One of the most intimidating aspects of enrolling in college is the confusion surrounding housing. Many people ask similar questions: “Where am I going to live?”, “Will the location be close to classes?” and “Will I have a proper university experience here?” Georgia State is a big college surrounded by a lot of out-of-school-activity. Choosing where to live can be tricky if you do not know how to go about it.
To help students with these questions, Shannon Corey, Georgia State’s Director of University Housing, provided The Signal with insight into selecting the right living option for you. With university housing being so important, looking into campus living conditions is critical for students.
Students benefit from living on campus. “[The] Benefits of living on campus are numerous,” Corey said. “A recent study: The Case for Campus Housing, was done by the Association of College and University Housing Officers – International. This study [found] that both first-and second-year students who lived on campus persisted (Spring to Fall) at higher rates than their counterparts who lived off-campus.”
Another one of the excellent qualities of University Housing is the safety measures taken to protect students every day. Due to the rise in crime since early May, safety has become a top priority for the University Housing department.
According to Ms. Corey, University Housing has various safety procedures to help keep the students safe. There are even safety workers that watch the school and help students throughout the entire day. These measures ensure that people feel safe while living on-campus.
But what about off-campus? Though off-campus living is under-discussed, there are also good reasons to live away from campus. One of them is you get to have more privacy than you would on-campus. Some people benefit from being alone.
Another good condition of off-campus housing is that you are in complete control of your location. A student can control where you will be living, whether you will have a roommate or not, whether or not you want a pet and how close they live to campus. With off-campus living, you get to see firsthand what to expect when moving somewhere new as a working adult.
Deciding on housing is a big step to take when you go off to college. It often takes incredible amounts of research. However, finding the perfect spot for you is an essential step to getting your degree.
