One of the best decisions that all four of my children made as college students was choosing to live on campus. My oldest, in fact, spent all four years in campus housing and is now a successful medical doctor.

The reason I share this is because, as an educator, I have long believed that the educational experience extends far beyond the classroom. Some of your most valuable personal development during your college years, as my children learned firsthand, can be the result of where you call home.

That is why our residence halls are designed to be your home away from home during these transformative years and why they offer a kind of convenience you probably will never experience again.

Right outside of your residence hall, you have easy access to a wealth of campus resources, including the Peterson Library and the Beckerman Recreation Center. Your professors are close by, too. By living on campus, you are more plugged-in, and there is always something to do.

Last year alone, the Office of Residential Life organized nearly 800 social, cultural, and academic programs as well as a wide variety of leadership opportunities for students. That is in addition to the more than 3,000 programs planned by our Center for Student Engagement, Leadership, and Orientation.

When you live on campus, you have a priceless opportunity to immerse yourself in a welcoming, culturally diverse, and vibrant community that will broaden your outlook and enable you to move comfortably in future business and social situations.

Research shows that those who live in the residence halls earn better grades and are more likely to pursue an advanced degree. Further, they are more likely to have a successful and satisfying college career.

On campus, a good square meal is always within easy reach. Our menus strive to offer a wide variety of flavorful and nutritious options.

We listened to your feedback and used it to design our new meal plan options for the fall. In addition, we will be making significant renovations to The Marketplace, including many new specialty food stations.

The bottom line? I believe – just as scores of other university and college presidents do – that some of your most transformational experiences will take place outside of the classroom. You’ll forge lifelong relationships and build skills that will serve you well throughout your life.

Looking back, when my children entered college, they were thrilled — and, at times, a little intimidated — by the new freedom they had to make their own decisions. Some of the choices they made were reasoned and well-thought-out. Others, admittedly, still make me laugh.

But, I have to say, one of the best decisions they made was to live on campus. And I sincerely believe that the reasons living on campus was the smart thing to do for them continue to apply to students today.

Steven H. Kaplan
President
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