Love it or hate it, the two year live-on requirement is a DU policy that is not about to change. According to Housing and Residential Education, unless you live within 45 miles, it is a requirement that undergraduates live on campus for their first two years at DU. This policy has an overwhelmingly positive effect on students whether they realize it or not.
Even though living for a year in J-Mac, Halls, Towers, Nelson or Nagel costs anywhere between $6,300 and $7,300, it is an essential part of the college experience.The most important reason for the live-on requirement is that it helps students to mature and grow personally.
Living alone or with parents does not challenge students to break out of their comfort zone and learn how to make new friends the same way living with classmates and fellow students does. Students challenging themselves socially at this point in their lives is a very important experience that cannot have a dollar amount attached to it.
There are a multitude of other reasons for the live-on requirement. One is extracurricular involvement. Students who live on campus feel more of a connection to events taking place on campus, and are more likely to join an organization or club sport. Plus, there is bound to be someone else in their hall or on their floor interested in the same thing, fostering friendship and a sense of community. Students living on campus also interact more with the faculty than those living off campus. Their offices are closer, and resources for help such as the Math Center, Writing Center and tutoring for foreign languages are much more accessible. This likewise contributes to a greater sense of community.
Living on campus also makes it more likely that students will remain in college and have greater expectations for their academic achievement, according to DU’s housing statistics.
Despite the cost, living on campus for at least two years is highly beneficial to all students.
College is not just about attending classes and earning a degree in four years. It is about discovering who you are and building a level of maturity that only breaking out of a comfort zone can yield.
