Elizabeth Song | College House haven

To stay on campus or move off? That is the question of the moment.

Whether 'tis nobler to suffer the hand holding and formalities that surround on-campus living or end them by joining the off-campus exodus.

Before I begin, let me disclose a little bit about myself. After two years of blissful on-campus living, I moved into an off-campus apartment complex with a few friends.

Why? I wanted to try something a little different. It was cheaper. I thought I was taking a step toward becoming an independent woman. And, like all those DP ads claimed, I had the vague impression that it was the "cool" thing to do.

These days, I live in the shadow of the high rises in a place called Hamilton Court. Fatal shootings, shady strip joints, night club violence? Yeah, that's the one.

Living outside the auspices of the College House system has a dark side. Be prepared to deal with anything from negligent landlords to intermittent Internet access and frozen pipes.

Imagine this scenario: It's a cold January morning. You wake up and find a homeless woman sleeping in the living room. That's exactly what happened to College senior Lottie Hudspeth when a homeless woman made her way through the unlocked front door, raided the pantry and fell asleep on the floor next to the couch.

It gets worse. "It turned out that she had lice, so we had to get our whole house fumigated," Hudspeth said.

You also learn some lessons the hard way. For instance, the trash doesn't take itself out. The light bulb isn't going to change itself. The vomit in the common room isn't going to clean itself up.

Still, according to Miki Farcas, director of the Office of Off-Campus Living, about 5,600 undergrads lived off campus last semester -- that's over 40 percent.

Given the numbers and the hype, it's no surprise that bright-eyed freshmen regard off-campus living as a utopia of sorts. No RAs? No security guards? It feels a lot like libertine heaven.

That's far from the truth. Your landlord isn't your mother. Lock your doors. Remember to pay your rent. Take care of the utilities. Call the cable company. Trudge over and get yourself a recycling bin.

Then there's the lease, encrypted in pseudo-legalese - I prayed that I wasn't signing my soul to the devil when I put pen to paper.

"Once you put the money down and once you sign the lease, you're basically hooked," Farcas said. "Read the small print and make sure to get a copy of every document that you sign." So if you decide to make the move, know your rights as a tenant before signing your soul away.

Meanwhile, Penn brochures tantalized me with what I was missing out on: "proximity to classes, enhanced safety features and carefree living." Roughly, this translates into five-minute walks to class, burly Allied-Barton guards and a diligent janitorial staff.

Amen to that.

More importantly, however, college is a rare opportunity to meet people you never would otherwise, expand your social network and engage with people who think differently.

But right now, I have no clue who my neighbors are.

That's why I'm headed back - for community and convenience.

Sure, I'll miss telling people in a suave voice: "I live off campus." It sounds grown-up, mature. I can handle the bills. I can throw raucous parties. I don't need to bother swiping those pesky PennCards.

But no matter where you live, it's the people you live with who count. And college houses are great for building community. I love it when the security guards greet you with a smile every morning. And did I mention the free food and nifty events?

My off-campus apartment complex, on the other hand, has all the grisly charms of a Victorian meat-packing plant (We lovingly dub it HamCo).

But I'll miss the memories. And I've definitely learned something by assuming the burdens of independence: Don't get caught up in the hype. Beware of the hidden hassles of leaving off campus.

Which brings me to my final point: Anybody want to sublet my place this summer?

Elizabeth Song is a College junior from Clemmons, NC. Her e-mail is song@dailypennsylvanian.com. Striking a Chord appears Tuesdays.

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