Every student who has lived on campus can point to why it is such a pain. The rooms in Martyr’s Court are too small. The bathrooms in Tierney can get dirty (especially on Saturday or Sunday mornings). You never get to meet any of the people in your hall or on your floor in O’Hare. Those complaints do not even take into account Residential Life policies and all the rules that accompany a room on Rose Hill’s campus.
If students spend enough time walking around campus early in the spring semester, they are bound to hear someone talking about wanting to move off-campus. Living off campus provides students with a lot more freedom. What some students do not realize though, is that with that freedom comes a lot more responsibility.
Despite its imperfections, living on campus also has its perks. Number one, of course, is convenience. Classes, teachers, the gym and the cafeteria are all just a short walk from your room. Sam Nash, FCRH ‘15, said, “I choose to live on campus because it’s convenient for me. I like being close to where my classes are and most importantly, the caf.”
Living on campus also provides students with peace of mind and less stress than off-campus accommodations. Campus residents do not need to worry about utilities or maintenance. They just need to make sure they give facilities a ring if they encounter a problem.
“Having utilities and maintenance taken care of is definitely a nice thing to have. Honestly, I probably wouldn’t know how to pay my bills and fix things so having those services available is definitely helpful,” said Nash.
Many students do not need to worry about buying groceries or cooking because they have meal plans. In the upperclassman buildings, like Walsh or Campbell, residents can elect to do their own shopping and cooking; but on campus dining options are still very convenient.
Safety is also a concern for many students when deciding where to live. It is easy to complain about Residential Life’s policies and campus security. However, they do an excellent job of keeping the Rose Hill campus safe and making students feel comfortable at all hours of the day (or night).
Living in an off-campus building requires certain considerations and preparations. First off, finding off a place to live off campus is a difficult process within itself. Students must find the contact information for a landlord (which you can usually get from students who already live off campus) or find a realtor. Be advised, if a realtor is chosen, be very careful and make sure to completely understand the commission process, his/her rate, and what services the realtor provides. Then, students need to set up a tour of the house/apartment and make sure everyone agrees it is what you want.
Pat Freed, FCRH ’15 said, “We had to talk to a bunch of landlords and one of them jerked us around and has us sit through a two-hour lecture on his expectations of what it meant to live in his house.”
After a student decides on a location, you need to convince your parents and start the long, very detailed, application process to acquire the lease.
Rent, water, heat and electricity need to be paid every month. If something in the house breaks, you are responsible for paying someone to fix it.
Off-campus students are responsible for their own groceries and cooking as well as the mess that goes with it. That includes mice and bugs if you are too messy (exterminators can be very expensive).
Also, there are no study lounges or quiet rooms. The walk to the library is very long, especially in the winter. “There are more distractions, so time management has become a much more crucial skill,” said Freed.
The biggest attraction of living off campus is the freedom to do what you want, when you want. Residents can decorate as they please and have as many friends over as can fit in the basement, “I have a lot more freedom and it’s different being around seven people instead of just one roommate,” said Freed.
Branching out to an apartment or house is also very helpful for post- Fordham life. Students who live off campus already know how to live on their own and juggle the responsibilities that are attached to the added freedom.
Ultimately, living off-campus is not better than living on campus, or vice versa. It depends on your priorities and how much you value the different aspects of college life.
