Walking into the upstairs apartment on Elm Steet, one will expect to get hit with the strong scent of a Pumpkin Spice Yankee Candle. It’s a welcoming space of earth toned throw pillows and fall patterned fuzzy blankets.

Artwork decorates the walls and the slanted ceilings with windows allow for warm rays of sunshine to brighten the place up.

It’s much different than the seemingly uniform dorm room.

Although campus life is one of the major selling points of VTSU Castleton and college in general, there usually comes a time in a student’s life where they transition from living on campus to living off campus.

But the décor isn’t the only thing that makes apartment living so special. There are many differences that are obvious between living on campus and having an apartment of your own, including access to food and cooking.

“A pro would be that we have a kitchen. We can cook. I think all my roommates and I love to be able to go grocery shopping and cook and have actual meals. We do a lot for football Sundays. We like to do crockpot meals,” said Jade Jamieson, the current resident living in the apartment on Elm Street.

Although Jamieson likes the aspect of at-home cooking, others have different thoughts.

“I just miss, like, having my meal plan. Like Fireside points. I just miss Fireside points, really. And not having to drive to school, like driving to campus sucks especially for morning classes,” said Tyler Serrani.

There’s also a familiarity and level of privacy within the apartment that is not so easily acquired in the dorm living, students say.

Several dorms on campus have communal bathrooms, adding some mystery to a simple bathroom break.

Sometimes that mystery is unwelcomed.

“Like in the dorms, if I walked out, especially in Ellis I was in a communal bathroom. I’d walk out and I’d see like five people instantly and I’m like ‘alright I don’t want this,’” Jamieson said.

“But now I walk out here, and I know who I’m expecting. I know who I’m going to see and they know who they’re going to see so it’s nice,” she said.

The financial aspect is also something that must be considered when examining the two types of college living.

On-campus students have their pick of Fireside and Huden, which is included in their meal plan. It’s easy to scan your Student ID and not acknowledge how much money it costs to have these options.

However, when living off campus, that cost is not so easily ignored.

“One time me and Reilly went to Shaw’s for eggs. Just eggs. We both spent like $75. And all the stuff was gone like three days later,” said Sya Barnes. “I was like, this cannot be my life. Like constantly going to buy stuff and it’s always gone.”

On campus, there are also a ton of activities for students to constantly be involved in. There’s always a CAB event to attend, a play to see, or a game to watch. But living off campus, students find different ways to occupy their time.

“We’ve set up our own golf course in our apartment, Jamieson said.

“My roommates are big into golfing so they have cups that are holes, and our apartment is kind of slanted so it’s kind of weird because the ball will roll back,” she said

Students living off campus are also exposed to a different side of Castleton, including taking part in activities in the town.

“One day me, Reilly and Hannah were sitting in the living room and we heard noise so we looked out the window and there were people playing in the band at Third Place. So, we went over and we had drinks,” Jamieson said.

People can have more freedom living off campus, without RA’s, they said.

“It’s also nice that we don’t have RA’s come knocking on our doors because we’re laughing a little too loud or watching a movie a little too loud,” Jamieson said.

Whiles Barnes and Jamieson are relieved there are no more RA’s, Barnes is also thrilled to not be disturbed by the frequent fire alarms.

“The fire alarms. God, I hated them,” she said.

Although it might be a little more of a costly experience, living off campus gives students a little bit more freedom and a different perspective of life in Castleton.

Being in the dorms is incredibly beneficial for underclassmen, but some students eventually find its time for a different scene.

“I feel like a lot of people say like ‘oh when you get an apartment, you aren’t going to see any of your friends, you aren’t going to be able to experience any of the normal college experience,’” Jamieson said. “But it’s like, now that I’m a senior, I’ve already experienced that for three years so it’s time to move on and experience something different and having an apartment is helping me do that.”