Each year, University students must face the decision of whether to live on Grounds. While some students prefer the resources and security of on-Grounds living, others enjoy the responsibility and independence that comes along with living off Grounds. Many of them may be willing to pay the price for this potentially liberating feeling, but once they move off Grounds, they face an added layer of financial concerns.
"Living off Grounds teaches you to be responsible," said third-year College student Olivia Hudson, who has been living outside of University housing for nearly two years. "You have to pay bills, worry about transportation and you may need a car. Living on Grounds, people are responsible for you."
From buying washers and dryers to paying for electricity and furniture, the extra necessities for off-Grounds living can have a deep impact on budgets. As a result, students may have to become particularly conscious about specific aspects of their budgets.
"Utilities can often range anywhere from $35-50 a month depending on how much time you spend at home," Hudson said. "My roommate and I are very conscious of the amount of utilities we use. We even use eco-friendly light bulbs."
Communication between roommates can be a crucial part of maintaining this level of budget awareness.
"It's definitely more challenging when you have to pay for utilities," third-year College student Amanda Prestowitz said. "My roommates and I have a good system. Each one of us pays a bill and lets the other know how much we owe."
From day to day, however, the expenses associated with food and groceries may hit particularly close to home, especially when access to dining halls is inconvenient.
Prestowitz said she originally had a 15-meals-per-week plan but decided to downgrade to avoid having to go to the trouble of visiting a dining hall.
"Now I buy groceries so that I can make my own food," she said, "but meals in college are very social, so I use a 100-meal [per semester] dining plan."
Laundry may seem to be another mundane amenity, but access to it, too, must be considered when deciding on housing options.
"If you're lucky, you have an apartment with a washer and dryer; My roommate and I paid an extra fee for ours," Hudson said.
And the decision to live off Grounds affects at least one other major aspect of college-student life: access to the Internet.
"Sometimes you don't have Internet access away from the University," third-year Commerce student Lainey Wilkins said. "It can often be unreliable when you do. On the Cavalier network, it's much easier, but I have to use the apartment network when I'm home."
In addition to the budgeting issues it presents from day to day and month to month, off-Grounds housing often challenges students to deal with a lease lasting longer than the nine-month contracts that the University's housing division offers to upperclassmen.
Just like the experience of living off Grounds in general, however, these leases give students a degree of flexibility. Many students may address this issue by subletting their residences during the summer, while others - such as Prestowitz - will take advantage of the extra three months on the lease by living in their houses or apartments during that time period.
But even with the increased freedom that off-Grounds living brings, many students do prefer to stay with University housing. When it is time to decide where to live, about 48 percent of rising second-year students choose to live on Grounds, while about 18 percent of third-year students and 11 percent of fourth-year students stay in University housing, Assistant Director of Accommodations Kevin Wade said.
Fourth-year Engineering student Danielle Crump is one of those students who made the decision to remain on Grounds. Crump, who has been living on Grounds since she transferred to the University her second year, said she enjoys not having the financial responsibility that comes along with off-Grounds living.
"I didn't want the responsibility of paying multiple bills yet," she said.
Third-year College student Naa-Lamle Lamptey expressed a similar concern.
"Living on Grounds is easier because you don't have landlords, and University housing takes care of maintenance, which is all included in tuition and housing fees," she said.
By noting the extra challenges that students living off Grounds must face, Manager of Off-Grounds Housing Vicki Hawes said many students should consider remaining on Grounds during their second years.
"If you come back your second year, living on Grounds takes some pressure off of you," she said. "You only have to worry about choosing your major. It's better to move off Grounds your third or fourth year."
But regardless of all the issues they may have to face, many students living off Grounds seem happy with their decision.
"It's nice to have a place to call home, not just an academic village," Prestowitz said.
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