When it comes to living off campus and commuting, it should be broken down into two categories: living with parents and commuting from home or renting a place off campus nearby. Since coming to Monmouth, I’ve done both and there’s a lot to say about the pros and cons of each. Residential life, however, also has its perks. Which is better? You decide.
1. When you live at home with your parents, you can almost always count on a home cooked meal and your laundry done: Living with your parents (most of the time) means that (hopefully) you have dinner made for you and your house cleaned. While you may have to help out along the way, it is nice not to have to worry about it from time to time.
2. Traffic: Living off campus and on campus brings different parking issues. While living on campus entails walking to class from the dorms in the rain or the snow, which is difficult at times, commuting entails the struggle of traffic – often Cedar Ave is backed up both ways, or traffic can make us late to class.
3. Parking: Just like traffic, residential life is more favorable. Residential life enables students to park in spots closer to their buildings, while commuters must struggle to find spots in a crowded parking lot. This, again, causes problems when it makes students late for class, and they must settle for the valet parking that the school offers.
4. Parents vs. no Parents: In contrast to number one, residential life entails not living with a parent, but most of the time there is a dorm advisor or resident advisor. Living off campus and renting a house, as most upperclassmen do, does not require a parental figure, which means more responsibility but more freedom as well.
5. Food: Living off campus on your own usually means grocery shopping, which leads to cooking. If you’re like me and don’t have time to cook, it means frozen meals. Residential students have the opportunity of going to the dining hall and the student center, where meals are easily attainable.
6. Waking up early vs late: Seeing that residential students only have to walk to class, they have the upper hand – when the dreaded 8:30 hits, it is the commuter who has to wake up earlier to get to class on time to avoid traffic and parking difficulty.
7. Bills, Bills, Bills- Off campus living means that bills must be paid. This requires a lot of upkeep and is a responsibility most leave to their parents when living at home. When living on campus, there’s only one bill, paid at the beginning of the semester, and everything is paid for.
8. Roommates: Living off campus and commuting, more often than not, involves having your own bed and room. Living on campus means having a roommate if you’re living in the dorms, which, as anyone living in a dorm can tell you, is good or bad.
If you’re like me and are really messy, living off campus with your own room? Definitely better.
