Some people choose it; some have no choice. Some people prefer minimal bathroom sharing to dining halls; some prefer Eagle Bucks to NSTAR. It’s only been a few weeks, but I can already foresee the differences to come between on-campus and off-campus seniors. As a transfer student to BC, I knew I was never destined to have a mod, that I would never live in a townhouse in Voute, and that my last mandatory meal on campus would be in Spring 2012. I have nothing to compare senior year living to, but I think there are definitely some overlooked upsides and very obvious downsides to being the minority of seniors exiled to the streets of Brighton (most for the second year in a row).
Pros:
· 90% of the time, you’re only sharing a bathroom with 3-5 people
· The expansion of your culinary skills beyond Ramen and Lean Cuisine
· Privacy: even if you don’t have your own room, you aren’t necessarily surrounded by people in your hallway, in your common room, while you’re eating, while you’re studying, while you’re stressed…should I continue?
· Full-sized beds… or bigger
· The opportunity to execute the thousands of DIY and Home Décor pins on your Pinterest boards
· Independence: I look at this experience as a more sophisticated transition way into the real-world apartment I will inevitably occupy in the near future
· Parties: the mods have got to get old sometime…who doesn’t love an old-fashioned basement party that you don’t need to plan a week in advance
(this could be your room!)
Cons:
· If you’re not off by choice: the nasty tension between those who applied and got housing, and those who applied and didn’t
· If you’re not off by choice: those who applied, got housing, and got a mod…and those who applied, got housing, and didn’t
· Isolation: depending on your house or apartment, you’re anywhere from 5 minutes to 25 minutes away from campus, your friends, the library, etc.
· Bills: there’s the argument it’s less expensive to live off-campus, but I’ll believe it when my accountant proves it to me
· Missing a Tradition: it’s a BC legacy to return to Lower for your senior year, and it’s a sad thing to miss out on
· Parties: it takes twice the time to hear word of what everyone’s up to on the weekends, simply because you can’t yell out the window or go next door and ask
· Building Access: getting into Walsh 2. 0; need to get in? somebody has to come get you
The Same Either Way?
· Cleaning: if your roommates are slobs, they’ll be slobs on or off campus
· Supplies: toilet paper, paper towels, cleaning supplies, paper, pens, whatever…they come from somewhere, they don’t just grow out of your common room couch!
· Leaving campus: going into Boston for dinner with friends, or heading to a Red Sox playoff game? Probably the same distance, regardless of your choice of transportation
· Going to class: no matter how close you live, you still have to go, whether you like it or not
· Fun: it’s your senior year; if you can’t find a good time with your best friends, you can make a good time with your best friends!
At the end of the day, it really doesn’t matter whether you sleep on a mattress on the floor or a bed that’s raised so high you need a ladder to get into it; it doesn’t matter if you’re paying $5 a day for a Vitamin Water or paying $60 dollars a month for hot water. While I do sometimes get jealous I don’t get to be with the majority of my class in all the places I love, I can’t complain that much about off-campus living. Whether you choose it or you don’t, whether you love it or you hate it, don’t let it ruin what I hear is one of the best years of your life!
Photo Sources:
http://wings.buffalo.edu/intlservices/images/off_campus.jpg
http://www.musicnfilms.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/New-Releases-Top-College-Party-Songs.jpg