A little institutionalized, a little strict, a little different. Extremely convenient, very useful for your goals.
There’s something about surrounding yourself in the place of your pursuits that holds a strong role in making accomplishment happen more easily.
The cost of housing at Woodbury University in either North or South Hall ranges from $6,000 – $9,000 per year. At most, that ranges from $700 – $1,000 per month that school is in session. This is not too far off from what I used to pay living in North Hollywood (4 miles away from campus @ $600/month) or what my friends pay for their apartments downtown LA at $1,100/month. Off campus, other costs tally up: electricity, water, everything must be purchased yourself even down to the toilet paper you use or your light bulbs that eventually burn out. With Residence Hall living, that chunk of money covers essentially everything. The best part is your eliminated commute in Los Angeles traffic.
Every now and then, I hear a freedom-craving resident talk about how ready they are to move out of these halls and on to their own apartments. I am supportive because having your own apartment could be really liberating. You do what you want there. However, having lived on my own prior to moving on to campus grounds honestly made doing well in school pretty hard. For instance, time I could have been in studio, conjuring up design ideas, learning drawing techniques for my architecture were robbed by sitting mindlessly in my car, waiting to get from point A to B before and after class. Money had to be made to make rent, so that was also less time spent in studio. Though the campus is always open, it was a lot less appealing to stay late to work because home is a distance away. Things I needed were not in close proximity. Leaving for the day required loading my car with everything necessary for the day. I couldn’t afford to leave anything behind or that meant completely missing out, or wasting time running home.
Now, being on campus, everything is in my favor to do well. There isn’t an excuse for why my grades shouldn’t be higher this time around. Needed naps can be taken because your bed is a few feet from class, breakfast is served bright and early in the morning, no dishes you have to do, everything is prepared, a free on-site gym is open for your mental and physical health, the list goes on.
If you are considering campus living, I say give it a try. Woodbury is not your traditional university. Don’t expect crazy partying, noisy halls, dirty kitchens or narc RA’s. I would say that most every resident here takes their school quite seriously and everyone seems to have a respect for one another. North and South Halls are so quiet, there isn’t much action or drama for an RA to catch even when we have our eyes out for it (which is all the time).
The campus being small, everyone knows one another, if not by name, then definitely by face. It creates this unsaid safe place to be. Each Resident Advisor has about 19 – 30 residents to call their own. In working with ResLife, I am proud to say I’ve worked alongside the most caring individuals who have gladly spent their Saturday nights talking to a homesick resident or helping them deal or cope with college life stress. The point is, the RA’s are here to make university living a better place. It’s a home away from home.
There is something about surrounding yourself in the place of your pursuits that holds a strong role in making accomplishments happen more easily. When you are trying to finish school and maintain focus, waking up to your resources and having your classes in your backyard makes it really hard to fall off track.
Photo Courtesy: Huffington Post and We Heart It