When one first heads off to college, they likely have a lot on their mind. However, once they make it through a couple of semesters, participating in college becomes second nature. They tend to be less worried about what classes they're taking and more about the social environment they're enjoying. Ask any sophomore, and they'll reveal that living on campus for one year was enough. Many students are ready to get their own off-campus residence when they return to school.

Most colleges only require students to live on campus for their initial year of study. After that point, they typically allow students to enjoy residing off-campus if they so choose. If given the opportunity to do so, every college student should experience off-campus living at least for one year of their schooling.

Benefits of Off Campus Housing

Off-campus living can provide students with many benefits that they just won't get from staying at a campus dorm. The most sought after by college students is the added freedom that off-campus living allows. Living in a dorm room means living in close quarters, often with a roommate in a single room and constantly having a dorm advisor right down the hall.

Living off-campus allows the freedom for a student to choose the environment that they want to live in. Most will find apartments that offer more space than a traditional college dorm room. In addition, off-campus living usually allows students to choose who they live with.

What some students may find is that off-campus living actually turns out to be cheaper than on-campus living. There is more freedom in the price-range one can choose when handling off-campus living compared to dorm room living. In addition, students are able to spend less on monthly groceries than their typical meal plan allows on-campus.

Living With Roommates

In most college living situations, students will find themselves bunking up with a roommate or two. Staying at a traditional college dorm typically means that a person will have a dorm mate. While some colleges may allow students to choose their dorm mate, others don't. This could mean being stuck with an unknown person who one may or may not get along with for an entire year.

Off-campus living tends to offer more freedom in regards to roommates. While it's entirely possible to rent out an apartment without any roommates, it can be expensive. For this reason, many students will opt to live with some of their closest friends. Some apartments are big enough for two people, while others may have up to four or five bedrooms.

When it comes to living with roommates, college graduates will reveal that being able to pick them is key. Since one is going to be living with their roommates for a full year, they should select them carefully. If one doesn't know many people, it's best to always look at new roommates with an open mentality. Be accepting of new behavior.

Finding Off Campus Housing

Once one makes the decision to live off-campus, it may seem like the fun is getting ready to begin. However, spending a couple of hours searching through the classifieds and the experience can be a bit overwhelming. It's best to go into looking at off-campus housing with a game plan in mind to ensure that one enjoys the experience from start to finish.

The first step in one's game plan should be to write down what they're looking for. If a person already has plans to live with two other friends, then they're going to need to be looking for a three-bedroom apartment or home. Location is another aspect to consider. Most students prefer to live close enough to campus that they can walk to their classes without having to worry about driving. If one doesn't want to use their car often, it's a good idea to consider an apartment's proximity to local grocery stores as well. 

Once one knows what they're looking for, they can get started on their search. There are many online websites that one can utilize to find off-campus housing. Most colleges will provide students with valuable websites that list available housing and are trusted by the college advisors. These listing sites allow the user to sort by desired features, like the ones mentioned above, so running a search is super simple to do.