Example: Dorm room , transportation,etc.
Not sure about the difference between urban/rural dorm rooms, that’s based more around factors like how much money/space the school has and how many students they have to accommodate.
Transportation is A+. I know all of 2 people with cars; both live off-campus with multiple other people, and though they own the car, they share with their roommates. They also go to Delaware or Jersey often enough to merit a car. In Philly there’s SEPTA (buses, trolleys, two subway lines, and aboveground trains to nearby areas), Amtrak, Megabus/Bolt Bus, multiple taxi services, and Uber and Lyft. I have a semester SEPTA pass; for about $350 I get unlimited bus, trolley, and subway access, and I’d say I make good use of it: on Wednesdays I take the bus down to get comic books, I take the subway to concerts or sporting events, and on weekends I study at an off-campus library that’s right by the trolley. The unlimited pass also eliminates a lot of anxiety about getting lost. I take a cab on the way home from certain concerts (two venues are close enough to the subway to walk, but others are far enough I don’t feel comfortable walking that distance after midnight). My friends either have reloadable SEPTA passes or they Uber everywhere.
Another big difference, I’ve found, is what people do in their free time. Living in Philly means a lot of kids go to sporting events, concerts, movies, plays, museums, or other off-campus activities on the weekends because it’s convenient. This past week I was entertaining a friend from home for his spring break, and we went to Independence Hall, a Flyers game, a movie, the zoo, and the Franklin Institute; the only on-campus after-school event we did was a game of Quizzo. My friends at Cornell or Dartmouth, on the other hand, say that the entertainment comes to them and that most of the weekend fare is on campus.
Going to school in the city means you will always have something to do. Whether its entertainment or visiting friends at a different college. There is always something going on and you will always have access to the events. At a rural school, (I think of UMass Amherst) life revolves around school/campus. The parties are always at campus/close to, you will constantly be running into the same people and be in the same circle of friends. Living in the city gives you the opportunity to run into other people who may or may not be students and open your circle.
To cut this short: In an urban city there are more people = more things to do but in a rural campus less people = less things to do, also very private in events I believe.
If you like constant motion and never running out of things to do, the city is perfect. If you are more inclined to like some serenity in a more calm, secluded environment, a rural college would suit you better. There are plenty that are happy-mediums in suburbs that would give you a nice reprieve but also provide the city environment when you want it. In terms of safety too, there are generally more concerns in the city. My dorm sat right on a busy city street and we had about 3 dorms you had to scan into before even getting in the front door. All things to consider, depending on the environment that is best for you.