There are a number of reasons that you may choose to live off campus as a Yale student. However, one of the most cited reasons is money concerns. Campus living brings a lot of value but it is expensive. If you are using student loans to pay for college, living on campus adds a significant chunk, which will add to your compound interest over time.
This is not to say that living off campus is going to be cheap. Renting in New Haven comes at a cost. There are also other living expenses you will need to consider. It’s recommended that independent student renters have renters insurance coverage. You also need to pay for utilities and stock your pantry.
Nonetheless, it is still a lot more affordable than living on campus. The question for many students is whether it’s worth it. What if you lose the Yale experience when renting your own place?
Here are some things you’ll need to consider.
You still have access to campus life
Although you’re living off campus, you will be spending most of your time on campus. As such, you have access to almost everything happening on the grounds. Events that are geared towards students living on campus will still be accessible to you.
Of course, you do lose out on bonding with like-minded students after hours. While you can meet up with people independently, you will lose some of the spontaneity that brings a lot of charm to student life.
It is also not so easy to attend gatherings held by other students on campus. Your friends may invite you, but you will need to consider getting back to your apartment and getting to bed at a reasonable time.
You learn to live independently
There are benefits to living off campus. A common difficulty students have when leaving college is learning to live independently. While they have lived away from their parents for years, they don’t know much about paying bills, buying groceries, cooking, and other basic life skills that only come with experience.
They then have to learn how to live independently while getting their career off the ground. They don’t have the time or headspace to take these concerns seriously and it takes a lot longer to adapt to day-to-day adult life.
Going through this while still in college is a benefit, as you don’t have the same level of responsibilities as you will in a few years. On the odd occasion, you’ll be able to take a day off to get important things done without having to worry about how many days of leave you have.
The roommate experience
While you lose out on living among a community of Yale students, you’re still going to be staying in New Haven. Chances are that you’ll need to get at least one roommate in order to afford an apartment. Your best bet is likely to be other students who are living off campus.
The roommate experience is fundamentally different to campus living. You don’t have a huge range of people to speak to when winding down at night. If you find that you don’t get along with your roommates, you don’t have the option of spending time elsewhere before coming back to your room to rest.
In this way, you lose some of the experience of the Yale community. On the other hand, you get to create more adult relationships. You learn to compromise and to communicate effectively. You learn to handle conflict in a mature way, as you have no choice but to make it work.
Ultimately, you do lose out on some of the Yale experience when choosing to live off campus. However, there are certainly benefits, including getting a good head start on life as an independent adult.