William Lewandowski – lewandowskiwi@mnstate.edu
Living on campus is a beneficial part of any collegiate career. Those who decide to live off-campus are missing out on easily accessible resources, social and academic opportunities and are choosing to have the possibility of transportation problems.
Being an on-campus student is enriching, advantageous and a foundation to a positive college experience.
Living on-campus gives huge advantages to students. One of these is the easy access to resources. Here at MSUM we have so many helpful and valuable sources of information, assistance and tutoring.
Being on-campus gives residents an easier opportunity to access those places. When a student lives off-campus, they must arrange it in their schedule or be able to make trips to and from campus.
One of these resources is the Livingston Lord Library, one of the most important buildings on campus. Living on-campus, studying and going to the library is easy, as it’s only a short walk away. For non-residing students, studying at the library is often difficult if you want to make a trip home after calss.
In addition to these sources of information and assistance are the enriching opportunities for on-campus students.
Academically, there are chances for on-campus students to go to lectures outside of their normal classes. Socially, there are many events going on and many opportunities to make friends. Between sports games, club events and performing arts happenings, there are many occasions where friends can come together and have a good time.
When a student lives at home or off-campus, going to these events can be difficult because of planning and the will to drive back and forth.
Transportation can also create issues for off-campus students. Those who do not live on campus have to deal with the ongoing problem of how they are to get to campus. Traffic is a huge factor for the timeliness of a commuting student anytime of the year. In this area winter driving can be dangerous due to road conditions.
Another imposing problem for commuting students is the possibility of car problems. From flat tires to oil leaks, the list goes on. If a commuter does not factor this possibility in, they may just miss that quiz in class or turning in that big project.
Living on-campus is beneficial to the lives and college careers of students. Between the quick accessibility and having fantastic opportunities that are not as easily taken advantage of by off-campus students, on-campus students have so much to gain.