The International Student Blog

International students looking to study abroad in the US will need to find adequate living arrangements. While most schools offer residence halls or on-campus dormitories, it’s wise to also consider the option of living off campus. While there are a lot of great advantages to living on-campus including being close to classes and having access to meeting a number of  new friends, living off campus also offers numerous benefits.

Cheaper Expenses

Because students have the ability to shop around and find the best deal for them, they have a great chance to find affordable rent. In most college towns there are a lot of different apartment complexes that offer great rent deals for students. In addition to lower rent, students can choose the extra amenities that they want. University residence halls offer a flat fee rate of living that often includes cable and internet. Students will have the ability to choose the utilities that they want when living in an apartment. Some students choose not to have cable or internet in an effort to save money. Other students get upgraded services like High-Definition TV or advanced channels, as well as wireless internet all around their home.

Live With Friends

Many times residence halls will pair students with random roommates. While students may sign up to live with their friends, there is no guarantee. In addition, if a student has three or more friends that want to live together there is a possibility that there may not be a room available for this number of individuals. Apartments on the other hand come in all different types of sizes with 1, 2, 3 and 4 bedroom options. Usually the more roommates a student has the cheaper the apartment rent will be per person. In addition, having more roommates means utilities can be split between more individuals, making it more affordable for each student.

Live Where You Want

Residence halls are all located on campus. While they may be close to classes, they are sometimes a bit farther away from outside entertainment. By living off campus, students can choose where they want to live. Students can live in apartments complexes near malls or shopping centers and within proximity to restaurants and movie theaters.

If you’re still trying to find a school in the US to attend, you can start your search here.

This entry was posted on Saturday, February 22nd, 2014 at 8:00 am and is filed under International Student, Study Abroad, Study in the USA. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Written by Bryanna Davis

Bryanna joined EIC in 2011 after returning to the United States from teaching English in China. Her interest in international education, sparked initially by her own study abroad experience in Wales, led her to the company. Bryanna is originally from Missouri and is a graduate from the University of Central Missouri.

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