Determining the best place to live while attending university is dependent on a number of factors. In addition to finding a place roommates can agree to, the amount of rent you want to pay, and where your off campus housing is in proximity to essential services, student need to determine where they will spend the bulk of their time. Determining if they will spend the majority of their time either on campus or off campus will have great bearing on where students should look for housing.

On campus

If you plan to spend the majority of your time on campus while attending university, then you should consider finding off campus housing that is relatively close to your campus. This will not only reduce the time you spend travelling to and from campus, but also keep you close to essential services that are on campus.

If you are going to spend the majority of your time on campus, then it is best to take advantage of the services offered by the university. Consider the following if you plan to frequent campus establishments:

• Get a meal plan: If you are going to be on campus all the time, then consider getting a meal plan. It will save the time and effort of preparing food for your visits to campus and will also cut down on the amount of groceries you will have to purchase.
• Use the campus stores: Many university campuses have pharmacies, bookstores, computers stores, dry cleaning, and postal services. Rather than seeking these services off campus, use the services on campus since you will already be on campus anyway. This will save you time and effort in looking for services close to off campus housing.
• Work on campus: If you are looking for a part-time job, there are many opportunities to work on campus. You could work at campus stores or potential get a work-study position with the university.

Off campus

If you are planning on spending the majority of your time off campus, then the areas you will look for off campus housing expands. Rather than worrying about how far you are from campus, it is more important to live in close proximity to essential services and retail establishments. Being off campus most of the time will require you to be within walking distance of grocery stores, pharmacies, and retail stores.

The following are a number of determining factors of you will spend the majority of your time off campus:

• If you have a number of online classes that do not require you to be on campus
• If you have a relatively low number of required hours of class during the week
• If you prefer to study at home rather than at the library
• If you plan on doing most of your weekend studying at home
• If you plan on coming home between breaks in class

Selecting off campus housing is greatly influenced by a student’s time spent either on or off campus. Therefore, in addition to other factors that contribute to their off campus housing decision, students need to carefully assess where they plan to spend the majority of their time during university.