Imagine its your freshman year at Michigan State University (or maybe it really is) and after being here just barely over a month, you are asked to decide whether or not you want to live on or off campus.
Talk about stressful.
Stress is the single word that seems to come to mind for just about everyone on this topic, and it has been the case for incoming freshman for several years now.
Crystal Gray, an undecided freshman, is one of the many students feeling the pressure in the rush for housing this fall.
“I kind of thought about living with someone but I didn’t know if I’d still be friends with them in like a year, so I just ended up living on my own,” said Gray.
Although she has now signed a lease with Studio House, the process came with many obstacles, said Gray.
According to Gray, she went to her first choice on opening day and it was already filling up. She didn’t have time to talk to anyone about living together and then she had to find time to sign the actual lease.
Gray wanted to live off-campus to avoid moving in and out of the dorms every year, she said.
Others like Natalie Yousif, an accounting major and sophomore at MSU, think it is better to stay on campus.
“You have everything you need on campus and it’s a lot easier,” said Yousif.
Gray said she thinks the process needs to be changed, and she’s not alone.
According to MSU Community Liaison Erin Carter, the signing process begins too early in the fall semester
The process normally begins in October and is driven by students, property managers, and the University who are eager to begin signing, said Carter.
“Student should know that there are housing options available, both on and off-campus, well into the spring semester (mid April or later),” said Carter in an email. “There is no need to rush in October!”
Carter said students usually make the decision to move off campus based on the perception that it is cheaper, there are more amenities, and there is more freedom. Students decide to live on-campus for the convenience and proximity to entities.
According to U.S. News College Rankings and Reviews, nearly 60% of MSU students live off-campus while nearly 40% live on-campus.
Writer’s Notes –
I am currently a sophomore and have only just signed a lease to move off-campus.
Being an out-of-state student, the process was beyond overwhelming my freshman year. I had some close-knit friends from a “Freshman Seminar Abroad” but I didn’t feel that I knew them well enough to say that we would still be friends in a year.
When I came back to MSU as a sophomore this year, I knew that this was the last year I was willing to stay on campus. Most people don’t and I wanted more freedom. When people started signing leases, I was completely unprepared.
Several friends and I struggled through the process together. We ended up finding a really great place that would be equal to or less than what was spent by staying in the dorms.
Then the drama began.
I went from having four roommates to three roommates and then had trouble pulling enough money together to put down a deposit. Then some parents began questioning the apartment and wanted more details before we signed the lease.
After several weeks, lots of emails and plenty of time spent at the bank, the three of us finally signed a lease at Campus Village! It was stressful but it was definitely worth it!