Nicholls students discuss their preferred living arrangement

Nicholls State University students discuss the pros and cons of living on and off-campus to reveal their preferred living arrangement.

Although Nicholls is known as a commuter college, there are plenty of students who spend their semesters living in a residence hall.

“Living on-campus is more convenient,” Lafayette Rutledge, business-marketing junior from Gautier, Mississippi, said. “It doesn’t take more than 10 minutes to get to any building or class on campus.”

Since his freshman year, Rutledge has stayed in a dorm and doesn’t plan on moving off-campus anytime soon.

“I prefer to be on campus,” Rutledge said. “You get more time to do what you want as opposed to when you live off campus.”

One of the main reasons students decide to rent apartments off-campus is because the cost of living on-campus can be a burden to their wallets.

“You can get an apartment for a lot cheaper than you could a dorm,” Marie LaSalle, human resources freshman from Houma, said. “I’ve only lived on-campus for a few weeks and I’m planning on moving off-campus after this semester, because the meal plan and everything is all too much.”

According to the Nicholls website, students who reside in the residence halls, with the exception of Brady Apartment Complex, must purchase a meal plan. A dorm room with a meal plan can range from $3,659 to $5,308 depending on the building, type of room and meal plan. An apartment in Brady can range from $4,334 to $6,032 depending on how many rooms the apartment contains and whether or not you include a meal plan.

“Well I lived with my parents my freshman year,” Rachel Dufrene, biology pre-dental senior from Houma, said. “Since then I’ve just had different roommates. The rent’s always been cheap, because you split with other people.”

Students like Breanna Bolden, culinary arts junior from New Orleans, enjoy the freedom that comes with off-campus living.

“You have much more privacy, less structure from the school and you’re just kinda living your own life,” Bolden said. “You don’t have to worry about the things that come with school or being too close to people.”

Other students prefer the extra space and privacy that comes with off-campus living.
“You have more space to yourself living off-campus,” Dufrene said. “I feel like the dorms would be too small and not private enough.”

Many students agree that on-campus living can be convenient but that doesn’t mean that off-campus living will always be an inconvenience to the student.

“It depends on location and distance,” Bolden said. “I would say off-campus is the most convenient because if you’re not far away, it doesn’t take long to get here. If you live far, you have to worry about traffic and parking.”

LaSalle believes living on-campus is a good experience but it isn’t necessary.
“Do your research on what you’re paying for because it’s not what you think it is,” LaSalle said.

Regardless if a student lives on-campus or off-campus, they have to learn how to manage time.

“Make sure you get to class on time,” Bolden said. “Make sure you find a place that’s right for you and not just because it’s close to campus or cheap.”