The upcoming semester is approaching us very quickly and it is time to decide if you are living on campus or not. Currently, for students who want to live in college dorms, there are limited options available due to the short amount attending. Temple is only offering dorm housing in Morgan hall, and 1300. The other buildings are closed off the next semester. Also, since Temple announced that they are hybrid in the spring again, that leaves a lot of students with the question: Is living on campus worth the money for only hybrid classes? This is a decision that many students are facing currently. A major thing that needs to be considered is the money aspects. As a freshman, I lived on campus in a Temple dorm for two weeks before they offered a refund and I went home. I regretted that decision because personally, I lost a lot of the motivation that I developed in those two weeks on campus. Being at home brought back old habits that I tried to get rid of. But from going home, I saved money on residential living that I will not have to pay back in student loans.
Temple’s Hybrid Classes
As a student at Temple University one of the biggest things to look forward to besides the education of course, is Temple’s student and campus life. As a freshman, I did not get to fully experience this due to Covid-19. The partial experience that I did get though was amazing while it lasted. My schedule for the first semester only included 2 hybrid classes. That meant that I only had two partially in person classes. Due to my schedule though, I never got to make it to the in person classes because the cycle never came to a full completion, making it so that I never got to attend any of my in person classes, they just all became online. I wish I could have gone to my in person classes because learning online is difficult for me and many other students. Also, the online classes aren’t too challenging to the point where I am struggling terribly, but I just believe that learning in person would have been way more effective for me. So, living on campus for the hybrid classes is very worth it in my opinion.
Saving or spending money
Living away from home is a big financial investment that many young people have to start dealing with when moving off to college. There are many options for college students, some expensive and some more affordable. Living in the Temple dorms requires you to purchase a meal plan. For some, this is a great investment, and of others, it is a poor investment. Personally, the meal plan was a poor investment for me because I was not using the dining hall as much. If you live in an off campus apartment, you will not be needing to purchase a meal plan. As a college student, you want to pick the most affordable option to benefit yourself and your future debt.
This next semester brings a lot of unknowns to the students at Temple University. Many students are already facing an immense amount of college loan debt, so they need to decide if living on campus is worth it to them. Make sure that if you do live on campus in the spring that you try your best to get in person classes if you struggled this semester with everything online. In the end, do what is best for you.