UTC Campus Living: Pros & Cons

CHATTANOOGA, TENN (mocsnews.com)- Going to college and moving out or your parents’ house for the first time is such a huge step in life.  Making a decision to further your academic career at The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, is a step in the right direction for making your academic goals become a reality. Moving to a new town, or just a new environment can be a really exciting, but also a stressful time in life. College is already an expensive endeavor and finding affordable housing can be a challenge. Luckily, UTC offers housing so that students do not have to stress about finding somewhere safe and nice to live during their first year at school. Kelsey Krause, a 2020 undergraduate student from UTC stated that “I personally loved living on campus. There are pros and cons to both (living on vs off campus.)”

With that being said, campus housing can become expensive. Some would argue that it can be more expensive than living off campus. Unfortunately, freshmen and sophomores who live on campus are required to have a meal plan. This costs close to $4,000 a school year, depending on which meal plan you choose. According to the official UTC website, the “Mocs Bucks” that are offered expire at the end of each semester. This means that any unused Mocs Bucks just disappear, and the money is no longer put towards the individual student’s food. Having access to meals directly on campus is great, but for a lot of people, they do not want to eat campus food all of the time. Students still tend to spend money on groceries and eating out.

Living on campus can provide many perks. One of which consists of being in close proximity to your fellow UTC students. Amy Cobb, a recent 2021 UTC college graduate stated that “something I enjoyed about living on campus was how I was able to meet new people and I was really close to my classes. I could walk to all of my classes and I didn’t have to drive unless I just wanted to.” Being connected to your fellow classmates can have such a positive impact on a student’s college experience. In addition to being away from home for the first time, and possibly moving away from your friends, it is nice to already be surrounded by other UTC students.

^{A video that gives a glimpse into UTC’s housing options}

While being connected to other students is a wonderful experience, living with people you don’t know very well can pose a challenge. UTC does a lot of random roommates. This means that there is a high chance that you will not know some of the people you are going to be living with. According to UTC housing and enrollment, “roommate preferences are not guaranteed and are subject to room availability.” Cassetty Parrish, a senior at UTC stated that, “something that was hard for me coming into my freshman year was not knowing my roommates. Thankfully, we ended up getting along well with each other.” Living with strangers can be a hard obstacle to overcome. However, it is helpful that UTC has housing options available for students, and many of the dorms come with their own bedrooms.

UTC provides many great housing options for students. On campus housing also provides students with the opportunity to experience college to its fullest. There are pros and cons to both living on and off of campus. Everyone has their own experiences, but it is typically one that the student will not forget.