Off campus housing vs On campus housing

[Wishful Thinker]

Guys I need your views on above 2 options, in terms of cost as well as other factors like travel, community feel etc

[Wishful Thinker]

Basically, can someone give me their opinions, experiences, pros & cons to help me decide between the two. Thanks

[have2thinkboutit]

I suppose that this is a very personal choice. Based on my experience on-campus housing makes a lot of sense for the first year, especially for an international student (well, probably most people who are not from that region) - when I moved back to the UK for my MA they had not room available and looking for a room in town was actually not that easy:

 

• I didn't know which areas are "good" (safe, good public transport, close to stores... though Google can help there)
• It's just soooo convenient because the college will take care of it and all you have to do is - arrive...
• people were reluctant to rent to me without meeting me which means I had to spend the first week in a hostel and frantically look for a place (at the same time, it turned out to be REALLY important to look at these places because there were quite a few I was not willing to live in!)
• The deposit required for most places was a lot and, again, landlords wouldn't want to commit to me without and there was no way I'd send money to some unknown entity
• Living on campus when you are new to the area really helps with socializing and getting to know fellow grads
• It's often cheaper (depending on the location) and a lot more convenient (you might end up next to the library)

Some of these may be a British phenomenon but I am definitely opting for on-campus housing for when I start in September! Once I am all settled and familiar with the place I will probably move off-campus, because:

 

• I get to choose the people I live with
• I get to have a say in what I want/don't want in my place
• WASHING MACHINES! 
• I get to live in an area that suits my personality (student life is great, but having my own non-school space will help keep me balanced)
• Basically, I can make whichever place I stay at "my own"

So ask yourself - who are you? What are your wants and needs? And would you be able to/ could you afford to arrive early enough to sort out off-campus living? If you think that off-campus housing will be better for you in the long run check with your school. A lot of places offer 3 months or 6 months tenancy agreements which would buy you some time to situate yourself.

 

[Wishful Thinker]

I suppose that this is a very personal choice. Based on my experience on-campus housing makes a lot of sense for the first year, especially for an international student (well, probably most people who are not from that region) - when I moved back to the UK for my MA they had not room available and looking for a room in town was actually not that easy:

 

• I didn't know which areas are "good" (safe, good public transport, close to stores... though Google can help there)
• It's just soooo convenient because the college will take care of it and all you have to do is - arrive...
• people were reluctant to rent to me without meeting me which means I had to spend the first week in a hostel and frantically look for a place (at the same time, it turned out to be REALLY important to look at these places because there were quite a few I was not willing to live in!)
• The deposit required for most places was a lot and, again, landlords wouldn't want to commit to me without and there was no way I'd send money to some unknown entity
• Living on campus when you are new to the area really helps with socializing and getting to know fellow grads
• It's often cheaper (depending on the location) and a lot more convenient (you might end up next to the library)

Some of these may be a British phenomenon but I am definitely opting for on-campus housing for when I start in September! Once I am all settled and familiar with the place I will probably move off-campus, because:

 

• I get to choose the people I live with
• I get to have a say in what I want/don't want in my place
• WASHING MACHINES! 
• I get to live in an area that suits my personality (student life is great, but having my own non-school space will help keep me balanced)
• Basically, I can make whichever place I stay at "my own"

So ask yourself - who are you? What are your wants and needs? And would you be able to/ could you afford to arrive early enough to sort out off-campus living? If you think that off-campus housing will be better for you in the long run check with your school. A lot of places offer 3 months or 6 months tenancy agreements which would buy you some time to situate yourself.

 

 

Hi thanks for the help   ! I need some views from people who have already experienced this/are in the process of making this decision so that I can consider all possible pros & cons & then make my decision.  

[fuzzylogician]

It depends on many factors - e.g. how easy it is to find off-campus housing where you'll be, what the public transportation is like and/or how close your housing will be to your university, how much on vs. off-campus housing will cost. If the market is difficult and/or you can't get there early enough to find a decent place, there are advantages to living on-campus for the first year. You don't have to worry about the location, furniture, bills, etc. which is convenient when you don't know the place and don't have time to do market research. If you do know the city, have the time, or the cost for on-campus housing is much higher than living off-campus, then you might want to choose off-campus housing even if it's initially more difficult to get settled in.