When moving out of your home state for college, is it better to live in college dorms of an apartment?
I am dead set on going out-of-state for college because I want to escape my home state of Texas a bit to somewhere colder. I wonder which would be more worth it and easier. #student #collegedorm #apartment
5 answers
Jennifer’s Answer
I'd recommend staying on campus, especially if you're moving out of state and aren't familiar with the area in and around the city where the university is located. Some universities also have a first-year student requirement of living on campus. But there's method to the madness ....
Studies show that students who live on campus in their first year are more engaged and more likely to persist. What does that mean? You're more likely to make friends and stay to graduation at that college if you live on campus. :-)
College dorms aren't like they used to be. If you haven't, take a tour (or virtual tour) of a modern residence hall. The facilities often rival those of the apartments surrounding the campus, and some will even offer lower prices for those added amenities.
Universities plan many events and encourage new students to participate as much as they can in the first six weeks. We know that students make the decision whether or not they will stay at that institution to graduation in that critical time. Give yourself every opportunity, and stay on campus.
I lived on campus all four years of my undergraduate experience and loved it. I didn't like leaving on the weekend (even to go home to wash clothes) because I always felt like I would miss something. This feeling may change for you as an upperclassman (junior, senior) but I never envied my friends who had apartments across the street. I was in the center of the action right on campus.
I hope that perspective helps with your decision!
Wishing you all the best -
student college-dorm apartment on-campus
Thank you.
Jacob
Tracey’s Answer
I highly recommend staying on campus. So many campus events take place during the fall and the spring for freshman. That is where bonding takes place and you are free to fully immerse yourself in the college experience than staying off campus. Staying off campus means you will miss the nuances that come with being on campus 24-7 because you are living amongst the general population. Then, you have other things to consider like rent, electricity and water just to name a few. You will have your whole life to live on your own and pay bills. Take advantage of the time you have in college by staying on campus.
Alright. Thank you
Jacob
Sydnie’s Answer
Hi Jacob,
This is a great question and one that I heavily contemplated when I got ready to go to college out of state. From experience, I would say that it would be extremely beneficial to live on campus. I found that living in the dorms helped me find a sense of community in a new city where I did not know anyone. I have been out of the dorms for years at this point and am still best friends with a lot of my dorm roommates. Living on campus made it really easy to attend college events, find people to study with, and overall get adjusted to living the college lifestyle amongst other people who are in the same boat as you.
I hope that this helps you and that, regardless of your decision, you have a wonderful college experience.
All the best,
Sydnie
Morgan’s Answer
Hi Jacob!
I would recommend living in dorms. I went to an out of state school and felt like living in the dorms helped me acclimate to college life and meet a ton of people! I met some of my best friends in the dorms at college!
Sarah’s Answer
Hi Jacob,
I would recommend living on campus, at least for the first year or two of college. This is a great way to meet other people, especially if you're going to a school far from home. I made a great group of friends my freshman year and ended up living with them for my other three years of college.
This is also a great way to become more familiar with the area you'll be going to school in, especially if you're planning on moving far away from home. Once you know more about the city it's a lot easier to decide where you want to live in the future. It also is much easier to move to a dorm during your first year because it is set up through the school, so it makes the transition to college much smoother.
Good luck at college!
Sarah