Living on campus is a crucial part of the college experience, and in a lot of ways can be cheaper and more convenient than living off campus. Most of the dorms available at the University of Idaho allow faster commutes, numerous food options and built in community events, making them the easy choice for anyone planning their college housing.
The biggest benefit to living in the dorms is that you are much closer to your classes. Compared to living in an off-campus apartment, a quick walk up the academic mall is fast and easy. Both walking and driving from far away take up valuable time in a busy student’s schedule, time that could be better spent studying or working.
Some students that live off campus choose to stay on campus all day to avoid having to commute multiple times between classes, meaning that they can’t go home to take a break or do work during the day. When you live on campus, it’s as easy as a couple minute walk back to the dorms to rest.
Living on campus also gives you easier access to the dining hall and restaurants for food. A student living in an apartment needs to account for meals themselves, and cooking is just another thing that takes up time. Living on campus with a meal plan gives you lots of options for every meal, and there are many healthy options too.
Running to the Eatery for a meal is fast and easy and has dozens of different food options every day for every meal. Over a semester, that’s a lot of hours saved from cooking and cleaning.
The dorms are also very community oriented. Every dorm has weekly events, put on by the Residence Hall Association. Your neighbors are your built-in community, and UI pushes hard for your RHA community to have fun events and support systems.
RAs are always on call and available, so if you ever have an issue, you can go to someone who is a peer and not be intimidated. RAs are there to help you and are usually very supportive. They check in a few times a semester to make sure you’re doing okay, a crucial piece of support to make sure you’re not feeling like you’re falling behind.
Living in the dorms can be a great experience. In many ways, it makes college life easier. Easy access to classes, food, community and resources save time and support a successful student experience.
John Keegan can be reached at [email protected].