To Live on Campus or to not Live on Campus, that is the Question

Unlike other state schools, Auburn University does not require freshman to live on campus, but there are advantages to it according to Kim Trupp, Auburn University’s director of residential life.

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Besides being convenient to get to class and campus, residential living versus an apartment offers many benefits to students such as learning communities, hall councils in residence halls and social support.

Learning communities consist of 20 to 25 students sharing several classes, which focus on a certain topic and include a university “transition” course.

“We want everyone to feel comfortable and get to know other people. The social aspect is so important for first year students and it’s just easier to do that on campus versus living in an apartment in town,” Trupp said.

Although there is a new presence of student housing on campus with The Village, future freshman classes will not be required to live on campus due to the size of each incoming freshman class.

“There is not going to be a push for the freshman residency requirement because we do not have enough beds to house the entire freshman class. We would have to do quite a bit more construction,” Trupp said.

“We are actively involved in renovating both an apartment community next to The Village that we closed when it opened and all of The Hill for about $55 to $60 million. We are not talking about any new construction,” she said.

According to Erin Danneker, a senior in business administration, living on campus helped with the transition from high school to college.

“I liked living in a dorm because I had my own place away from home, but I didn’t have to worry about bills yet. It was also hard to not go to class when you literally live only a few minutes away,” Danneker said.

Living on campus isn’t always the cheapest option, but Auburn provides more than a place to sleep at night.

“With parents price is not always their number one consideration. They are looking at safety, security, rules and regulations. Students have freedom and independence, but there is still some structure. There is also live-in staff that you don’t have in an apartment complex,” Trupp said.

“You can find several places off campus less expensive, but when we talk about living on campus we talk about value,” she said.