This letter was received from a student and does not reflect the views of The Round Up.

Living on campus shouldn’t be a requirement for first-year students, it should be an option for all students.

Living off-campus can help you become more independent and will give you more space. According to an article by the U.S. News, students that live off-campus tend to be more responsible because they experience the responsibility of paying the rent, cooking and managing their money. 

Living off-campus can be a cash course of responsibility. Becoming independent is a big part of college, and living on campus can slow the process down. Renting a place off-campus can also give you more privacy. The biggest rooms have a length of 223 inches and a width of 133 inches. This space has to be shared with a roommate, and the bathroom not only has to be shared with roommates but also with the suite-mates.

Privacy is really important for everyone but when you have a stranger living in the same room you really don’t have any privacy at all. Being a first-year student and having to live on campus you are also required to buy a dining plan. The dining plans can vary on how much meals a student will be buying per semester, but these dining plans can increase the cost of living for a student. Thus, meal plans add to the hardships first-year students have to face. 

Living on campus can not only detain first-year students from becoming independent but can also make them pay an unnecessary amount for dining plans by living on campus.