Foreign Students Off-Campus

Once their kids receive confirmation of acceptance to colleges in Canada and United States, well-off parents make plans to travel with them to help them settle in the foreign country.

Settling in, involves deciding whether students will live in dormitories (dorms) or off-campus in rented apartments or houses. Living off-campus can be expensive for foreign students because of the exchange rate.

For example, if parents need 20 local shillings to make up one Canadian dollar, how much more one-term tuition? Add $800 monthly, for a simple one-bedroom apartment. That is quite steep, even for rich parents.

Living in the dorm is cheaper and has some advantages, especially if foreign students are not fluent in English or French. It will enable them to learn the language in context i.e. how and when it is used.

Laundry for instance. They might come from countries where sisters, mothers or live-in housekeepers wash their clothes. Living in the dorm will teach them how washing machines work and the coins needed to gurgle them into action.

Foreign students that decide to live outside campus have their reasons.  They might want to cook their own food, pray uninterrupted, play their own music or dedicate more time to studying instead of being active in campus social activities.

LIVING OFF-CAMPUS
Points to consider.

l Most apartment buildings want a security deposit with the first month’s rent because young people have vandalized apartments in the past.

l Some apartment buildings don’t take students at all.

l Will it be shared accommodation with one or two friends?  If it is, landlords want that in the rental lease.

l Most apartment buildings want some references from where you rented before, which is a tough call if you are new in the country.

l Most apartment buildings have a noise policy e.g. no music or noise after 10 p.m. Neighbors might regard the way you speak your language as loud and complain.

l Your neighbors might not like your religion and complain when they see more than five of you in one place. 

l Public transport (buses and trains) run like clockwork in both Canada and U.S. but winters are rough to the bone. Students who live in dorms can struggle to wake up but once they do, they walk  in covered passages to lectures and libraries. You have to contend with bus delays if you live 20 minutes from school.

CONCLUSION
Living in or out is subjective and depends on finances (most students have part-time jobs). Whatever the choice, it should be made with one destination in mind: graduation day, especially for foreign students whose parents changed local currencies for the mighty dollar.

By: Nonqaba waka Msimang.