From left, neuroscience junior Cody Genaw and psychology junior Amber Shekoski unload a car to move into an apartment at Cedar Village on May 12, 2013. This summer will be the first summer that the two are staying on campus. Danyelle Morrow/The State News
With the arrival of the summer semester, students choosing to stay around for classes or internships are tasked with finding places to live for the next four months -— dorms, houses, apartments, co-ops and even couch-surfing from friend to friend all are viable options.
For off-campus living, the straits are far from dire, as classified websites and social media giants allow users to comb through the hundreds of subleasing options posted on the web.
Whether students want to live cheaply and make a few friends or get lavish living for the price of a studio apartment, the market for renters is lucrative, while those desperate to pay rent on places they don’t plan on living face cutthroat competition.
A classified site exclusively for MSU students, allMSU.com, bulges with renters attempting to outclass one another as the spring semester comes to a close.
Allie Merritt, a criminal justice junior, said living off campus was a welcome relief compared to life in the dorms.
“I chose to live off-campus because of the freedom,” Merritt said. “I can buy my own food, bring my own furniture, things like that.”
However, students seeking to forgo temporary leases off-campus have a plethora of options on campus, according to Ashley Chaney, assistant director of communications for Residence Education and Housing Services. Students have the option of living in Snyder, Phillips and Owen halls as well as University Village during the summer. Chaney said that students currently leased in Spartan Village also have the option of staying on campus, though they are not allowed to sublease their properties.
“(Living on campus) is a great option for students, whether they are taking classes or if students have a job with the university,” Chaney said.
She added that students living on campus don’t have to contend with buying groceries or paying utility bills. This summer marks the start of free laundry in all residence halls in an effort to encourage students to live on campus.
Convenience was the main factor in Jack Stephan’s decision to live in Snyder Hall this summer. The biosystems engineering sophomore said the choice came down to having classes, work and everything else close to his residence.
As the dust of departing students settles in East Lansing, those who remain are allowed to choose from a variety of options to seize their ideal living situation.
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