5 reasons to live on campus

Living on campus definitely has its perks. As a student who has lived both on and off campus, I'd like to share with you my thoughts as to why living on campus is a much better decision.

1. Independence

Going to college can be scary, especially if you are from out-of-state and have no friends or family to turn to. Even if you are in-state, you may be too overwhelmed with work and trying to manage your time to even have the chance to see your family on a regular basis. One of the things I loved about being on campus my freshman year was having the opportunity to learn how to survive and function on my own. I remember struggling at first, not having home cooked meals, having to find my own food, doing my own laundry (sad, I know), and having to make sure I didn't get sick. I can say with confidence that I learned to be more independent because of my choice to live on campus freshman year. As a senior who is looking forward to graduating, I know that I'll be able to take care of myself without the need of my family after I graduate, and get my career started.

2. Networking

One of the most important factors that contribute to success in college is networking and building relationships. After my freshman year, I moved back home and decided to commute. In doing so, I realized that all I wanted to do was go to school and get home as fast as possible. Ultimately, this had a negative impact on me. I never really took the time to meet with people to study for my classes, or attend organizational meetings (because I wanted to get home and relax). I actually made the decision to move back to campus and I love it! I'm never in a rush to get back to my room because I know it's only a short walk away from campus, and in turn, this helps me stay on campus longer so that I can network, hang out with friends, and join different organizations on campus.

3. Sleep

This is, by far, the best reason to live on campus. When I moved off campus, I had an hour-long commute. This meant I had to wake up two-and-a-half hours before I had class so I could get ready, have some breakfast, and leave in time to find parking and walk to campus. However, now that I am back on campus, I have the luxury of staying in bed an extra hour-and-a-half. There's no greater feeling than being able to get in some extra sleep. When you're in college, every second counts.

4. Time

This goes hand in hand with sleep. Living on campus grants you the luxury of having more time to get things done. Like I said earlier, I had an hour-long commute and class five days a week. In total, I spent about 10 hours of my week just driving to and from school. All of that time would've been better used if I could have allocated it to studying, sleeping, or even networking. If I could go back in time and change anything, I would have definitely chosen to continue living on campus instead of moving back home for two years.

5. Resources

Another great reason to live on campus is having easy access to the different resources that are available to you. There's Hayden Library, which is open 24/7, the W. P. Carey Business Career Center, the W. P. Carey Student Success Center, and many other wonderful resources. I have used the student success center plenty of times to get additional assistance with my business-related courses. If you live on campus and happen to be doing homework and need help because you're stuck on a problem, you can just walk right into the success center and ask for some help.

Overall, I am trying to say that living on campus has some great benefits. I know it can be tough to be away from home and it may even be odd not seeing your family on a daily basis. However, it does provide you with the opportunity to learn how to be independent, network with your peers, accumulate additional sleep, acquire more time for your studies, and access campus resources easily. Plus, it's part of the college experience. If you live on campus and find out you don't like it, you can always move back home, but you have to try it out first.