Whether university students, who are already adults,should be allowed to live in rented flats out ofcampus has been debated for some time. Recently theMinistry of Education has issued a formal documentin which it expressed its approval. This naturallyintensifies the debate. In my opinion, living oncampus is much better than living away fromuniversities because it helps students with theirstudy, their life as well as their understanding ofthe society.
First of all, living on campus can help students study better. Those who prefer to live offcampus usually say that living in a rented flat means that they can manage their own time withoutinterruption from others, and this can help their study. These may be true; but by living oncampus, students can stay closer to study facilities such as the library and language lab, thusgetting more information and training. Besides, they can have more discussion and groupactivities, and this is very important to put knowledge to use.
Secondly, living on campus can help students live a richer life. Students who live off campus saythat they can stay closer to shopping centers or cinemas, so they can enjoy a colorful liferather than the boring life at school. But this is wrong. Shopping or seeing movies is not thelifestyle suitable to students because they are distractive, time-consuming and expensive. Onthe other hand, there are a lot of facilities on campus which promise a colorful life. Forexample, on most campuses students can find cinemas, swimming pools, tennis courts, etc. Thesefacilities are less expensive or even free. Besides, there are usually some clubs on campus wherestudents can learn from each other, but students can seldom do so if they live off campus.
Lastly, living on campus can help create real friendship. Students who prefer to live away fromschool argue that they can stay closer to society, meeting different kinds of people, and becomemore mature. But this again is a misconception. On the one hand, they cannot spend enough timeon these people, therefore cannot really know them well enough. On the other hand, as universitystudents are young, they should first learn to stay with people of similar age. By living in thesame place for four years, students can learn to observe, understand, and deal with differentkinds of contemporaries, and build real friendship with some of them. This is more important thanstaying with various residents in the same building.
There is no denying that university students are adults, and their freedom and rights should berespected. The recent decision of the Ministry of Education is exactly a case to the point.But considering the benefits on students' study, life and understanding of the society, Istrongly suggest those who plan to live off campus to think before they leap. Anyway, foruniversity students, university is their home, and as the saying goes,"East or west, home is thebest".