Analysis on Students Housing While in College

People always consider whether international students should live in the dormitory of the universities or apartments outside the school premises. Those whose opinion is for the international students to reside outside university dormitories argue that this gives the students more freedom, privacy and humble time. To them, university students are mature and can make their sound decisions hence should be given the freedom to live their life rather than being confined in a dormitory. Those who support the argument those international students should live within the campus debate that living within the campus premises guarantees discipline, making it easy for the institutions to monitor the students. I concur with the latter. It is better for the international students to live on the campus for a number of reasons.

Living within campus premises strengthens the social relationships among the international students. While living within the campus dormitories, the international students stand a better chance to interact with the local students and build up social ties. Through interaction within the dormitories, the international students build relationships with the local (Poyrazli & Grahame, 2007). These relationships are extended to teamwork in class, culminating in academic excellence. From the past research, it has been noted that international students living within campus exhibit better social ties with others compared to those living off campus. Students' interaction is the critical element that facilitates the learning process. Unlike the students living in apartments outside campus, those within the dormitories share dinner with others in the school restaurant. Unlike those living outside campus, students living in school dormitories extend classwork to the dormitories. They establish discussion groups within the dormitories, creating extensive learning forums for their academic excellence.

Living within the campus dormitories is an academic motivator that has been proven to boost the students’ performance significantly. The campus premises are serene and offer the best learning environment for the students. Unlike those living off campus, the international students within the school dormitories are close to learning facilities such as library and classrooms. They can easily access these facilities at any time. This makes the students familiar with the campus, motivating them to concentrate more on studying. It does not cost the students much to access learning forums, unlike those living outside the school that incurs transport expenses and take much time to travel for classes.

We've also prepared an amazing resource about "Preparing for College Life" which is a complete guide for students to prepare for a smooth college transition. Among the factors that affect international students is homesick. Because of loneliness, they take much time thinking of their families, relatives, and their homeland. However, living within the campus dormitories reduces the effects of homesick. Through interaction with their friends within the campus, international students ‘forget’ about their families and adopt their new environments. They are never lonely since they spend their time either with roommates, group discussions or in the playgrounds. The campus accommodating facilities offers diverse augmented facilities such as entertainment halls, restaurant, swimming pools and playgrounds which keep the students busy all day. The students living off campus may not have the privilege to enjoy these facilities.

According to De Araujo & Murray (2010), living on campus develops good time management skills among the international students. Students can access the library anytime, up to late hours. The campus setup minimizes disturbance. The students within dormitories are limited to time-wasting activities such as clubbing and partying, unlike those living off campus, whose learning schedules are interrupted by numerous social and non-academic activities. The campus environment offers maximum security for the students. Most of the campuses have security patrols around the dormitories to enhance security for the students. The school guarantees security for the international students living in the campus dormitories. However, students living in apartments outside campus are not guaranteed security. It is the responsibility of the students living on campus to pay for their own security. This makes additional expenses, not forgetting that the apartments outside the campus premises are personal business entities offering hospitality services to the students for a fee.

In conclusion, international students should be advised to live within the campus dormitories. This guarantees them a secure living environment that is less costly. The dormitories bring them closer to the campus facilities such as libraries, which the students can access any time of the day with ease. It saves the students much time when living within the school compound. This time can be transferred to attend academic tasks for personal improvements. The campus dormitories offer a better forum for interaction and development of social ties among the international and local students. Living on campus also has its own advantages such as freedom and privacy. However, the advantages of living within campus dormitories surpass living off campus. Accommodation within campus dormitories is cheaper, time saving and secure. It gives the international students best opportunity to enjoy the school facilities to their maximum. Students living within campus dormitories have exhibited excellent academic performance, social interactions and time management skills.