Moving off-campus is something mostly everyone decides to do by the time they are juniors or seniors. Here at URI, it is extremely popular to move off-campus and live down the line even as sophomores. Living in Narragansett, and on the beach, is a whole new world and definitely has its ups and downs.
PROS
1. No more RAs!
RAs tend to take away the freedom we expect to feel when leaving our parents. Once you move off-campus you experience what it’s really like to be adult-free, and it’s awesome.
2. It’s much easier to have your friends over.
On-campus housing is fun and sociable, yes, but with restrictions like “quiet hours” and zero living space, partying isn’t an option. One of the best things about moving off campus is that you can turn your volume up loud without getting a knock on your door. You can have friends over to hangout and it’s SO much easier to have your friends from home come to visit.
3. You get alone time.
Dorms are made to help you socialize and make friends. This is very helpful for freshman, but we all need a little alone time once in a while. Once you’ve found your besties, it’s time to ditch the dorms and move off-campus to your own room. Not to mention you actually have closet space now! Score.
4. No more dining hall food!
Although having to cook for yourself is a bit more work, you can make whatever you want for every meal. I think we can all agree that eating dining hall food for another year just isn’t an option. Hey, might as well start preparing now to be a wife some day… Right?!
5. You live at the beach!
Yes, one of the main reasons we love URI is because of it’s location. It may not stay warm the whole school year, but the first and last months of school are gorgeous in Narragansett. Living off-campus means living at the beach and we are all guilty of bragging about this over social media. Our friends from home just have to know- some people vacation here, but we live here.
CONS
1. The commute.
Rhode Island should really do something about the fact that there is only one long road from Narragansett to URI. Not only is the traffic ridiculous, but in the winter the snow is overwhelmingly frustrating and dangerous… I’m not complaining about those snow days, though.
2. Buying groceries.
As fun as it seems, cooking every meal gets time-consuming and expensive. A lot of the time we get way too lazy and just eat out. This can either be a good or bad thing, but most of the time we don’t feel good about eating fast food for dinner.
3. Roommate disagreements
Although moving off-campus usually means that you have your own room, it still means sharing. Having a kitchen is awesome but sometimes we get possessive of the specific food we buy for ourselves. Living with your best friends teaches you a lot more about them, even the stuff you don’t want to know, so be careful who you choose to live with for a year!
4. Isolation
At times, living off-campus can make you feel like you don’t even go to your school. Unless you keep yourself involved with clubs and organizations, or make sure to attend sporting events, you can feel pretty isolated. The best advice is to make sure to stay involved.
5. More responsibility
While the feeling of independence when living off-campus is exhilarating, it can get pretty damn exhausting. You must remember to pay the rent, pay for utilities, cook and clean by yourself, and get to class on time. The responsibilities are endless!
So, whether or not you can be responsible is a pretty big deciding factor on whether or not you decide to move off-campus. Some people may not be ready as soon as others, but it is definitely something everyone should experience. Especially at URI.