One of the primary concerns when choosing student housing is location, and there are many costs and benefits with the choice to live either on or off campus.
Some things to be aware of when selecting where to live are the included services, the proximity to campus and what the surrounding areas have to offer.
Bernadette Bede (senior-psychology) lives on campus at Eastview Terrace and noted some of the positive aspects she has learned from living on campus.
“It’s a convenient location. It’s definitely easier to meet people, and it is kept clean for you,” Bede said.
She also said almost everything is given to you, including food, television and Internet.
“It’s also very expensive, though-, maybe even overpriced, so you have to weigh that with the things that are included for ‘free,’” Bede said.
Eastview Terrace is an upperclassman residence hall that houses 808 students in single bedrooms exclusively, Assistant Director of Housing Chad Henning said.
Henning said the price for living in the complex includes heat and air conditioning, television and Internet, as well as no-charge laundry machines. Living in Eastview Terrace gives students access to study lounges and common areas that have Wi-Fi, he said.
The complex generally fills up very fast once rentals begin, and there is also a lottery process to assign rooms, Henning said. There is a wait list available for students who want to apply later in the rental season.
Many students living off campus, including John Greiner, who lives at The Pointe on Vairo Boulevard, identified the benefit of having their own kitchen to prepare food when living off campus.
“The kitchen is good because I can make my own food,” Greiner (junior-liberal arts) said. “You don’t have to eat what’s provided to you, so I can eat healthy and know what goes into my meal.”
He also drew attention to the amenities offered at his complex, saying that there is a pool and a game room, which includes a ping-pong table, pool tables and air hockey.
Community Manager Patricia Slagle said tenants of The Pointe have access to the clubhouse, which includes a pool, fitness center, game room, an indoor basketball court and an outdoor volleyball court.
Greiner said some of the downsides of living off campus were having to take the bus to campus from Vairo Boulevard. Though a CATA bus pass comes included with his rent, he said it does not ease the struggle of catching buses and dealing with overcrowding.
“Sometimes it feels like you’re a bit far from the action, and you also get limited by the buses,” Greiner said. “If you want to stay out past midnight on a weeknight, you’ll have to take a cab or find another way home,”
Slagle said The Pointe houses 984 students when at full capacity and is generally full on rentals by the start of the spring semester in January. The complex offers room arrangements in the quantity of two, three or four tenants, and each room has a private bathroom.
A third option to consider is living off campus through a private realtor, which most often entails living in a private house.
Erik Bendekovitz (senior-master of accounting) said he lives off campus in a privately rented home. He said he saves money by living off campus, and he appreciates having his own room and lots of freedom.
Bendekovitz said one of the important things when living off campus is being able to pay rent every month, and you need to be “very aware of your expenses.”
