The benefits of living on campus
Are you wondering what the benefits of living on campus are? If so, you’ve come to the right post.
Deciding whether or not to live on campus is a big deal! Living on campus in a dormitory can get pretty expensive and may become a more unattractive option if you can save tons of money living close to home.
Nevertheless, there are just some benefits of living on campus which makes money an easy second consideration that all university students should know about before making the big decision.
And that’s where I come in. I’ve had the privilege of living on campus for all four years of my undergraduate degree and off-campus for three years of my graduate degree.
So, I know all about the perks that come with living on campus that you just can’t get living off-site.
I am going to share the five top benefits of living on campus with you.
By the end of this post, you’ll feel extremely confident about whether living on campus is right for you!
*This post is about the benefits of living on campus*
1) Living on Campus Gives You More time to Study
Believe it or not, one of the best benefits of living on campus is that you get more time to study.
How so?
Well, living on campus means that you don’t have to spend time commuting to school, which may easily steal 1-3 hours of your day depending on how near or far you live from campus.
Because you are not commuting, you can study up to 10 minutes before a class and still make it to class on time. You can also study at the library until closing, walk 5 minutes to your flat or dorm room, and resume again with very minimal interruption.
Unfortunately, it’s not that easy when you are commuting.
After a long day at the library and then a 30-minute or so drive home, it may be hard to find the motivation to focus on work again like it is to find the motivation to go to the gym after a long tiring day of work.
It is doubly hard when you don’t live alone and you’re greeted by your mother who reminds you that you left a chore undone or a sibling who has something important to tell you.
Living on campus can significantly reduce your chances of being distracted and help you stay in study mode longer.
In addition to not having to deal with an unpredictable commute to school, living on campus allows you to be free from the time-sucking duties and obligations that come with living at home.
For example, you won’t have mom to tell you to “clean your room” (not that you shouldn’t try to keep it clean lol), mow the lawn, or help her clean the house.
Nope. Living on campus means you’ll have fewer responsibilities. Instead of having a whole house or apartment to maintain or clean, you’ll only be responsible for maintaining your room which will free you up to accomplish more things.
2) Living in a Dorm Helps You Focus Better, Boost Your Productivity, and Get You Motivated to Study.
Living on campus can improve your focus and help you become more productive and motivated to work.
Now, I’d be dishonest to say that this is the case with every student.
It’s not.
Some students do get distracted by the wrong crowd and instead of studying, they say yes to every party invite, every game night, and every “let’s just hang out and chill” night.
If you know you’re like those students who can’t say no to an invite, then living on campus may not be for you. lol
However, if you are disciplined or have a desire to be studious, can’t stand working in isolation, and are looking for encouragement and support, then living on campus is where it’s at.
Depending on where your dorm for college, some dorms come with study lounges that are open 24/7. As a result, many nights you will find that no matter how late or early it is, you will almost always find another student studying.
And trust me. When you have a paper due the next morning or a ton of homework to do after a long day that you don’t feel like doing, seeing and being able to work across from that other student is often all you need to get motivated again.
You can’t get that motivation working at home. At home, it just feels like you against the world: everyone is having fun except for you because you have to study. And you’re tired.
You deserve to rest or to watch a quick show. Before you know it, any motivation to put in another hour is gone.
If this scenario worries you or you’re stuck in a rut and don’t feel motivated to study, consider living on campus.
3) Students Living on Campus Make Friends Faster and Easier
Living on campus also helps you make friends faster and easier.
Here’s why.
Unless a commuter goes up to every random stranger he sees and tries to make small talk, the only time a commuter gets to interact with other students is in class.
In class, however, there is not a lot of time or opportunities to talk and get to know your classmates. Just a few minutes before and after class.
And while group projects help you meet new people, it can still be challenging to build a casual, fun friendship when work takes up so much of the time.
For students living in the dorm, it’s a totally different story. Campus students: eat together, live together, study together, work out together, do laundry together, cook together, shop together, go to events together, watch Netflix together, go to dorm parties together, host dorm parties and get-togethers together, grab a midnight snack together…
You get the picture.
There are SO MANY opportunities to meet, chat, and hang out with students that’s it’s actually difficult not to make a friend.
Dorm students are anxious to make friends with other dorm students because many of them live hours away from home.
As such, dorm students are generally open, friendly, and actively seeking to build friendships.
4) Living on Campus Makes it Easy to Get Involved on Campus
Another great benefit of living on campus is that it is much easier to get involved in student organizations and events.
For example, if you have class from 9 am – 3 pm and a club meeting you really want to attend begins at 7 pm, you can nap and study until 7 pm, and make the meeting.
For a commuter, however, making a 7 pm club meeting may prove to be far more challenging and possibly “not worth it” in their eyes given the sacrifice they’ll have to make to attend.
Assuming they’re on the same 9 am – 3 pm schedule, they may feel very tired after 6 hours of back-to-back lectures and want to go home to take a nap.
The thought of driving back to school to attend one (non-required) club meeting 4 hours later may not feel worth it to them given the time that is taken away from them in the commute going and coming back.
That’s precious time that could be spent studying!
Commuters face the same or similar dilemmas year-round when they learn about and want to participate in other clubs, events, and recreational activities.
As a result, according to this NBC News article, many commuters feel like “social outsiders.”
For students who live on campus, however, they feel the complete opposite: social insiders. They can decide what you want to get involved in and what you want to pass up with fewer challenges and little consequence.
5) On-Campus Living Allows You to Take Advantage of More University Resources
Finally, another great benefit of living on campus is the ability to take more advantage of university resources.
For example, no matter how early or late a class is scheduled, it will rarely be an issue for a student who lives on campus because he or she can just roll out of bed a few minutes before and attend a class.
Unfortunately, it’s not so easy for a commuter. A commuter may find it challenging to sign up for an early class because it will mean waking up two or three hours earlier to get ready and sit through run-hour traffic to make it to class on time.
A commuter may also find taking a really late class tough because it means getting home really late and not having enough time afterward to study.
By way of second example, students living on campus are in a better position to take advantage of tutors and office hours with professors.
Like in the first example, no matter what time of the day or which day of the week either the tutoring session or office hours sessions land on, most students living on campus, will easily be able to roll out of bed or walk over after an early class.
They can even join a tutoring session or visit their professor on a day they do not have class.
For students living off-campus, attending a tutoring session or meeting with professors during their office hours can be a lot more challenging.
For example, if a student who lives off-campus has all evening classes and tutoring sessions are held between 9-12pm, it may not be feasible for the student to hang out at school all day.
*This post was about the benefits of living on campus*
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Learn more about Jessica, you’re go-to-girlfriend for college advice. Feel free to email her if you have a question or just want to say hello.
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