By: Iris Kolenich

Wesleyan can charge its students whatever it wants, no matter the reality of the cost of living in Buckhannon. They advertise that living on a residential campus builds stronger relationships making it all worth it. As students attend Wesleyan, you’ll see most students opt to pay for the most expensive living for single rooms or they attempt to live in off-campus houses or bypass college residences at all. Which is truly better?

Around Buckhannon, like everything, prices are going up for apartments and houses. Today, an apartment with two bedrooms is $1,200+, and one can’t be found for less than $750. The picture included in this article shows room prices, but because math is hard, rent for six months paying $800 a month is $4,000, including a kitchen, private bath, bedroom, and often a living area. A Wesleyan room offering the whole by-yourself experience (private room and bathroom) costs about $8,000-$9,000 a semester, not including the $5,000 meal plan.

For the purposes of this article, a Google form was sent to many students from all over campus and from different class levels. Questions on the form ranged from their cost of living and food, parking, roommates, etc. In the end, there was an option for students to share any other thoughts or opinions they wanted to.

The results were as follows: When it came to those paying rent, the lowest was $350 a month (aka $1,750 a semester), and the highest was about $8,000 a semester (meal plan included.) The majority didn’t have roommates; two students had one, another had three, and the last had 12. Over 50 percent of those responding had a pet and take care of the animals in terms of food, additional rent charges, etc. If these prices have you thinking of off-campus living, remember the school usually requires a doctor’s order and personal statement.

Regarding meal plans, there was a consensus in every response that they would rather feed themselves and pay additional money for groceries to the $ 5,142-a-semester meal plan. Everyone spends between $30 (most) to $100 a week on groceries and a few mentioned that included eating out. One responder mentioned living off campus (in a house provided by the college) is “so much better than living in a dorm. I have enjoyed cooking for myself and am now eating healthier, more nutritious food. I do not find myself snacking as much throughout the day now.” This is common to hear across campus, as even in our nutrition courses at the college, professors admit what is offered isn’t what fits into a well-balanced meal. 

Moving on to situations all around campus, one is parking. Everyone but one paid $100 for a parking pass, and there were three in the additional comments section who added that parking is frustrating, often difficult to find, and those commuting to school often times couldn’t find parking spots in the allotted lots.

Another said, “Parking behind Fleming and Doney needs to be first come, first serve to those who buy parking passes because they fill up too quickly.” We all know there is a battle between wanting to go out or stay at the school because it is guaranteed you’ll be hard-pressed to find a spot again.

Other additional comments mentioned that the school is great, but it’s difficult to pay for, and two have jobs to support themselves.

A student commented, “Everything costs way too much at Wesleyan. There were moments where I didn’t know if me and my parents would be able to pay it.” This brings up the fact that everyone who chooses not to live in a college dorm or house must pay a $2,000 penalty, and they take about the same amount of scholarship money to make back the money a student would usually be paying.

All this information begs the question, why attend a residential campus if many try to escape it? Residential campuses are meant to create a closer college community. Most colleges (residential or not) require first-year students to be in a dorm. It’s a way to make friends and ensure a safe and clean environment. Think about all the activities Wesleyan hosts at all hours of the day. Students are much more likely to attend those if they don’t have to hop in their car and drive 5-15 minutes back to campus. Instead, they are a five-minute walk from one end of campus to the other, therefore increasing the chance of saying yes to the activity and gathering a group of friends to go. 

Do you feel Wesleyan is providing this for you? We would love to hear more thoughts in the comments section below.