Freshman year at college is one of the most important years in a college student’s life. Primarily, the reason for the importance and the anticipation of going to college is because students are bound to experience more freedom, more competitive education and a wholly different learning experience and atmosphere; altogether a lifestyle that will be starkly different from high school. However, a major question before a first-year college student is, whether they would prefer living on campus or off-campus. This is a topic of concern because many students enroll in colleges that are in a different State or the distance between their residence and college is greater than anticipated which cannot be feasible for them. Many researchers as well parents and students prefer that college students should live at home or off-campus or find a place nearby college. Others favor the opinion that college students should live on campus in their first year because it helps in familiarizing with college and adjusting to its atmosphere. Both these choices are favored and disfavored by people because of their respective pros and cons, nonetheless, in my opinion, first-year college students need to spend their first years in college living on campus. Living on campus in the first year is more lucrative because it helps in saving money and time, provides better opportunities to socialize with other students and help them find their place in college. Therefore, first-year college students should live on campus to get the complete college experience.
The experience of a college education is aimed at helping students prepare for the future. Living on campus provides a possible preview of what life can be like outside the comfort of one’s home and the leisure of living under the protection of one’s parents and loved ones. The college campus is a hub of activity, and it is always bustling with life and commotion. For some students, it might be too much to face because they are used to a quieter and less busy way of life. But college likes to keep its students on their toes as every college itself is in competition with other colleges and students are required to participate and remain active (Gonyea, Graham, and Fernandez, 2015). College credit is another thing that students wish to aim for so they can score better, and their overall achievement record can be enhanced. Therefore, for the first-year college students living on campus, there is the added facility to remain in contact with all the ongoing events of college and to be aware of all that goes on. They are well-informed of everything that happens because they live on campus, and they are usually the first ones to know. This is a requirement of college that students are keen in acknowledging everything that happens on their campus. As per the research by Sara E. Sanchez, students living on campus in the first year of college, had a higher participation rate in arts, student clubs, and organizations, recreational sports and enjoyed more social events, fraternities and student sororities than those who lived off campus (Sanchez, 2012). The basic reason why this happens is because these students are closer to their college, and they can easily manage their lives along with their educational responsibilities and leisure time. Living on campus has a major advantage, and that is, teaching first-year college students how to manage their time and to become all-rounders in all fields of life. This includes their academic achievements, social life, and friendships as well as their activities and participation in sports and other college events. Research studies have also shown that there was no significant different in the grade point average of students who lived on campus as opposed to those who lived off campus (Sanchez, 2012). Therefore, when a balance is achieved and maintained, it is not difficult for college students to settle in college in their first year while remaining on campus.
The next major benefit for first-year students living on campus is the amount of money they are saving when they are living in a dorm. The charges for a dorm are adjusted in the college fee, and that is not significant in amount. Moreover, they get to experience life up-close in college. Living on campus covers a lot of expenses that would otherwise be hard to cover. These include the dining plan for the day which is included in the housing fee (Davis, 2013). When a usual college student is broke and low on money, he would definitely seek a place where he could find free, healthy food and what better place would it be than on campus where they are privileged if they live on campus. There are facilities in many colleges where students can buy free food simply by having an exchange or a swipe of their student ID card which can offer them anything on the menu (Marano, 2013). Not only is this facility a money-saver, but it is also an equally huge time saver. Colleges are busy places, and there are not enough opportunities in the day to attend lectures, make time for food, take out time for any part-time work and also participate in any activities they have enrolled in. Therefore, first, years living on campus get to know how they can manage their lived without spending too much money and how valuable time can be saved when they are living on campus (Turley and Wodtke, 2010). They are also benefitted by the ability to take out time to utilize all the facilities provided by the college. Colleges are powerhouses of libraries, computer labs, gymnasiums and the ultimate places for practicing to play sports professionally in the future (Marano, 2013). For the first year college students, living in a dorm can be an opportunity of a lifetime as it will serve them the means of living an independent life, making their own choices and be able to understand and enjoy college life to their fullest.
On the other hand, there is great opposition to the proposal of first-year students living on campus. There are claims that first years students are immature and juvenile, and they are unable to understand where to draw the line at freedom and practicing their free will. College students in the first year are usually mesmerized by the atmosphere they face in college, and if they are unfocused, they can become deviant and defer their reason of joining college (Araujo and Murray, 2010). Many college students eventually drop out of college, and they are found partying or enjoying their time and freedom without any constraint. College students are busy planning parties, events and they are not interested in education as much they were in high school. Moreover, many college students living on campus profess that the atmosphere in the college dorms is not peaceful, and it is a hindrance in studying with concentration. Many college students find such roommates that are opposite to their nature, and they are unable to get along with them, which again becomes an obstacle in studying (Araujo and Murray, 2010). However, this is not always true. Students who realize the importance of college education will concentrate on their studies even if they are partying in college or giving more time to friendships and socialization. Also, roommates can always be tackled with, and they can talk to one another if they are facing problems. Moreover, since there are not any significant differences in GPA, then leveraging the benefits of college life in dorms against staying at home means that first-year college students can definitely stay on campus and experience the difference themselves (Turley and Wodtke, 2010).
Conclusively, college life on campus can be a life-changing experience for first-year college students, and they should live on campus. They will experience freedom, independence, new friendships, and opportunities to explore their inner self and learn to become more responsible with the passage of time. There are advantages such as learning what the future will be like as they will practically adjust in life as adults. They will save their money and their time in a dorm, and they will be able to study as well as participate in extra-curricular activities that will give them an edge over other students. Opposing life on campus, there are claims that it deviates and spoils them, makes them less focused and irresponsible. However, that can also be said for students living off campus because responsibility in studying is a personal decision and it is taken by a student independently. If students are not allowed the freedom of college life by letting them live on campus, they will remain deprived of a complete college experience, and they will not get a complete picture of the future that lies ahead of college.
References
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Davis, A. Michael. (2013). “The Role of Private Student Housing.” International New York
Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2013/08/29/should-students-live-on-campus-or-off/the-role-of-private-student-housing
Gonyea, Bob, Graham, Polly and Fernandez, Sarah. (2015). “The relationship of On-campus
living with student engagement.” Indiana University School of Education. Retrieved from http://nsse.indiana.edu/pdf/presentations/2015/NSSE%20ACUHO-I%20Presentation.pdf
Marano, Estroff, Hara. (2013). “Campus is the ideal place to start adult life.” International New
York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2013/08/29/should-students-live-on-campus-or-off/campus-is-the-ideal-place-to-start-adult-life
Sanchez, E. Sara. (2012). “Freshman Year Living Arrangements and College Experiences for
Local Students.” The university of Nebraska. Retrieved from http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1092&context=cehsedaddiss
Turley, N. Lopez, Ruth, and Wodtke, Geoffrey. (2010). “College Residence and Academic
performance: Who benefits from living on campus?” Sage. Retrieved from http://uex.sagepub.com/content/45/4/506.abstract
