As a freshman and sophomore at UMass, I got very comfortable living in the dorms. And, as a busy student studying Biochemistry, I enjoyed the luxury of not having to take care of my own living space or spend time cooking meals. Needless to say, I didn’t want to move off campus because of the comfort living in the dorms presented. When Covid hit and my plans changed, I ended up moving off campus, and I wouldn’t have it any other way now that I’m living in the Amherst area. Here are some reasons you should embrace off campus living too:
- Living off campus gives you more freedom. Feeling tired after class? You can lay down for a nap. Want to have some friends over on the weekend? You can invite as many friends as you want without a dorm restriction (note that covid impacts this, though). Forgot to bring something from home? You can run to the store more easily. Living off campus gives you an immense amount of freedom that you simply cannot get if you live in the dorms. I love having the agency to do whatever I want, whenever I want.
- Cooking for yourself. Don’t get me wrong, I do miss the dining halls and UMass’ number one dining. But I have really enjoyed cooking for myself and learning new recipes, and even baking in my spare time too. I find that I’ve been eating healthier since I’m able to control what ends up on my plate, and I appreciate that the produce I eat is very fresh. This is not to say that the dining halls are not impressive, but I missed home-style cooking when I was living on campus, so this was a nice change.
- Learning to be independent. I was concerned about living off campus and having to designate time out of my day to cook for myself and keep my living space tidy and clean. Though sometimes squeezing in time to cook during a single day can be hard as a college student, the time that I do have to cook and clean have been rewarding. I really have enjoyed gaining the independence and the responsibility of living on your own and learning how to care for your living space. Plus, you learn about the best cleaning products that your friends are using.
- It pushes you to #adult. “Adulting” can be very intimidating to a young college student just starting out with life on their own. Living off campus pushes you to take responsibility over your living space, your daily routine, your sleep schedule, the food you eat, the time you spend with friends, exercising, and so much more. In my opinion, living off campus is the first step in learning how to #adult. It’s pushed me at a sometimes uncomfortable, but mostly doable, pace to learn how to be independent.
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If you are debating whether or not to move off campus, I highly recommend that you do! It has been such a positive experience for me and so many of my friends. Take it from someone who didn’t want to leave the dorms: you should try off campus living!