Off-Campus Or On-Campus, Which is Better?: Aspiring to get admission into a higher institution? This is for you. You definitely would need a place for accommodation. This place may either be within the walls of the institution or outside its walls. If it is inside the school, it is regarded as on campus while if it is outside the school walls, it is popularly called off campus.
While applying to get admission into any higher institution, one of the negligible factors to consider, make plans for and understand how its setting works is whether you would be finding your accommodation on campus or off campus. It is negligible because people tend to enquire about everything except about accommodation until they eventually get admission.
In some schools, either or both options may be limited and also may be subject to certain challenges. Moreso, while some students may prefer staying on campus with or without reasons, some may prefer otherwise, with or without reasons too.
Therefore in order to make out points clearer, we shall highlight in this article, certain factors to put into consideration before choosing either off campus or on campus. From the points so highlighted, we shall take our stand and draw our conclusion as to off campus and on campus, which is better.
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Off-Campus Or On-Campus, Which is Better? (Compare and Contrast)
a. Cost of Accommodation: The cost of hostel accommodation on campus is way more affordable than the cost of lodge accommodation at off campus. This is the same for every higher institution, although the prices vary considering the cost of living of the state in which the school is located, and of course school policy. Hostels on campus are usually a public investment while hostels off campus are clearly private investment.
For hostels on campus, your accommodation is not secured. There is usually a limited available space which practically cannot accommodate the whole population of students. Getting accommodation on campus is not a guarantee that you will successfully secure an accommodation for the next session. This is not so for hostels off campus. In off campus, your accommodation is secured as long as your rent is updated. Accommodation in the hostel on campus is public while that of off campus is private.
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b. Comfort, Independence and Autonomy: For hostels in off campus, there is usually a secured comfort. There are little or no interferences. You have the autonomy to keep your room to your desired taste. Nobody regulates your movement. Nobody regulates the number of occupants in your room. You are fully in charge. Life in this aspect is entirely different for people staying on campus.
For on campus occupants, there are restrictions as to how many occupants a room could have which usually ranges from four persons, more or less. There are extra rules and regulations as to movement. The policy determines when you can have access to the gate and otherwise. You can be locked outside for coming in late.
Certain gadgets such as sound system, television, gas cooker, refrigerator etc are not allowed. When school resumes, you would have to wait for your hostel on campus to officially open and then regularize your stay, and while school vacates, you are given a short time to vacate the hostel. You really do not have the patience for all these regulations and protocols.
For off campus, you have the autonomy to determine your choice of roommate. For on campus hostel, you have no such choice. Whomever you get is what you deserve.
c. Privacy: There is no such thing as privacy for on campus hostels, whereas for hostels off campus, you enjoy the whole privacy in the world.
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d. Acquisition of Properties: Staying in hostel off campus gives you the chance to acquire as much properties as you so desire. While in off campus, you could own a refrigerator, generator, gas cooker, fan, air conditioner, bed, washing machine, home theatre, television, etc. and you understand what?
This gives you the chance to gradually acquire and own properties so that by the time you are graduating, you already have home facilities which enables you to start living on your own comfortably. But while staying in hostel on campus, all these home facilities are usually prohibited. The on campus system does not allow you to own property asides the very basic few so prescribed.
e. Cost of Living: Here is good news for staying in hostels on campus. The cost of living on campus is relatively not as high as that of off campus. Price of commodities on campus is usually more affordable due to the strength of demand coupled with competing vendors.
Moreover, the Student Union Government in higher institution has a policy of regulating the price of commodities on campus. This, they cannot implement at off campus due to obvious reasons. This simply means that by staying off campus, there exist tendencies to spend more. You would spend while trying to get your room equipped in order to look homely. Your hostel fee at off campus is certainly a loud one.
You may have to pay certain independent bills such as light bills, cost on other utilities and maintenance. There would always be need to repair fixtures which is a concomitant incidence of living independently. This is not usually the case on campus. For on campus, the school is usually in charge of fixing and maintaining facilities and utilities.
For instance, when light spoils, the school repairs. While on campus, your little token for paid for accommodation covers light bills and other incidental levies.
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f. Security: The security in question here is of two categories; security of person and security of properties. Even though one may argue otherwise due to certain peculiar factors, but is clearly seems that security of properties is 80% guaranteed off campus.
To a reasonable extent, you can regulate the movement in and out your room off campus. Your room is exclusively yours and that of your roommate whom (most of the times) you specifically choose by yourself. There is this level of self responsibility to care for each other’s property because most times they are commonly used.
Also while off campus, there are fewer intruders. This is not so on campus. While on campus, any person can walk in from nowhere. Your roommates are not chosen by you. The number of occupants per room on campus is greater. Those occupants all have friends too which you cannot ask them not to come around. Stealing is something very common with hostels on campus.
On the other hand, it seems that generally, security of persons inside school hostel is better guaranteed. There are usually security departments in school. Also there are quite populations of students hovering around every corner of the school.
Therefore, there is usually less opportunity for people to be intimidated, harassed and assaulted on campus hostel. Nevertheless, even while staying off campus, precautionary measures can still be taken and security to person won’t pose as a problem.
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g. Proximity: This is where accommodation on campus seems to have won. While staying on campus, it is easier for you to find your way to the lecture theatre. You can simply walk up to the venue with or without a means. Well, this of course depends on the geographical structure of the school. In fact, some departments in school have its location very close to the off campus.
Well, some higher institutions are big enough that students may still have to take shuttle to their various departments. This means that whichever way, you may still be spending on transport. But generally, off campus isn’t always proximate to school. The lodges off campus which appears closer to school are usually pegged at exorbitant prices.
And guess what? There is never a space there. There are always occupied. So while considering off campus; you may have to go a bit farther in search of accommodation. This may cause you to be lazy for school, miss out lectures, spend extra on transport and sometimes, miss out information pertaining school.
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h. Familiarity: Here, on campus wins again. While staying on campus, you are easily familiarized with the school system and the happenings in school. Information may easily get to you. In fact, this is the reason why freshers are generally recommended to stay on campus. Moreover, staying on campus brings you closer to your school mates.
It gives you an opportunity to network and build greater friendship and familiarity. If you have any political intention to run in school, staying on campus may be the best for you.
Well, you can as well achieve those set of things while staying off campus, though it seems that more intentional efforts may be required.
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Conclusion
Having considered the dominant incidences of staying off campus and on campus, it seems that for a number of reasons, a person may choose one over the other. But generally speaking, it seems that staying on campus is more beneficial for strictly student and academic purpose. But if you really want to go extra and talk about life, then off campus is the best.
And yes, of campus is better for the reasons already highlighted in this article, and for the fact that whatever that can be made obtainable while on campus can still be made obtainable for a person staying off campus with just a little extra move, but this is certainly not so the other way round.
Edeh Samuel Chukwuemeka, ACMC, is a lawyer and a certified mediator/conciliator in Nigeria. He is also a developer with knowledge in various programming languages. Samuel is determined to leverage his skills in technology, SEO, and legal practice to revolutionize the legal profession worldwide by creating web and mobile applications that simplify legal research. Sam is also passionate about educating and providing valuable information to people.