Every college student eventually considers whether staying on school dorms or renting an apartment/house is a better option. This is a complex question that requires careful consideration from the student to make the best decision for their particular set of circumstance. Here are the major issues that come up when a student is considering their living options.
Cost
To compare the costs you'll need to financial research to figure out exactly what the cost different between dorms vs. renting is in reality. Get ready to get out a pen and paper to calculate the different cost of dorm vs. renting. Most students may be surprised that their assumptions about what it actually costs to live on or off campus may be slightly off base.
A big part of the cost will be determined by the housing market around your campus, because obviously it is cheaper to rent in some areas than others. To get a feel for the cost of rent research on craigslist, word-of-mouth and other students to figure out what housing is going for around your campus. Also, consider living with roommates to reduce the cost of rent.
Next you will need to calculate cost of living for dorms vs. renting. For dorms you will need to pay for meal plans and parking, but all utilities and laundry services may be included. For living off campus you need to estimate how much you would spend on food a month to figure out how much you'll be spending on food versus a meal plan. You'll also need to include utility costs like water, electricity and internet.
There are also some additional moving-related costs some students may need to consider. For dorms you may need to
rent self storage to store your stuff while you live on campus. There is also the potential additional cost of
hiring movers to help move heavy things into and out of your apartment when the time comes.
Privacy and Restrictions
When most students embark on their higher education journey they assume they are adults, but by the time they arrive in the dorm they learn this is not exactly the case. All dorms have strict rules, inspections and guidelines for residents, and for some students this may seem to stifling in their new supposed adult lifestyle. Not to mention living in dorms with other students usually means you have no privacy, because dorms seem to form their own new families on campus.
These things may seem trivial to some students, but for others are ready to pursue a more independent lifestyle. Finding independence through where you live is a very important step in life, and some students will be ready for this step sooner rather than later.
Location
Living on campus can be huge convenience for full-time students, because they have the obvious benefit of just walking to class. What a lot of students forget to consider when renting is the additional cost of transportation via bus, car, bike or whatever means you will use to get to campus.
For other students living on campus is not a viable option because all of the additional grown-up responsibilities they need to deal with on top school. Jobs and family are two factors that make some students live off of campus, because separating themselves from the additional facets of their lives is not an option.
Security
No where you go is 100% safe, not even dorms. Although dorms do have the benefit of security through staff, locks and policing they do have a host of crime-related problems that are not necessarily found off of campus. Even though dorms are marketed as a safe option, students soon learn the reality is that these are not pristine environments. It is good to be careful and mindful no matter where you live, even in dorms.
That being said, finding cheap off-campus housing may land you in a bad part of town. Make sure to check out the neighborhood before you sign a lease. If you don't feel safe, it is probably a good idea to look somewhere else.
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