Category: Household Finances
Keywords: college rent off-campus housing off-campus neighborhoods college campus off-campus apartment
Landing Page URL: https://newsletter.homeactions.net/landing_page/18476/13917
Article Summary:
There are many merits to living on campus. But by their senior year, many students want out of the dorms. Click through for 5 tips to find the best off-campus housing.
Full Article
There are pros and cons to living off-campus. Should you rent or buy? Is it wise for you, the parent, to get involved in managing your child’s college life? Shouldn’t they be learning how to live on their own? On the other hand, some colleges don’t offer much in the way of on-campus housing.
Maybe your student has a bunch of friends who want to live together off-campus. Whatever your reason for choosing off-campus housing, here are five tips to help you find the best options.
Safe Neighborhoods
On campus you have the security of campus police securing the grounds. When you choose to live off-campus, you want to make sure that you are looking in safe neighborhoods. Often off-campus areas see more crime. Check the statistics in your area to get a good idea about which off-campus neighborhoods are safe and which ones are not.
Close to Campus
The farther away from campus students live the more tempted they are to skip a class here and there. Students who live on campus have the specter of peer pressure and convenience to help them make it to class. Find off-campus housing that is so close to campus that it is practically on campus. That way your student has no excuses for not making it to class because he or she lives too far away.
Near Other Students
Finding available housing right off-campus can be difficult. That is because most students and parents want their kids to be near other students even if they are living off-campus. The further away from campus you get the farther away from other students you will be. It’s not as safe and you miss the full college experience living among working adults as opposed to other full-time students.
Affordable Parking
Nearly every college has a limited number of parking spaces on-campus and directly off-campus. If your student has a car, is there convenient parking? More importantly, is there affordable parking? Depending on the school, you could be looking at paying hundreds of dollars per month just to park off-campus.
Well Managed Building
A well-managed building is a safe building. Is it a secured entry? Are the building exteriors well lit? Are the apartments well maintained? Are there emergency contacts for disturbances or maintenance issues? Be sure to ask before you sign a lease on an off-campus apartment.
Not all freshmen have a choice as to whether they will live on-campus or off-campus—some schools only encourage the move for older students. In most situations, parents have to be involved in the decision making about what type of housing is needed. These tips are a good start to help you make the right choice.
