Shane Kelly, staff writer 

Though the weather may not feel like it, spring is in the air. Spring brings many things to college students’ minds- things like finals, nice weather and for some, graduation.

For the students who are not graduating and returning to Utica, there are many things that have to be done before heading home for summer vacation. Some of those things include making a new schedule and figuring out the age-old question between deciding to live on campus or off campus.

At Utica College it is policy that students live on campus their first two years here, unless they are a commuter or can prove that there is a specific health or financial reason they must move off campus after their freshman year.

Many upcoming juniors are faced with this question and it is tough to decide what is best for them.

If one is considering living on campus, Utica has many places you can choose to live. If one is an upperclassman with enough housing credits, most students chose to live in Bolehert Hall, Bell Hall, Tower Hall or Alumni Hall.

Bell and Tower have single and double rooms usually clustered in threes, and each room shares a bathroom. The rooms in Alumni provide a four to six person living space with a bathroom, common room and kitchen. Bolehert has primarily six person clusters with a common room and two bathrooms.

“It feels good to live on campus with five of my close friends and to feel comfortable knowing I live in a safe secure place,” said Nate Hackett, a senior. “I chose to live on campus because it was convenient for me. Living on campus makes me closer to the classrooms and resources I may need.”

Hackett said one of the pros of living on campus is you do not have to drive to and from class every day, which is helpful during the snowy Utica winters. According to Hackett, there are some cons to living on campus.

“I am not a fan of some of the rules, like quiet hours. I know if I lived in my own house off campus I wouldn’t have to be monitored on when or how loud I played my music,” Hackett said.

Spencer Lasker is a senior who has been living off campus for two years and loves it.

“I decided to move off campus for a couple of reasons. The first, the finical benefit. It was much more cost efficient for me to live off campus and not have to pay room and board fees. The second, because of the freedom aspect, living off campus has given me a really good insight of what it is going to be like living on my own one day,” Lasker said. “Having to cook, clean, take out the garbage and pay bills is a good habit to get into in college.”

When it comes to the pros of off-campus living, Lasker rates the freedom aspect number one. He agrees with Hackett that the lack of freedom on campus is a con. A lot of upper classmen students are starting to feel that they are growing into young adults, and would rather not have to abide by rules they don’t agree with.

There are pros and cons to on-campus and off-campus living. It all comes down to the personal preference of the student and what they’re comfortable with. On one side, the student has freedom with a bit more responsibilities. On the flip side, campus offers less freedom but more convenience.

It’s almost time to make a decision students, good luck!