Planning Your Housing Experience

A Guide to Planning Your YSU Housing Experience

In addition to choosing a college and choosing a major, choosing where you live while you’re a college student can have a huge impact on your success, happiness, and wellbeing. There are many options available to YSU students – living in the residence halls, living in an apartment near campus, or commuting from home. This guide is intended to help students and their families as they consider the options available and make the best choice to support student success. Choosing your YSU housing experience in a deliberate way has a direct impact on your success and growth over the course of your studies at YSU, preparing you to walk out of the classroom and into the world.

First Year Housing

Though YSU doesn’t have a general housing requirement, YSU highly recommends that first year students live in the residence halls. The residence halls provide an extensive set of benefits for students as they transition into life at YSU including:

COMMUNITY:

Open your door to meet 30+ students who share a floor with you, or close the door and get to know your roommate well. Meet hundreds of students who live in your building and in other residence halls by attending programs and eating at the dining hall.

CONVENIENCE:

Residence halls are a convenient distance from academic buildings, the student union, the Rec, the library, and more! First year students are permitted to have cars on campus, but you can walk where you need to. That’s a bonus on snowy Ohio days!

ALL-INCLUSIVE COSTS:

Your housing fees include your furnished room, meal plan, utilities, high speed internet, laundry, and programming & events.

DIRECT APPLICATION OF FINANCIAL AID:

Financial Aid is applied directly toward payment of your housing bill. You can pay any charges that aren’t covered by financial aid and scholarships by enrolling in the university payment plan.

24/7 STAFFING AND SECURITY:

 Cafaro, Kilcawley, and Lyden House each have a front desk that is staffed 24 hours per day, seven days per week. Student staff (RAs or Resident Assistants) and Professional Staff (Housing Coordinators) live in the building and serve in an on-call rotation to respond to any emergency. Building access is limited to residents of the building and the guests that they sign in.

9-MONTH CONTRACT (ACADEMIC YEAR ONLY):

Most apartments require a 12-month lease. The residence halls also offer a process to request to be released from your contract if you leave YSU; other apartments require you to pay the balance of your lease or find someone to take over your lease if you are no longer a student at YSU.

LIVING LEARNING COMMUNITIES:

Students in the Honors College and Cliffe College of Creative Arts have specialized communities in the residence halls to integrate learning that occurs in and out of the classroom.

FLEXIBILITY IN ROOM ASSIGNMENT:

Room changes options are available if your first room isn’t the best fit for you.

MEAL PLAN:

Not only do you not need to cook, you also don’t have to wash the dishes or shop for groceries!
 

Housing & Residence Life Website 

Apartment Living: Year Two and Beyond

We’d love to have you stay in the residence halls for your whole college career – and you’re welcome to do so! But we also understand if you’re ready for a change of pace, a new view, and an opportunity to develop more autonomy during your second year at YSU.

The University Courtyard Apartments are owned by YSU and provide a great next step after the residence halls. Students gain many of the perks of apartment living—private bedrooms, sharing a bathroom with fewer folks, a kitchen to develop cooking skills—but also maintain some of the services of the residence halls, including live-in staff for support and emergency response. Rent charges will be applied to the student’s University account, which allows for all student aid to be applied toward rent payment. As students are developing their financial management and budgeting skills, inclusion of housing fees in the university bill is a great way to make sure that a plan is in place for rent payment each semester.

For more information about University Courtyard Apartments, click the button below!
 

University Courtyard Apartments Website 

Preparing for Apartment Life

Students who choose apartment style living should be prepared for the following new responsibilities:

MEALS:

Students are responsible for grocery shopping, meal preparation, and doing the dishes. Or, students can elect to buy a meal plan to meet their needs: https://aviserves.com/ysu/meal-plans.html

CLEANING:

Students are responsible for cleaning their respective room, and will share responsibility with roommates for keeping the bathroom, kitchen, and living room clean.

UNDERSTANDING A LEASE:

Leases are legally binding contracts, so they should be thoroughly reviewed before signing. If a student leaves the university, they are obligated to fulfill the terms of their lease, either by paying personally or by lining up another student to sublease the apartment and complete the time remaining on the lease.

12-Month Commitment:

Apartment leases are for the full year, not just the fall and spring semesters. Students have access to their apartments without interruption during winter break and spring break, and through the end of their lease in July.

Click the This or That? button below for other items to consider as you determine the best fit for your housing needs.
 

This or That? Housing Edition 

YSU Housing Finder: Exploring Options On and Around Campus

Students who would like to gain more independence and further develop their financial management skills may choose to move to an off-campus apartment or house during their final years at YSU. In addition to the responsibilities listed above, students will be required to pay rent monthly, and depending upon the property, may also pay various utilities each month as well.

YSU has partnered with College Pads to provide one central spot for students to view available housing on and around campus:  www.housingfinder.ysu.edu

Useful features of the Housing Finder site include:

• Filter housing listings by style, price, and amenities
• Find other students who are looking for roommates
• View available options for subleasing or lease takeover for the remainder of a lease period
• A marketplace for students to buy, sell, or trade items with other students
• Renter Education videos to help students understand the language and landscape of leasing
   

College Pads Housing Finder Website 

Tips for Students Who Continue to Live at Home While Attending College

Many successful Penguins live at home while studying at YSU. Here are a few tips for transitioning to life as a college student while still living with your family.

TREAT COLLEGE AS YOUR FULL-TIME JOB.

When you come to campus in the morning, plan to stay for the day! Make the best use of your time (and gas money) by staying on campus between your classes to study, eat, workout, or work.

WORK ON CAMPUS.

Student employment is a great way to build connections, make use of down time between your courses, develop your skill set, and establish campus connections who can serve as professional references down the road! Bonus: student employees have priority registration status!

ATTEND EVENTS.

This is a great way to meet new people, learn about campus resources, and find your home on campus (even though you’re still living at home).

GET INVOLVED.

Students who participate in fraternities, sororities, honors programs or other co-curricular activities are more likely to stay enrolled at an institution and more likely to graduate. Check out recsports, club sports, and student organizations for just about every interest!

REVISIT EXPECTATIONS WITH YOUR FAMILY.

Do high school rules & curfews still apply? Who is doing the cooking, cleaning, & laundry? How will you balance new freedom with responsibilities in the house? What expectations are in place to help with younger siblings or other family members? If a vehicle is shared, how will use, gas, time, etc., be planned?

DESIGNATE A STUDY SPACE. 

College studies demand additional time and focus beyond what might have been required for success in high school. Carve out a space in your home where you can focus on your studies with minimal distractions.

Learn MORE!

To learn more about living in the residence halls, click the button below! Housing applications open in February for the next fall semester, and in November for the next spring semester.
 

Housing & Residence Life Website 

The university recognizes that there is a substantial financial commitment involved in living away from home, so it is a decision that each student and family must carefully consider. We encourage students and families to explore the feasibility of a student living on campus for their first year at YSU. This experience will support a student as they transition from high school expectations to college expectations, give convenient access to all university resources, and establish a network that will support students for the remainder of their college experience – no matter where they live after their first year.

A variety of campus departments provide scholarships specifically for housing, including Honors College, Athletics, Club Sports, and Marching Pride. For more details about financial support, visit the Financial Aid & Scholarships website.

Have questions as you consider options for Housing at YSU? Contact Erin Driscoll, Interim Associate Vice President for Student Affairs: eedriscoll@ysu.edu