On-Campus or Naw?

While it may be true that school this school year only started a little over a month ago, now is the time to be deciding on living arrangements for next year.

While living off-campus in an apartment with your friends may seem like an adventurous idea, let me give you some reasons why living on-campus is the way to go.

The Experience

Students who chose to live on-campus throughout college are more satisfied with their overall experience, earn higher grade point averages and are more likely to graduate on time.

(According to American Council on Education http://www.acenet.edu/Pages/default.aspx)

Parking

We all know that JMU’s parking situation is horrendous. While recent efforts, such as the new parking deck, don’t go unrecognized, JMU still lacks on student parking spaces. If you live on-campus you can just walk. Walking not only saves you gas, and the expense of a parking pass but it also gives your body exercise. And for those days when you aren’t feeling the walk, just hop on the campus shuttles that run all throughout campus every day of the week.

Community

Living on-campus allows you to build community. That is one of the reasons why JMU requires all freshmen to live on-campus. Think about it. How many of your friends did you come to know through living in the same dorm freshman year? Trust me, I would be lost without my friends I met freshman year in Chesapeake Hall.

Security

Safety is huge concern in today’s society. When you live on-campus, you don’t have to fear. There is on-call security 24/7, every day of the week. All residence halls also have hall directors and resident advisors that are available all hours of the day to keep things safe and under control. And don’t forget that residence halls also only allow access to those who live in the building.

Live Challenged

Living on-campus requires you to live with other people. Living with other people requires you to live challenged. It allows you to explore yourself and to learn more about others. Living on-campus emerges you into a diverse community.

Saving your Space

James Madison’s Office of Residence life has started a new system as of last year where you can choose to keep your room. If you have lived on-campus for two years, you can choose to keep your space instead of taking the gamble of the lottery system. For example, if I you sophomore who lives in one of the Grace Street Apartments and you would like to return to living there next school year, you have the choice of keeping your apartment instead of having to choose a new place once receiving your lottery number.

Food

Moving off-campus means buying groceries, budgeting yourself, and cooking meals. No more grabbing food from Dukes on the go, or popping into E-Hall for Sunday brunch. However, if you live on-campus, you get to choose one of the meal plans and take full advantage of all the wonderful options JMU Dining offers. After all, JMU campus food was rated number two by the Princeton review in 2013.

Financial Benefits

Living off-campus means that you have to pay rent. Depending on where you decide on living, your rent may not include utility fees for things like hot water and electricity. Also an apartment requires things like:

• Buying toilet paper (how annoying, right?)

• Buying dishes and cookware

• Buying furniture for your individual space (if not your entire apartment)

• Buying a park pass for your apartment and for on-campus parking

While the above list are just a few things you’ll have to buy when moving off-campus rent is also something to consider. If you live off-campus you must pay monthly for the space/utilities. Living on-campus means that all that is already paid for and be included in your student loans, allowing you to not worry about paying for anything until after you have graduated college.

Cleaning

One of the major things you always hear those who live off-campus complaining about is their housemates not cleaning up after themselves. Living on-campus, housekeeping does most of the cleaning. Yes you do have to deal with your roommate if you chose a double room, but housekeeping does the rest of the work for you. No cleaning up someone else’s dishes or scrubbing the bathrooms.

Peace of Mind

There is no stress involved with signing a housing contract. All you have to do is sign and then choose your room when you receive your lottery number. No stress about living arrangements for the next year means more time to focus on present schoolwork.

So when it comes to making the decision of what do for living arrangements next year, think back to this list.

And make your own list of pros and cons and then decide what is the best option for you and how to get the most of your college experience as a JMU Duke!

Here are some other websites you might want to check out as well when making this big decision

JMU Office of Residence Life: https://www.jmu.edu/orl/index.shtml

Her Campus at JMU http://www.hercampus.com/school/jmu/why-you-should-live-campus-sophomore-year

Myths v. Facts concerning on-campus living at JMU http://www.jmu.edu/news/orl/2015/09/10-housing-myths.shtml