<p>Does the prevelance of off campus housing effect campus life and overall college experience? I know AU is not a commuter school, but only 20% of upperclassmen live on campus. I found this a bit surprising, as I don’t think it is the norm at most colleges. I’ve been living in NYC my entire life and am really looking forward to a comfortable, “homey” kind of environment where I can wake up and sometimes walk to class in pjs, but have suffiecient access to the city.</p>
<p>Within a 2-3 block radius of campus are a number of high rise apartment buildings where the majority of upperclassmen live. From these buildings it’s a 10-15 minute walk to just about any class you might have.</p>
<p>Freshmen are required to live on campus and most sophomores choose to do so. There is currently a housing shortage so most upperclassmen live off campus and would probably choose to do so anyway. By the time students turn 21, I think many of them are anxious to be free of all the campus restrictions (esp the dry part!) But there are plenty of apts near the campus. </p>
<p>Many of my D’s friends lived off campus as sophomores and they didn’t seem to miss any of the college experience. This is especially true if you choose the Berkshires apartments, which houses a large number of AU students.</p>
<p>My d. lives on K Street in the center of DC, and that has been a very important part of her college experience. She enjoyed her time in the dorms, but living in DC has been an important part of her personal growth.</p>
<p>Living on a campus is a big part of a college experience. AU is not offering that for the upperclassmen. Alot of kids may be doing study abroad junior because of no housing or campus life. It really has become a commuter school with many night classes.</p>
<p>It’s a good thing that you didn’t have any sons or daughters apply to go there, because you informed them in advance that the school said there was little or no upperclass housing, and that they would end up going to a secondclass commuter school with a rodent problem.</p>
<p>Folks, please pay no attention to post #5. In no way is AU a “commuter school”. Most of the upperclassmen who live off campus live in apartment buildings that are easily walkable to the campus, and they are as much a part of campus life as anyone living in a dorm–i.e., as much as they want to be. Large numbers of students at AU and at most of the colleges in the country spend a semester or year abroad, nor because of housing issues, but because it is a wonderful experience (note that Goucher College in Baltimore considers study abroad so important that it is a requirement for graduation). Yes, there are some evening classes–since most college students stay up past 8 pm, it’s really not a problem. (I know when I was in college, I would have preferred an evening class to an 8 am class any day!)</p>
<p>After reading the majority of these posts over the past 2 years… I am convinced cadmiumred is twelve years old.</p>
<p>And about 3 feet tall and she lives under a bridge :)</p>
<p>To answer the original question, I think there is definitely a difference in the college “experience” that is influenced by various factors about residential life.</p>
<p>I went to a college that had residential colleges with their own dining halls. Virtually everyone lived on-campus and there was one meal plan–all-you-can-eat, unlimited, no “swipes” or meals or points, just flash your bursar’s card and walk in. If you wanted to, you could go to breakfast at 7 and again at 9:30! You could sit in the dining hall drinking coffee straight through until lunch if you didn’t have anywhere to be. </p>
<p>Consequently, much of our interactions took place in the dining halls and the dorms. Everyone ate there. There was no reason not to. It was PAID FOR. Eating somewhere else would cost money.</p>
<p>As I went through the college search and selection process with my kid, I discovered that not all colleges were like this. (Believe it or not, I didn’t know that. My mother’s college was like that. My sister’s was. My husband and brother went to the same school I did. Our dataset was small.) I couldn’t wrap my mind around the idea of eating, basically, in a mall food court all the time, which is what almost every school seemed to offer as a “meal plan.” Who wouldn’t prefer, under those circumstances, to be in an apartment with a kitchen?</p>
<p>At first, I mourned that my kids wouldn’t have the college experience my husband and I had, but then I came to appreciate what they WOULD have. Living in an apartment, budgeting, shopping, cooking, cleaning the apartment, allowing for travel time to get to class, etc., are great preparation for the real tasks of life! Kids who live off-campus might develop certain life skills sooner and better than I did.</p>
<p>This being said, I think it’s very important for people looking at colleges to grasp what each school does or does not offer in terms of residential life. No student should be taken by surprise after enrolling. However, I don’t think colleges keep these things a secret and anyone who does the homework before choosing which schools to apply to should go into their chosen college with eyes open. If not, the school is not to blame.</p>
<p>Beautifully put, DeskPotato. I think it’s ideal to have two, maybe three years in on-campus housing, and at least one year, preferably two, in an apartment/house. </p>
<p>My D1 was on-campus for two years, doing the food-court thing, and now is sharing an off-campus house with friends. It’s been a great learning experience, dealing with the rent, the utilities, buying food, deciding what to share and what not to, etc. etc. She will be ready for adult life when she graduates.</p>
<p>Haven’t had time to follow au threads in quite a while. So amused to see the same petty bickering is still going on.</p>
<p>AU is planning on building new residence halls for upperclassmen over the parking lots on the south end of campus. They need a bunch of approvals from the city, plus have to make the neighborhood group happy. Hopefully, some might be ready by the time some new students are upperclassmen.</p>
<p>I think on-campus living is important for the first couple years. After that, students have developed a group of friends, and they don’t necessarily have to live in the same complex.</p>