Living in the dorms is an essential part of the college experience: it’s where you make friends, learn the ins and outs of the campus, and eat most of your meals. But, once you become an upper-classman at UMass, wanting to move off-campus becomes a popular right-of-passage. Many students move into apartment style housing and houses around Amherst. There will be a lot of campus adventures you will miss, be prepared for: Berk withdrawals, learning the bus routes and how to grocery shop – these will all get easier in time. However, off-campus living allows you to immerse yourself in Amherst center, park your car right outside and make a home with your best friends. Here’s just a taste of some of the differences…
Food:On-campus you are surrounded by food. A dining common is your nearest convenience in any living area. You can wake up from your 3 PM nap and skip right over to one of the dining commons and fill your heart’s desire with whatever scrumptious morsels you desire.
As for “cooking” on-campus…microwave everything.
(maybe not everything)
Off-campus: you can leave the comfort of your place to go to the dining commons and suffer through UMass parking (not worth it), order food ($$), or cook… with a stove and oven…dun dun dun!
You will eventually learn to cook. Pinterest some recipes, get the ingredients and voila! Food. Edible food.
Laundry:On-campus laundry can be a hassle or a little less than unbearable, depending on where you live. In the towers of Southwest, it was probably my most dreaded activity. “My clothes are not dry, who took them out when they are not dry, I still had 12 minutes?!?” But I digress, long story short – don’t be a schmuck and wait your turn.
Off-campus, you may be lucky enough to have a house that comes with a washer and dryer, but this is rare and should not be expected. This means…Laundromat! (Or, if you’re me and live an hour away, go home. Thanks mom and dad!) To be real, either way doing laundry is never fun.
Buses:On-campus, learning the bus routes is for the overachievers. They are a splendid way to get around but not a necessity for your walk to classes everyday. You mostly just need to know how to get to the Hampshire mall for your movie on time. Otherwise, wait at the FAC and you’ll get to Puffton eventually…right?
Off-campus buses are a way of life. You’ll learn the remarkably simple bus schedule and find yourself living by the PVTA bus app, “The bus is 8 minutes late, time to grab a coffee!” You’ll get to your classes on time and on the weekend proudly nab a seat, before the FAC, so you can enjoy the “U-S-A” chants while sitting rather than packed like a sardine. Buses are your friend; thank a bus driver today.
Cars:On-campus having a car is a hassle and blessing wrapped into one frustrating package. Walking to your car is a small torture, and parking it when you come back from your outing is worse. I have nightmares about climbing up the hill in Southwest back to my dorm with groceries. And, in the winter, why even try? Oh, and it’s super expensive.
Off-campus having a car is your ticket to ride. Get groceries, go shopping, tour scenic New England all on your own schedule. Freedom at it’s finest. Oh, and in most cases your car is right outside your door, hallelujah!
Cleaning:On-campus, you live in a small room that barely needs to be cleaned because that’s just where stuff goes – yes that belongs on the floor! So tidying up is a nice sweep around the room and making your bed – the little things for when the parents come to visit.
Off-campus, there’s a good chance you’ll be cleaning more than one room. Trying to keep the common areas tidy is a must because visitors are a thing, and cleaning an entire house or apartment is much more work than just taking out the trash and spraying Frebreze on everything.
Your neighbors:On-campus you may or may not get along with your neighbors. Your neighbors are most definitely college students who most likely understand that sometimes you gotta let loose and play Britney Spears at unnecessary volumes in between study sessions. We’ve all been there. When your neighbors are your friends, it’s an all out dorm party. In any case, Friday nights are fair game.
Off-campus, you may or may not get along with your neighbors, you may not even have to interact with your neighbors…but they may not be college students.
Living off-campus your are more immersed in Amherst the town and don’t wanna be the group that locals hate, or that police are after. Be smart and be respectful and you’ll live happily.