Living off campus

 

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Eastern Michigan University offers many on campus residence halls for students to live in while attending school. However, did you know you could also live off campus as well? There are many places to live in the Ypsilanti/Ann Arbor area that cater to students who do not want to live on campus. Below are some of the benefits of choosing to live off campus.

More Privacy

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In the dorms on campus you will most likely have to share either your room or living space with someone. Unless you are best friends with your roommates and suitemates, this may make you uncomfortable. By living off campus you can have an entire apartment to yourself if you want. This also means more space. In addition to having a larger room and living space, you can also have a kitchen and full bathroom.

Save Money and Cook for Yourself

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Living on campus can be expensive depending on where you live and what type of meal plan you have. If you live off campus you are not required to have a meal plan. This means you can save money and grocery shop for yourself. Most of our international students don’t enjoy the food offered on campus, so this is a great opportunity to cook meals like you enjoy in your home county.

Personally Choose all Roommates

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If you don’t want to live alone you can choose to have a roommate. Our school has a system that helps pair you with roommates, and you can sometimes personally choose to room with someone. However, you are not always guaranteed to live with everyone you choose. By living off campus you can choose who you want to live with and meet them before move in day. Having a roommate can also lower the cost of living off campus if you split rent and bills. 

Less Rules

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In the dorms there are a lot of rules to keep everyone safe and comfortable. Sometimes all the rules can make your experience less enjoyable. Living off campus offers more freedom to do what you want. Depending on where you live you can do things like have pets, decorate, control the temperature, use all types of appliances, live with the opposite sex, and have as many people over as you want.

I have been living off campus now for two years and it has been a great experience. I think living off campus is convenient and saves a lot of money. I live close enough to walk to both the main campus and the College of Business. I like being able to cook my own food and not bother anyone if I decide to stay up late or get up early. However, living off campus is not for everyone. Take the time to do some research to see if living off campus is the best thing for you. If you have any questions about living off campus you can leave them in the comments. 

by Tyrie