At the start of college, students are excited to move out of their parents’ houses to be on their own. However, this excitement soon turns into disappointment once they realize that there are still rules to follow, the food in college is not great, living with a total stranger is hard and dorm life is far away from the “real world.” Case Western Reserve University, in particular, requires students to live in a college dorm during their first two years of school. After that, they can choose to continue living on campus, move off campus or get free housing by becoming a resident advisor. The same applies for meal plans. First- and second-years are required to select a meal plan with a fixed number of meal swipes and mandatory CaseCash, whereas upperclassmen can choose to opt out of the meal plan. Although the benefits of short transport time and not having strenuous responsibilities may be alluring, living off campus has many benefits of its own.

Students can save money by living off campus. When living in a dorm, students have to pay numerous fees for various purposes even if they do not fully enjoy the benefits of the payments. When living off campus—depending on lifestyle and how frugal one is—students can have a lesser cost of living than they would have on campus. The average cost of upperclass dorms are in the range of $1,431 to $1,700 per month—equivalent or higher than the average one-bedroom or studio apartment rent cost near campus—for each person, and oftentimes students have to share the area with a roommate. For upperclassmen meal plans, the average price per meal is in the range of $12.90 to $21.60. Considering the quality of food offered in campus cafeterias, it would be more cost-efficient if students prepared their own food from scratch or dined out. By splitting the cost with those you live with, students can save so much money, living at a lower cost than they would in a college dorm.

Living off campus gives you more room for growth. Regardless of what students want for themselves at the moment, once they graduate college, they must learn how to live independently and take on responsibility. Starting at an early age, students can learn how to take care of their apartment, health and food, learn the value of money, maintain self-discipline with no one to enforce the rules and solve problems as they come along. Early exposure to these processes can help reduce the eventual burden of adulthood, which may entail holding a full-time job and requires you to navigate co-worker relationships and financial responsibilities such as insurance and retirement.

Also, if you have a roommate, living off campus helps you build skills in communication, negotiation and teamwork. Even if students are living with their close friends, they have fundamentally different backgrounds and lifestyles. Learning how to compromise on issues—such as a roommate bringing over loud guests—teaches the fundamental skill of adaptation to different personalities. Being accountable for other people’s money by paying their share of rent and utilities on time, doing designated chores, taking care of shared items and following the mutually agreed upon rules can make the transition to society outside of college much easier.

Finally, there is more freedom and privacy off campus. Despite being legal adults, there are fixed rules that accompany living in a dorm, such as quiet hours or guest access restrictions. However, once students move off campus, as long as apartment guidelines are followed, they are free to use their time as they like, have guests over whenever they want, own a pet, eat what they want and create the environment that suits them. This unlimited freedom allows students to get out of their comfort zone and explore life. Students can also learn that they should not enjoy unfettered freedom by only following self-initiated guidelines. After being accountable for themselves, they may learn that parents and teachers made rules and restrictions to protect them from harm. Although the thought of partying, drinking, dining out all the time and constantly playing video games is exciting—in the long run, they are habits that can cost one’s academic performance and physical and mental health.

Many students are apprehensive about moving out off campus because they fear responsibilities that they are not familiar with. However, one must eventually learn how to be independent, and getting an early start has its own benefits.