I didn’t like about the dorms was that it was not really hygienic,” Elias Lehmann, junior living off-campus, said. “The bathrooms were never really clean which made them difficult to use.”
A huge benefit for the students of living outside of campus is the extended personal space.
“I really enjoy the freedom when living off campus,” Brown said. “Not having to share a room with someone just gives you a lot more privacy and space.”
The more private setting with off-campus housing is indeed valued by students.
“I like being able to have my own place and not worry about others,” Yates said. “You just have more freedom and space when living off-campus”
When living off-campus, you are more involved as well as see more things outside of Averett.
“You get a better idea of what’s going outside of Averett,” Lehmann said. “You have a tendency to explore more of what’s going on in Danville when living off-campus which I really like.”
Just as living on-campus, there’s also downsides of living off-campus.
“I don’t go to events on campus as much as I did before when living in the dorms,” Lehmann said. “Social interactions can sometimes also feel a bit forced where on-campus it just happens naturally.”
For some students, the distance to their classes is quite far and can be an issue from time to time.
“I need to drive to all of my classes which can be annoying sometimes,” Yates said. “When you live on campus all your classes are only a 5-minute walk away.”
For additional information on housing please visit https://www.averett.edu/student-life/housing-and-residence-life/.
