As the housing process for next year begins to near, students begin to consider weighing their options of on-campus living spaces, and if they are an upperclassman, whether they want to live off-campus.
Differences in prices, food accommodations, and living layouts are important factors to consider before the deadline for roommate selection, April 8, and the deadline for housing selection, April 11.
Options for on-campus housing include Sutton Place Apartments, Elizabeth Hall, Holt Hall, Strong Hall, Cross Hall, and sorority or fraternity housing. Each hall has a variation of amenities to consider during housing selesction.
Sutton Place Apartments hold between two and four occupants. There are two bedrooms and two bathrooms, a shared kitchen, dining area, living room, and balcony for each apartment, as well as a community pool for the entire building.
Meghan Gadola ‘20, a resident in Sutton, said she has enjoyed her school year living in Sutton. “I like all of the room the apartments have here. I have a kitchen, so I can make food whenever I want. I like having my friends come over, and there is plenty of room for them when they come.”
Sutton apartments, though, are more expensive at $5,080 per semester, totaling out to $10,160 for the nearly eight-month academic year. That comes out to around $1,270 per month. This does not include a meal plan.
Holt, Elizabeth, and Cross have community-style bathrooms while Strong has suite-style bathrooms. Elizabeth and Strong have community kitchens, yet Holt does not. All of the dorms have a lounge area. Cross and Holt are mainly composed of single dorms.
Kaley Jansen ‘18, a resident of Holt, said living on campus has its benefits. “I love how close I am to everything on campus. I can leave my room five minutes before class and still make it on time. I also like the small and quiet environment of Holt.”
For residential halls, the price for a double (the most common room set-up) is $4,358 each semester, totaling out to $8,715 for the academic year. Single rooms total out to $11,760 for the academic year. This does not include the $6,015 meal plan students are required to purchase if they live in a residential hall.
Some off-campus housing options can be a cheaper option for students. For four students living in a house, the total for a 12-month lease can sometimes be lower than one semester living on campus.
While this does not include the price of utilities and internet, the price difference is something that continues to attract students. However, keep in mind that once a student signs a lease, they are committed. They cannot easily leave and request a dorm change like when living on campus.
“I love the freedom that living off campus prodiced,” said Jamie Ernst ‘19.
“I am able to purchase my own food and not be limited by a pre-set menu or by hours of operation. I am also able to decorate my house the way I want to, which gives it more of a homey feel. Finally, there are less restrictions on alcohol, quiet hours, laundry, and candles/appliances, which genuinely helps me prepare for living on my own after college,” she added.
If choosing to live on-campus, Whitney McDonald, associate director of Residential Life, recommended students to spend time before the deadlines exploring the options.
Students can pick specific rooms that they want in a hall, so going into a residence hall and seeing which rooms have the best views or at an attractive proximity to communal bathrooms is actually encouraged.
However, the roommate selection comes first in the housing process; the timeline to choose roommates is March 26 through April 8. Students can change roommate selections up until April 8. If students are trying for Sutton, they have to make sure that their apartment is filled before housing selection.
McDonald said that planning ahead of the deadlines will make the process easier for students.
“Start talking about housing now with potential roommates so everyone is on the same page when the application opens. You have to pick who you want to live with, regardless of the hall, before the deadline so if you decide you want to go random then you can come to our office and start looking at the other students who want to go random also and begin connecting with them.”
McDonald also stressed that regardless of identity and sexuality, students can live with people of different genders. Any combination of people can live in Sutton together or share a dorm. She said that students can live with whomever will support them and make them feel the most comfortable in their living space.
Because students have many options for housing on and off campus, and all dorms have their own perks, she encouraged studentto begin their research now.
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