At Lakeland College, 30 percent of full-time traditional day students live off-campus. For some people, the decision is made as a result of weighing the positives and negatives.

“Students who live on campus are more likely to graduate in four years, have higher grade-point averages, are more involved in the campus and report higher satisfaction rates,” said Jim Bajczyk, director of residence life.

Commuter students sometimes find it challenging to organize their schedules.

“The space between classes can be difficult,” said Rachel Hakala, a senior vocal performance and pedagogy major who commutes to the college. “Sometimes it is two to three hours between (classes), which makes it hard to schedule for work off-campus, and if (I am) paying for daycare for my daughter, it means (I am) paying more for that time.”

In any case, Hakala does enjoy the privacy that living off-campus provides her.

“I don’t have to share (space and) communal showers, and I don’t have to worry about what has been done on the bed I have received,” said Hakala.

Emily Huberty, senior Spanish and psychology major, said, “For me, I save a lot of money living at home in Sheboygan rather than paying for room and board on-campus.”

For Huberty, the negative part of living off-campus is the amount of money she spends on gas. In addition, she worries about the pollution caused by driving to school every day, which for her is an hour one way.

According to Arisbeida Mendiola, senior international business major, the negative part of living off-campus is being less aware of the activities happening on-campus. For her, she does not feel like a member of the close Lakeland family.

According to collegeparents.org, there are a couple of factors to consider when deciding whether to live off-campus. To help with the decision, they suggest making a list of the pros and cons of staying on-campus versus moving off-campus. It is also important to create a budget to check if living-off campus would be affordable. Talking to other students who live off-campus about their experiences may also be beneficial.