Students may want to take into consideration retention rates and grade point averages of students living on campus versus those living off campus when deciding where to live next semester.

A study conducted by the Department of Residence indicates students who live on campus during their freshman year are more likely to return their second year and even fourth year of school, as compared to students who live off campus.

The ease of making the transition from high school to college is one of the factors that can affect students’ retention rates, said Tom Hill, vice president for student affairs.

“Being in a structured system — a lot of students can benefit from that,” Hill said.

Students who live on campus generally have slightly higher grade point averages compared to those who live off campus, said Luke Roling, senior in chemical engineering and Government of the Student Body Inter-Residence Hall Association senator.

One factor affecting this difference is a student’s involvement in learning communities.

Students who live on campus have the option to live in learning communities, groups of students who are taking some of the same classes, within the residence halls.

If a student is having trouble in one or more of their classes, they are close to other students who may be able to help them answer questions.

“I think the greatest help to students is the different learning communities throughout the residence halls,” said Brian Ryherd, junior in psychology and GSB Inter-Residence Hall Association senator. “I can’t really speak from experience for myself, as I am a psychology major living on an engineering floor, but it is evident that having many students of the same major living together really helps with academic success.”

However, living on campus is not for everyone.

Some students may feel more comfortable in a living environment away from campus and the university simply does not have the ability to house all of the enrolled students, Hill said.

One alternative living option students have is living in a Greek community.

Like residence hall living, study groups are available in Greek houses.

“Each house has an academic chair who keeps track of what classes members are taking,” said Trace Camacho, Multicultural Greek Council and National Pan-Hellenic Council graduate assistant.

Informal study sessions take place in order to help students succeed in their courses, Camacho said.

A minimum grade point average is set in each house and it must be met by all residents in order to maintain membership within the Greek system, Camacho said.

Unlike residence halls that have community advisers, some Greek houses have house parents who give the living space more of a “home feeling,” Camacho said.

Off-campus living differs even more from on campus and Greek community living.

An issue within this living arrangement is the distance students are from campus and how that impacts their involvement within the university.

“In my experiences I have noticed that many students who live off campus tend to be more disassociated with university affairs than their counterparts that do not [live off campus],” said Michael Heilman, junior in political science and GSB off-campus senator.

Heilman said the administration and GSB should take this issue into consideration and put more effort toward involving off-campus students in university activities.

“We need to figure out how to make the experience of students that live off campus as fulfilling as those that live on campus. And in order to do so, more resources should be allocated towards that goal,” Heilman said.

Finding ways to successfully retain these students is one of the goals the off-campus government has, Heilman said.

“We need to make them feel as much a part of the university as any other student,” he said.

In the end, there are benefits and downsides to each living arrangement — it all comes down to the comfort level of the individual student.

Where do you live?

University housing

2008 — 33 percent

2007 — 32.7 percent

Greek

2008 — 3.5 percent

2007 — 3.7 percent

Off campus in Ames

2008 — 45.4 percent

2007 — 45.1 percent

Outside of Ames

2008 — 17.3 percent

2007 — 17.7 percent

Not reported

2008 — 0.9 percent

2007 — 0.9 percent

—Information from ISU Factbook