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Off Campus Housing

 
Old 07-08-2010 at 09:27 PM   #1
eSsBee
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Off Campus Housing
Hey everyone,Ive got a major dilemma with my parents.I applied for Residence at Mac and didnt make the guaranteed position. Anyhow Im clueless about my chances of actually getting a room on residence ..I am currently 51 on the list.(first year)

Id like to get a place off campus with a new friend I made,but my parents think its very "unsafe".
What can I say to argue my case.If I don't get residence I'll be commuting and hour trip on the GO everyday...

Any strong arguments I can use in favor of moving off campus?
Old 07-08-2010 at 09:34 PM   #2
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Well, you have a pretty decent chance of getting res (I've heard that the top 100 usually get in).

As for arguments, thousands of Mac students rent houses in the area every year, and everyone's fine It depends on your parents, what arguments work for them. More independence/responsibility, it's the common/expected thing to do, Mac has an off-campus housing office to help you look over your lease and you can go to them to get help with any problems you have, it's cheaper than living in res, etc etc.

Edit: Also, how safe is it going to be taking the GO at midnight? What time does the GO stop running? In first year I had group meetings until 2-3am, but luckily we all lived on campus, except for the poor guy that was in Brandon and ended up living in a hotel downtown...

Personally, I think either option is safe, but you might want to push how the GO bus is unsafe/inconvenient if your goal is to live in Hamilton

Last edited by nerual : 07-08-2010 at 09:36 PM.

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Old 07-08-2010 at 11:09 PM   #3
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You will have your own room, most landlords live close by so if theres an issue you can call them, and you get to meet more people. Oh, and you can save on the meal plan! off campus food is alot cheaper
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Old 07-09-2010 at 12:05 AM   #4
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You can also consider the cons of commuting. Like an hour of GO travel back forth could be time spent in the library, as opposed to a 10-15 min walk back home. Commuting takes up a lot of your time too, and travel every day can be a real booger, especially if your schedule is not in favour of it (ie morning classes and late night evening classes). You'd get home real late, and then come back to school early in the morning. The fatigue and the stress commuting puts you through -- really not worth it. Take consideration of weather too. Commuting is a hassle especially during winter season because of the really horrible weather (we had a couple last year), and buses tend to be full, cramped, and really wet and cold. The big and final factor in commuting ties in with group work and EXAMS. I hate to admit it, but commuting really does affect group work, and study groups. The further away you are from school, the harder it is to get in contact with you, and communicate. Sure, you can communicate via internet or phone or texts, but it's definitely more productive if you can actually see each other, doing the work together. I mean, yeah, you can always go on separate ways after meeting, but at the end of the day, the more you and the group meet up, the more you'll be connected because the communication is there.

I personally recommend residence, because honestly, everything becomes so close, so near, there shouldn't be a reason, why you shouldn't go to class, in fact be late in class I mean yeah, you can come up with a bunch of reasons -- watching late night movies from DC++, doing laundry at 4 am, talking to friends, etc -- but at the end of the day, there shouldn't be any excuses why you shouldn't go to class unless it's a legit reason/emergency (sick, family, more important errands than school).

Two things with parents and off-campus housing. TWO BIG THINGS:
I think when parents think off-campus, they think it's almost the same as your house, so why not just stay in (your parents') house. Their main concern, thinking from their perspective is probably that their child would get too comfortable in such setting, that they might forget about studying. Which is absolutely true (that line of thinking that parents have, that is) because well, off-campus housing does have that stereotype that it's all about parties! But, if you tell them straight up about your goals and your issues, I think they'd maybe consider it.

Second, parents, of course are more worried for their son/daughter to live off campus on their first year (or any year) because of the people their child would live with. Trust is of course a main issue with parents. If you could, maybe find a house of upper years who also have the same goals with you, or have the same interests / cultural background as you do, maybe your parents would re-consider. It's gonna be tough.. but what's a challenge? Find out what they want for you, really, and find a compromise. You get off-campus housing, with their rules. These are our parents.. and we should obey. But learn to voice your concerns and your issues too!

Because honestly.. commute is a B&#$%!

It just takes communication! I had my fair share in convincing incoming and upper year parents to live either in residence or off-campus as opposed to commuting. (Mainly residence though!)

Good luck with this!!

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Old 07-09-2010 at 12:14 AM   #5
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I would rather stick nails in my feet than commute again.
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Old 07-09-2010 at 12:14 AM   #6
Marlowe
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You'll also save on laundry and rent, and you'll be much more likely to actually use your HSR pass. You'll be able to study more effectively, since you don't need to worry about crowded libraries or noisy roommates. If you get a membership to SOCS you'll save tonnes of money at places all over Hamilton.

And while food has already been mentioned, you'll be eating much better food as well. You would have to try pretty hard to cook something less healthy than campus food, and you'll be much more likely to eat fresh fruits and vegetables if you're already stopping at a grocery store. (Emphasis on fresh- unlike the pre-sliced fruit on campus). The fresh thing actually applies to other foods as well- good luck finding any fresh bread products on campus, whereas there's a pretty good bakery by the Westdale library.

You'll also most likely have a bigger and nicer room than if you had stayed in res, and a bigger and nicer bed.

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