Campus Living: should you stay or should you go?

As the semester creeps to an end, the debate continues: is it better to live on campus or off campus?

According to Patrick Dupree, a senior residing in Nob Hill, an off campus apartment is “the only way to go”.

“I have my own room, a hot tub, a big kitchen full of beer, and my own parking space. What more does a man need?” Dupree said.

Indeed, one of the major conveniences of living off campus is a larger amount of space to live in – and now with the overcrowding of residence halls, personal space is even harder to come by while living on campus.

“I need my privacy – I don’t know how I lived two feet away from the same person all the time – there’s no room to breath there [in dorms],” Pat Feeney, a resident of Sunset Gardens, said.

Furthermore, living off campus can also be cheaper, especially if you have a roommate or two to split the rent with.

Chris McQuade, another Nob Hill resident, says, “between me and my two roommates, I only pay $365 dollars a month for rent, about $70 on electricity, DSL fast-internet-connection, and cable – less than $450 a month – plus I have my own room”.

The major setback about living off campus, however, is the time and distance it can possibly take to get to school. If you’re out of walking-distance range, then be prepared to face Miami’s infamous traffic on a daily basis.

“Also be prepared,” says commuter student Sebastian Foltz, “to pay for a commuter pass, to wake up a little earlier, and to fight for parking spots with your life.”

Finding the right place to live is important, but more important is choosing the right time to move.

If you felt like you’ve earned the right to privacy, and have been around Miami long enough to have met a group of friends to share the day with, then maybe you should start looking for a better place to nest than the dorms.

But if you’re a freshman thinking of leaving the dorms just because of your stinky roommate, think again before you make that leap; you might want to stay on campus one more year to broaden your connections with fellow students.

The key to being happy with your surroundings is not through the place you choose to live in, but through the people you choose to live with. A fancy setup in the Biltmore would be luxurious – but it can still be lonely.