"... In our free-time because we have cars we can go off-campus into Durham to eat, or even grocery shopping is kinda fun to do nowadays."
Fer
Junior living Off-Campus
Off Campus
On Campus
Living off campus has been a new and challenging experience for many Duke undergraduate students during this unprecedented year. Students rushed to find affordable housing close to Duke’s East and West campus before fall semester, ending up in a spread of apartment complexes and homes around Durham with small clusters of their friends.
On campus living is significantly different to previous years. One primary distinction is that current on campus residents all have single rooms, unlike pre-COVID times where most students split rooms with roommates. COVID restrictions introduce a novel way of living for many students, where group interactions are limited in size and are mostly held outdoors.
Living off campus has brought students to find new ways to hold social interactions with their friends. Outdoor games, sports, and even grocery shopping are all fun ways to spend time with friends.
Interviewing a Resident Advisor
Rishi is a Resident Advisor (RA) residing on West campus. We recently interviewed him to outline some of the differences to residential life he’s observed.
He’s noticed among his friends and classmates that many were feeling much more isolated than before COVID times. Interactions with friends especially during the fall semester where fewer upperclassmen resided on campus were hard to come by and he mentioned a study on Duke graduate students that observed a substantial increase in depression rates among peers that could be applied to the undergraduate body.
An interesting anecdote in response to the question: in what ways has dorm social life changed the most during COVID, was that he missed the random late-night encounters he would have with fellow residents. These unexpected encounters in the hallways or even in the bathrooms could lead out into hour long debates about the meaning of life from just a quick greeting, and he misses that those interactions don’t occur anymore.
Off Campus Eating
Living off campus means students get to prepare their own meals instead of eating in the dining hall, offering a chance to cook some creative dishes. Students also get to eat off-campus in Downtown Durham or on 9th Street, allowing for much more variety in meals compared to student life on campus.
"People will post on social media that they're having like dinner out, lunch out every single day. They're having the time of their lives. But I don't think that's the general experience. "
Fer
Junior living Off-campus
