Living off campus builds maturity

Paige Siegel

The key to off-campus living with a full-time school schedule and a part-time work load is scheduling, say seniors Ashley Goad and Chelsea Chaney.

Goad, an art major, schedules her classes for three days a week back to back and works on homework in between to avoid the back and forth process from her house to school. As a past resident of Washburn, Goad fondly remembers living in the Living Learning Center and her sorority house. The quick travel time to class in bad weather and the close community of people that are the same age are things that she will miss.

“University living provides a safe and comfortable environment for underclassman,” said Goad. “Older students look for more privacy and independence that off-campus living provides.”

For Goad, organization and limiting trips back to school allows her to save money on food and gas. Now living a mile away from Washburn, Goad finds herself less distracted than she would if she were living on-campus.

Having personal space, more responsibility and adult freedom are some of the perks senior Chelsea Chaney, history major, noticed about her off-campus residence. Chaney usually packs her lunch to save money and studies or works in the Washburn Student Government Association office to fill her time before and after classes.

“Living off-campus has allowed me to express in a more adult-like fashion,” said Chaney, “and has given me more responsibilities such as paying bills, planning to get to class on time and being more cautious about my surroundings.”