Around the spring semester, a lot of Mississippi State University students are faced with the decision to live on campus or off campus. Both have advantages and disadvantages, and the decision you make will determine your college experience, so making the right decision is very important.
   When they first arrive at college, most students are so excited to move into their dorms and begin their new independent life without rules. That is, until they find out living on campus comes with its own set of parental guidelines. When you stay in a dorm, you are given a curfew, told what items you can and cannot bring into your dorm and told there are absolutely no pets. Also, depending on which dorm you move into, and this is always first come first serve, the space can be very small. You may have to sacrifice and drastically cut down your wardrobe and leave your favorite chair at home. This can be aggravating for college students. However, most deal with it because there are also benefits to staying in dorms. Staying on campus means you can walk everywhere and save gas. It is also the easiest way to meet new people on your floor and make great connections.
    In contrast, living off campus gives you more freedom. You and your friends are free to go as you please, there are no major limitations as to what you may and may not bring to your house or apartment and some allow you to have pets for an additional fee. You can opt to rent an unfurnished apartment or town house and decorate however you want with a room all to yourself. Turn the lights on and stay up as long as you want. However, there are  also disadvantages to living off campus.  You may feel isolated from campus and miss out on some on-campus activities. If your off-campus housing is not close, you may burn a tank of gas driving back and forth to school every day. That’s less money for spring break this year.
   Now let’s talk about one of the biggest issues — the cost. To stay in one of the newer dorms like Magnolia Hall costs $3,032 per semester, $6,062 per year. The least expensive, Rice, Herbert or Evans Hall, costs $3,688 per year, according to MSU housing’s website. Off-campus housing can range from $3,000 to $8,000, depending on where you stay and how many bedrooms your housing has. The more people to an apartment or house, the less your rent is. It all depends on where you prefer to live and what you are willing to pay.
   Off-campus living seems to be the most ideal. You have more freedom, can choose your accomidation preferences and you can pay monthly instead of paying a large amount at one time the way you would pay for a dorm.    
    There are so many apartments to choose from in Starkville. Coming next fall, Starkville will have a town-house subdivision called Aspen Heights. These houses will be two to five bedrooms. Prices range between $499 and $575 per month, and they will allow pets. The Pointe at MSU has two to four bedrooms and can range from $475 to $786 per month, depending on which room you get. It comes furnished and is not pet-friendly, so if you are allergic to cats or dogs that will not be an issue for you at The Pointe.
    Regardless of pros and cons, students need to choose what will work best for them, not what seems ideal. Keep in mind what is most important to you. Remember, this is where you will most likely spend the majority of your time during your college career. Put serious thought into where you want to stay while you are in college before you sign your name on a lease.