Feature Story - On-Campus Apartments

Kate Murphy

Newswriting and Reporting

Writing Assignment #6

            The alarm clock goes off and you get out of bed, making your way to the kitchen. Pouring yourself some cereal, you get ready to start your day. You are all dressed and begin your short distance to Tower Hall, noticing the crammed parking lots. After class, you make your way to second floor Cedar to start on your piles of laundry. Later at night, you could go to the Science Auditorium with your friends and laugh the night away with movies or head over to the Burns Wellness Commons to work out.

            Living on campus has its many benefits, from not having to worry about finding a parking spot to being able to interact more within The College of St. Scholastica community. CSS offers eight on-campus apartments for sophomores, juniors and seniors: Groves, Pine, Maple, Willow, Birch, Cedar Hall, Scanlon Hall, and Kerst Hall. Living on campus provides convenient access to college resources such as the library and Banner computer lab, as well as numerous student activities, such as intramurals and college organizations and clubs. It's all part of the college experience.

            “I believe that living on campus is a benefit,” Ben Fox, a resident of Willow apartments, said. “Living on campus keeps you close with your friends and your academic resources. Not to mention, it keeps you close to the BWC, which is a great place to blow off steam. Moreover, living on campus makes me feel a part of the community; what I do affects the other residents and impacts the school.”

            Being on campus also has the bonus benefit of building relationships and being able to count on people when you need assistance.

            “I live on campus,” Cody Adams, resident of Scanlon Hall, said. “I like being closer to people to who can help me with homework and I have the option to cook. Or I can go over to someone else’s place and I don’t have to cook!”

With a sense of freedom, students can feel like they are their own person. There are positives and negatives to being on your own though.

            “I love being on my own,” Jackie Sagedahl, a Cedar Hall resident said. “You realize that when your mom made you do chores it was teaching you to make sure your home someday is clean and organized and your kitchen and bathroom are clean.”

It’s one of the first times that the young adult can get a sense of what it’s like to live in the real world…and to be a “grown up.”

            “It has some ups and downs,” Sagedahl said. “With four girls in a two bedroom apartment, that's when you have to realize you're a grown up now and you need to start acting like it.”

            Even though living with other people can be stressful sometimes, being on your own can be a liberating experience.

            “Living in an apartment is pretty liberating,” Fox said. “When I lived in the dorms last year everyone was always right around the corner. In the apartments, everybody is scattered. However, the increase in responsibility is great. Being in charge of your food and the cleanliness of your living space makes you feel part of the real world. I think it is definitely going to better prepare me for life after college.”

With on-campus apartments and access right at your fingertips, St. Scholastica has made transitioning into the real world easier. Not only that, you also don’t have to wonder if you’ll ever find a parking spot.