By: Samantha Thompson
After your first year at UNC, choosing where you want to live may become even more difficult. It’s no longer just a matter of north or south campus, but rather, on or off-campus. Chapel Hill offers a variety of living options but there is nothing quite like Carolina Housing. To help you decide whether you want to spend another year on-campus or venture off, here are the top five perks of living on-campus.
CLOSE TO CLASSES
Arguably, the most important perk of living on-campus is that you’re right here where your classes are. Whether you're on south campus or north campus, living on-campus offers the fastest commute to any of the classroom buildings at UNC. Additionally, the bus system can take students to any place on-campus that their classes may be. Living off-campus may mean longer commute times or even trouble with parking. If you’re living on-campus, all you have to do is leave your building and walk, ride, or bike to class - it’s that simple!
COMMUNITY
Carolina works hard to create a unique and safe community for students, and Carolina Housing (as well as the Residence Hall Association) work to do the same within residence halls. This sense of community established on-campus cannot be found anywhere else and is often an assurance for students. Residence halls like Morrison, which only houses sophomore students, or residence halls hosting Residential Learning Programs, seek to group students with classmates that have similar interests as them. These shared environments make learning and living in college easier and more comfortable.
Additionally, living amongst other students on-campus can create special moments. Whether it be meeting new friends in your residence hall or growing close with your suitemates, the spontaneous moments that happen on-campus throughout the school year cannot be created anywhere else. It’s what makes your Carolina Experience!
CAMPUS RESOURCES
Being in college can create unique troubles for students. But UNC understands these troubles and works to help students overcome them. The maintenance of living on your own can become expensive and overwhelming, especially for students doing it for the first time. This is why Carolina Housing supplies residence halls with enhancements such as vacuum cleaners or cooking supplies for students so they don’t have to be financially burdened. And, if your residence hall is unable to provide you with something you need, they will always give you a list of additional resources on-campus to help you.
RESIDENCE HALL EVENTS
Residence halls also host many events throughout the year and all over campus! These events vary—some are offered for athletic events; others are simply to celebrate students. Whatever the occasion, events thrown at residence halls are the perfect place to meet new people living in your building and even get free food and swag! Again, these events are created with students in mind and work to cater to your interests while also providing the support and resources you may need.
AFFORDABILITY
Finally, living on-campus is often the most affordable option for students. Pricing for on-campus living is all inclusive. This means that you pay one price a semester for everything you are offered in residence halls with no surprise billing. Also, on-campus living is a 9-month obligation rather than a 12-month obligation, and this paired with no deposit or application fee, puts on-campus living in a favorable position financially.
When you live on-campus you are only responsible for bringing personal items and any decorations you want. Living off-campus often means students will be responsible for providing and/or maintaining furniture, appliances, and any other supplies they may need. Off-campus living is much more than a one-time fee (as is offered with on-campus living), it is a lengthy and often pricey responsibility that should be considered seriously before deciding to chose this option.
Choosing to live on or off campus requires surveying a variety of factors and it varies from student to student. However, living on-campus is an experience created for students and is continually updated to meet the needs of each new generation of Tar Heels! There’s no place like on-campus to have the full and great Carolina Experience!