It’s that time of the year when we as college students start being asked whether we are returning to our current living accommodations for the next year or not. 

For those of us who have been at this a while, we know the drill more or less but that doesn’t mean that we don’t remember that added stress or panic of trying to figure it out for the first time. 

We reached out to Georgia Southern students to see what they think of different housing options and what advice they have to offer looking back on their experiences.

Of the individuals who responded, 60% lived off campus with 68.4% choosing to live in apartments off campus which tend to be the more popular choice due to having both a proximity to campus and the utilities included in the monthly rent. 

Students such as Evan Wolff say they prefer living off campus because, “[…] having my own washer and dryer, oven/stovetop, full size sink, dishwasher, along with larger rooms and my own personal bathroom make it much better than living on campus.”

Brandon J. Cornelius who lives in a rental home where the utilities are not included explained that, “I prefer to live a bit further from campus, allowing not only for freedom from traffic but also the freedoms that come with more space.” 

Brandon went on to say that some of the things people should consider when choosing where to live should include, “Aspects of housing such as amenities, closeness to campus, cost, and style of housing are all very important. Finding what fits your lifestyle and budget is the tricky part.”

One student who reported having lived on campus since the summer of 2017 said that, “I prefer to live on-campus because of the security and close proximity to campus.”

Another student very simply broke it down to some of the basic pros and cons when it comes to making this decision, “Off-campus is preferable for older, more independent students who don’t have a meal plan and intend to cook. It is much cheaper than most on-campus housing. However, you do have to pay for rent over the summer unless you can sub-lease it, and you’re generally further from campus. On campus there are more opportunities to attend events and get to know your neighbors. Off campus apartments are also generally owned by larger companies, so it can be very difficult to get any help or flexibility from the apartment complex office.”