The cost of living for college students can be incredibly expensive and while living on campus has many added benefits, it may not outweigh the high price compared to off-campus options.
Jackie Perez, a freshman nursing major, has been living on campus for her first year. She lives in Lincoln Hall in a six-person three-bedroom suite.
“I really like how the suites in Lincoln are set up, there’s a lot of different options,” Perez said. “…I like the lounge spaces too…the study lounge I used a lot, and then the actual lounge with the kitchen … It’s also really nice because it’s pretty, I don’t wanna say modern, but it’s really nice.”
Liz Duvall, a senior communications major, works in the Student Life office. Before this, she used to live in the Living Learning Center for two and a half years where she worked as a desk assistant and as a residential assistant.
“Being an RA, it allowed me to connect with students more; it obviously allowed the benefits of having free housing and free food,” Duvall said. “I know a lot of students kind of struggle to make those connections early on and so being able to live on campus allows for that a lot easier.”
For some students, living on campus has been costly. Perez especially raised the issue of the meal plan with living on campus.
“I think that the prices are a little too high, especially for the meal plan, and I know a lot of other people say it too, but I don’t think the meal plan should be mandatory,” Perez said. “The meal plan is kind of a waste if you are not eating every single meal every single week. For me personally, I went with it just because I wanted to have the experience of living on campus but the meal plan, I definitely don’t use it as often.”
Although living on campus can be financially challenging to some students, financial aid can play a factor on whether living on campus is cheaper or more affordable.
“I do think Washburn also provides many scholarships and opportunities for students to get that funding if they need to,” Duvall said. “However, it kind of depends if you end up finding four people that you want to live with, it might be cheaper to live off campus. But do you already have those connections with those four people to actually live off campus?”
Avigya Ghimire, a freshman psychology major, has been staying off campus for over three months.
“Even living on campus, I would have my privacy and stuff, but being off campus would just give me more sense of independence,” Ghimire said. “I know it makes no sense but it just feels like a little more independent work like paying bills and stuff like that.”
Washburn provides an easy and efficient application process for residential living which could be done online. For students who are looking to stay off campus, there are a lot of leasing offices around the campus to look around.
Edited by Jeremy Ford and Jayme Thompson
