University of Minnesota - Twin CitiesOff-Campus Housing Summary

Written by Vishakha Mathur

Vishakha Mathur

Hometown

New Delhi, India

Major

Communication Studies

Grad Year

2014

View all previous student authors

Almost all students prefer to live off campus after their first year of college. Most students get fed up with the dorm food and limitations of living on campus property. Thus, there is a flood of students who look for affordable off-campus locations. The most popular areas are Dinkytown, Como Avenue, and Stadium Village. These places allow students to live in close proximity of campus, and thus, they are convenient places for college students. However, because these places are always in demand, this gives the landlords a way to exploit and over-rent the housing. Most of the houses are rundown and in need of renovation, but the rent is not any less. Apartments are a little more expensive on average, but they are usually in better livable condition. A student should start looking for an off-campus location as soon as possible to ensure that he or she gets a good place for a good price.

It is easy to cut down the average cost by having as many roommates as legally possible, to divide up the rent. Also, the farther away from campus one moves, the cheaper and easier it is to find a house/apartment. Many students have been migrating toward the Uptown area, which has good houses for much less cost. Even though it is far away, a semester bus pass can be obtained for $100, and it can be used an unlimited number of times on city buses. Therefore, living farther away and commuting does not seem so difficult with the good public transportation system.