Off Campus Accommodation: Balancing Between On And Off-Campus Life

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Deciding on the best place to reside while pursuing studies at the university depends on various factors. Besides finding a house with the right facilities, the rental amount that fits your pocket and where the off campus accommodation is close to essential services, you should also decide on the place you'd like to spend most of your time. This means deciding whether you' like to append a bulk of your time off campus or on campus. The latter will play a major role on where you should rent your apartment.

On campus

If you prefer to be on campus most of the time while studying, then you need to consider searching for off campus housing that's not very far from the institution. This will ensure that you don't waste a lot of time commuting to and from your campus. It will also keep you near the essential services of the campus.

Are you planning to spend most of your time around the campus premises? Then you should get prepared to benefit from the services available at the university. You should consider the following:

Get a good meal plan: Given that you intend to be on campus most of the time, you should think about getting a meal plan. This will save you the energy and time required to prepare food for your campus visits. It will also reduce your spending on groceries.

Buy from campus stores: Most university campuses have computers, pharmacies, dry cleaning, bookstores, postal services and computer cafes. Instead of looking for such services outside the campus, get them on campus because that's where you'll spend most of the time. This will greatly save you the time and effort required to search for such services off campus.

Work on campus: Most colleges offer work study programs to students and so if you're in need of a part time job, you ask around the university campus for the available work study opportunities.

Off campus

If you would like to spend most of your time off campus, then you can widen your options for off campus housing. Instead of worrying about the distance between the campus and your accommodation, you should consider living near retail establishments and other essential services. Spending more time off campus will require that you stay at a place that's within a walking distance to retail stores, grocery stores, and pharmacies.

Here are the determining factors if you'd like to spend most of the time off campus:

If you have online classes that may not require your presence on campus

If you don't have many lecture hours in the week

If you like studying from home instead of using the library

If you've plans to be going home in between class breaks

If you have plans to stay home on weekends and study

Choosing off campus accommodation depends on whether you will be spending most of your time off or on campus. Therefore, other than the other factors that influence your decision to stay off campus, you should carefully assess where you're likely to spend most of the time while attending the university.


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Athens Commons offers student housing across the street from the University's Business School. We take pride in managing our property to ensure our residents have the opportunity to enjoy the great social and academic experience Athens University offers. http://athenscommons.com/