Published: October 7, 2010

There are brave students who don’t live in the hallowed confines of McMahon Hall or the comfortable safety of their hometowns. They are the adventurers, the forgers of new ground, the true adults on campus: commuters who live on their own. These subway-riders cannot be classified in accordance with their family-focused locker buddies or their LC-ID wannabe hipster dormers. They have created a sect all on their own and are steadily on the rise.

So are you better off ditching the dorm and the parents and joining this in-between group? According to these parent-free commuters, there are pros and cons to creating your own living space.

“I like living off campus because it’s more of a home; it is my own apartment that I turn to” said Rachel Williams, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’10.

Williams transferred to FCLC her junior year and was on the wait list for Fordham housing until she was offered it the day before school started. By then, she had already signed a lease on her Lower East Side apartment.

“I would have at least liked to live in McMahon for a year,” Williams said. “I could have met more people and made more friends—it would have made things easier.”

For others, living off campus was the only viable option. Julia Tomasek, FCLC ’11, is not a fan of the McMahon policies and did not want the hassle of dealing with a resident assistant (RA).

“I like the fact I have more freedom with having guests and being loud. I can do whatever I want… like I painted my walls,” Tomasek said. “I have a studio and I like the freedom and that I don’t have to share space.”

Teresa Valley, FCLC ’11, who originally lived on the Rose Hill campus, found an apartment in the city.

“I enjoy that quietness,” said Valley. “I lived on the Rose Hill campus and it’s very distracting. There are lots of people all the time. I get to get away from college life and constantly being around people.  I get more work done when I’m not living on campus.”

For Ashley Breunich, FCLC ’12, the increased privacy is the best thing. After living in McMahon for two years, she moved off-campus to save money. Another upside? She can have two cats.

“I think it is a great transition from college life to the real world,” Breunich said. “I like being able to be at school when I want to be but then have the ability to retreat to a more private place. I feel like it is really hard to get away from people when you need space at school.”

While there are a number of benefits to finding your own place to live, financial woes often seem to plague college students. From rent to commuting, electricity and cable, the expenses rack up when you decide to stick it out solo. And although residing in the apartment-style suites of McMahon is no small pocket change, its price tag does include free laundry, gym, furniture, electricity and cable.

“Financially, it’s a ton of money and I can’t get any help or grant because I’m not at home,” Williams said. “Rent, Internet, television, phone, groceries, metro cards, taxi, gym membership and eating out cost a lot of money.”

“It’s expensive,” Valley agreed. “You spend a lot more money when you live in your own apartment.”

Some, like Breunich, found living off- campus a cheaper alternative to McMahon.

“My year-long lease is equal to about the same price as nine months in the dorms. Plus I get my own room!” Breunich said.

Making the switch to independent living while in college is one that must be carefully weighed and often rests upon how students view the true “college experience.”

Some students will greet a gray suit-attired guard tonight. Others will make the trek back to their crazy families and noisy siblings who demand homework help.

And then there are those who will prepare themselves a tasty dish of ramen noodles from their Ikea-decorated five-floor walk-up and contemplate decoding their sketchy neighbor’s Wi-Fi password in order to cut their exorbitantly high Time Warner cable bill.