Across the University, residents and commuters alike debate the convenience, price, and quality of living off campus as compared to living on campus.
Students like sophomore Mike McKenna believe that off campus living is the easiest option for upperclassmen.
"I plan to live off campus next year simply because of the difference in price," McKenna said. "When you compare the rent to how much you pay to live on campus with the required meal plan, it's insane how much cheaper it is. The only inconvenience I can think of is not having laundry machines conveniently right down the hall," he said.
Depending on the price of the off-campus apartment, students can find themselves with their own room paying around $3,000 to $4,000 less per year than living in a dorm.
If a group of 3 students shares a rent of $1,465 per month (the price of several apartments in Maplewood), it totals to approximately $5,860 per year for a 12-month lease, not including utilities.
This can be compared to the $8,496 cost for two semesters of dorming on-campus, not including the required meal plan.
While some residents find themselves switching to off-campus living, commuters are also debating finding apartments closer to Seton Hall.
"I've had an hour commute to SHU for the past two years," sophomore Peter Breitfelder said. "Next semester I'm moving in with a few friends just blocks from campus. Obviously this is great compared to commuting now but I still would rather live off than on campus. Living off campus gave us the chance to find a fair price to live somewhere."
Sophomore Ema Caballero worries about not finding an apartment.
"There's so many other people in the same predicament, so it seems almost impossible to find an open apartment within a fair distance to Seton Hall," Caballero said.
Students such as Rebecca Dorward said that living on-campus or dorming in a Seton Hall apartment such as Turrell and Ora Manor is more convenient due to flexibility and the ability to use loans and scholarships toward the price.
"I'm deciding to stay on campus so it can still be covered under my scholarship," said Dorward. "But I want to live in Ora because I still wanted that off-campus experience."
Erica Szczepaniak can be reached at erica.szczepaniak@student.shu.edu.
