On Campus Vs. Off Campus Vs. Home

From the author that brought us "Honour Killings", here's more. It'll probably help you out too, to make up your mind. Happy reading....

First of all, if you are going to be a freshman, I encourage you to live on campus! Why don’t I recommend living at home? Because you don’t get the college experience that you would get, had you moved out.

First of all ... Living On Campus i.e. in a dorm or a hostel, focusing on the pros, you’ll make friends! And you’ll build really strong friendships as opposed to just having ‘friends’.

It’s easy. You don’t have to worry about utilities and basically at that point of your life, you are quite healthy, literally and considering the financial point of view. It’s easier for you to get involved, especially since a lot of dorms throw parties. You’re always on campus, so you always know about events going on around you. You’ll miss a lot less class as opposed to living off campus since you’ll only be a short walk away. A lot of people say that your gpa might suffer from living in a dorm; I personally thought it helped me to live on campus, though. 

Now.. if I talk about the cons, the first thing that flashes into my mind... You might not get along with your room mate, and even if you do, sometimes sharing a room sucks. Dorms are very small, so it’s almost impossible to go an entire semester without ever getting annoyed at your room mate.You’ll probably have to share a bathroom, which, in some cases, can be disastrous (!); and of course, noisy (!!), and the annoying part is: you have to pack everything up and move out at the end of the year.

Taking up the case of Living Off Campus....pros:- first of all, Freedom..... no room inspections... no rules for overnight guests.... basically its the Independence; but the financial part will crumble down (a bit, if it's any consolation)....and of course, you can rely on your kitchen rather than depending on a hostel's tacky and unhygenic  food.

The cons:- You’ll have more responsibility on your shoulders (that is a good thing in the long run, though).... keep tracking the bills, etc. Unless you live really close to the campus, trying to find a parking spot on a college campus can sometimes be an annoying task (especially on a rainy day). Also,it’s often more expensive than living in a dorm. Take into account that in addition to rent and utilities, you’ll also have to buy furniture, groceries, cleaning supplies, etc. and to top it all, there is less involvement in campus actitvities.

Living at Home: During the middle of a semester.. every one of us starts counting the days remaining for going back home... Home Sweet Home....as because it's more or less like heaven, after a grueling semester filled with tests, assignments, projects, workload and general irritation from a certain someone you hate, and to get away from it all, where do you plan to go? Yes, home is the obvious answer. Sometimes people post facebook updates..for e.g. : "12 days to go" and so on...Now why "Home"?? as it's lighter on the wallet and it sounds so familiar. College is a lot easier on you when you aren’t undergoing major changes in your living situation.You’ll be near a great support system (in most cases) – your family, who can make you feel like you can conquer the world better than anyone you know.

Sometimes, the boring part to be at home is that: You won’t get the real college experience. While it’s natural to not be ready to leave home yet, once you’re gone, it’s something you won’t regret doing. You’ll form closer bonds with people and have more experiences ("cosmic quirks" for me, but whatever!) if you go and spend time on campus.And sometimes it may lead you to skip class, just because your bed feels that extra bit of comfy in the morning! You’ll still be under your parents’ roof. Even if you don’t technically have a curfew, it’s nice not to have to check in with someone at the end of the night (pun unintended).

People are ready for different living situations at different times in their lives. So I hope these comparisons help you to figure out which one is right for you.