Evacuating a warm dorm room at 3:00 a.m. for a fire drill is definitely not fun. Neither is waiting endlessly for an elevator that never seems to come or mail that just gets lost. Yet, these are just few of the "hassles" that University students, who have chosen to live on campus, say they have battled over the years. And, because of factors such as security and convenience, many of those students said they have no choice but to stay on campus. But students who feel trapped in the residential living monopoly should know that there are other options. Living off campus is not necessarily as dangerous or as inconvenient as they may perceive it to be. In fact, many University students are now choosing to live off campus as a reasonable alternative. They say that living off campus offers them a lot of advantages that they would not have if they chose to stay on campus. "I chose to live off campus because it was less of a hassle [than] the high rises," said College junior Leonard Cooperman, who lived in the high rises his sophomore year. "[Now] I don't have to wait for the elevators and no one is watching over your shoulder like an [Resident Advisor]." Cooperman added that living off campus did not inconvenience him in any way. He said that he did not feel alienated from the campus because he still lives close by. College and Wharton sophomore Ari Zur agreed. Living off campus gives him, "a little more freedom, a little more independence and better living arrangements." "You don't have to deal with fire alarms, with having to sign people in," Zur said. "[There are] less rules. It's your house." College senior Debbie Algazy said that one of the advantages to living off campus was that she, "[didn't] need to worry about the room size. All [of the ] rooms are bigger than the high rise rooms." Algazy added that although she chose to live off campus, she did not feel that she had compromised her safety and security. "[I am ] careful and use Escort Services or the Campus Apartments shuttle," Algazy said. Cooperman, who lives on 40th and Locust Street, also said he has had no problem with security. "On Locust Street there is almost always a cop."Cooperman said, "It is very well lit. Locust is a very secure place." Another advantage to living off campus is that it may be cheaper than living on campus. Both Cooperman and Zur agreed that paying residential living may be more expensive than just renting a house. "The reason I chose to go off campus was because I didn't want to deal with residential living," Zur said. "It was cheaper. It was a good idea." "You [get used to] paying bills instead of a lump sum for a high rise," Zur added. But, other students, like Algazy,did not chose to live off campus only because it was cheaper. Living off campus opened their eyes to new experiences and gave them more opportunities, they said. "You can have pets." said Wharton junior Eric Rychel. Many students agreed that while there are definite advantages to living off campus, it is still a personal choice. "I think it all depends on that person," Zur said, "Each individual must decide what is best for themselves. For some it's the best thing. For some people, they don't want to. And I respect that."
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