Deciding where to go to school is a big decision, but after students choose Durham College or UOIT, they have even more to consider. Where are they going to live?
Residence and off-campus living each have their own advantages and disadvantages. Living in the school’s residences, students are provided with high-speed Internet, television and a telephone with free local calling.
Residence also makes it easy to meet people, whether it’s at a neighbour’s party, or at an event like midnight skating that the residence hosts. It’s also close to the school and, to Ashita Behl, a Life Sciences student at UOIT, that’s one of the biggest plus factors.
“I like the convenience,” Behl says. “It’s nearby, so in bad weather I can still get to the university.”
Shane Comella, who is studying Mechanical Engineering lives with his family and says the travel is a big downside to off-campus living. Taking the bus from Ajax every day takes up a lot of time, says Comella.
However, seeing his family everyday makes it worth it. Comella says he loves his family and loves that he gets to see them everyday.
That’s not the only advantage to off-campus living though. Living in residence comes at a cost. Specifically, it comes at a cost of approximately $5,800 for the South Village residence. That works out to be $725 per month, though the payment isn’t monthly for on-campus living.
Students also have to consider the cost of food, which isn’t included in the residence costs. Students living in South Village must purchase a meal plan, which is more than $1,000.
There are apartments and rooms for rent available in Oshawa for as low as $450 per month, including TV, wireless Internet and a full size kitchen – something student residences don’t have.
However, the demand students face living off-campus of paying monthly rent can be a pressing issue. It infringes on freedom that students living in residence don’t have to worry about; freedom that Cory Golloher, a Durham College student living in Simcoe Village, says attracted him to living in residence.
Golloher can see the negatives of living in residence as well though, and says that the biggest challenge was adjusteing to living with a roommate he didn’t know at the beginning of the year. Students are tossed into a living situation with someone they may or may not get along with, which can pose problems in their studies and social life.
Nuclear Engineering student Wargha Peiman lives off-campus and is pleased with his living situation.
“I don’t see any disadvantages to living off campus,” he said. He loves the peace and quiet he has at home, and doesn’t think he would get that if he lived in residence.
It’s dependent on the individual student where the best place for them to live is. If students like to be social and consider convenience and proximity to the school an important factor, then perhaps residence is what they need. If not, maybe they should look at off-campus housing.
They don’t have to go through the process alone though. The school’s student housing office works with students to help them find the best place to live, whether it is on or off campus. They can be reached at 721-2000 ext. 8017, or at housing@dc-uoit.ca. They are located in the main lobby of the South Village residence.
