A personal insight I have gained since transitioning to Off-Campus living would be time management. Since living off campus, I have noticed that there is a lot less structure than living in residence. For example, in my first year, I had to follow my school schedule, which has not changed but I also had to make time to attend meals. Since the dining halls have specific mealtimes for breakfast, lunch, and supper, you had to prioritize getting to the dining halls before each meal would end. Looking back, this added more structure to my daily schedule whereas now, I choose when I have my meals.
Another aspect that has contributed to my time management is my proximity to my classes. In my first year, I lived in Victoria Hall. It is fairly central to most buildings on campus, however, in the last few years, my house is about a ten-to-fifteen-minute walk to the edge of campus. Depending on where my classes are, I have to take into consideration the time it will take me to arrive at my classes on time and prepared. I am moving again next year to a place even further than this year and I will have to adjust my habits again.
Furthermore, living on campus provided me with an immediate sense of community since everyone around me was following relatively the same schedule that I was. For instance, my friends were in a lot of the same classes, lived in the same building and we would all go to the dining halls at the same time. Whereas, living off campus, we’re all on different schedules now that our course loads are more focused, and we have other commitments like jobs, clubs and volunteering. This plays into developing a better sense of time management, not solely with schoolwork and classes, but with meals, social aspects, and even making time for yourself as well.