When home is right around the corner, living there isn't so attractive

When people ask me where I'm from, I say I'm an "ex-townie." I grew up in Princeton, I've lived in the same house all my life and now I go to school here. Usually nobody challenges my assertion, but the other day, someone said, "What do you mean ex-townie? You're still a townie, right?"

I wasn't quite sure how to respond. Even though I was born and raised in Princeton, I associate myself with the University as much as I do with the town. So I stick to my original claim — I am an ex-townie. The reason: I don't live in the town of Princeton anymore. I live on campus, and there is a difference.

When I decided to attend Princeton, people often asked me if I was going to live at home. My answer was always a resounding, "No." If I did not live on campus, I would be expected to live at home. While I never had a strict curfew, my parents always expected me to be home well before they woke up the next morning. Drinking was strongly condemned, and bringing dates home for the night? Awkward at best. Things like this never caused me much trouble in high school, but looking ahead to college — who knew what sort of illicit adventures I might have?

Most students faced with the decision to live on or off campus don't have to equate the choice with a decision to live with their parents — or the decision to live in a town where they had already spent their whole lives.

Nevertheless, even if I did not have to live with my parents, I still would have chosen to live on campus. One of the main reasons is the wide gap between town and University life. Most students admit they never make it much past Nassau Street. And I don't blame them, as there aren't many reasons for University students to venture far off campus. Entertainment and food are mostly provided by the eating clubs or residential colleges, and there is the Frist Campus Center. And between extracurriculars, theater productions and ever-present schoolwork, there is more than enough to do right here.

If I were to live off campus, I know that, despite my best intentions, I would end up being on campus for class and not much else. Having an apartment doesn't mean just having a bigger room with a better bathroom and kitchen. It also means dealing with a lot of other things that I am glad I don't have worry about. Things like parking. And utility bills. And taking out the trash.

I had a taste of what it would be like to live off campus the summer after my freshman year. I was working on campus, and I had a few friends who were staying in Princeton during the summer. Because I didn't want to pay rent, I lived at home. I saw a lot less of my friends than I thought I would. I didn't live within walking distance, and so I had to plan out my transportation. Things weren't quite so spontaneous. And I like the spontaneity college allows. People joke about finally having to enter "the real world" after school. To me, living off campus means jumping into that real world too soon.

College should be an all-encompassing experience that includes more than just academics. Princeton may be slow and boring sometimes, but I wouldn't trade the 'Street' for the glamour of a New York apartment just yet. I'll always have the option to live in the city, but to be able to live down the hall from my friends, or to stay out late and party without having to worry about driving home, or to engage in a 3 a.m. philosophical discussion at the Wa — well, I'm not sure I'll always be able to have that.

So when the option of living off-campus presented itself, I politely declined. It's not that I don't love the town of Princeton, or New York or wherever else I might be tempted to live. But while I'm here at Princeton, I want to experience every part of college — and that means living on campus.

Alex Wood is a philosophy major from Princeton, N.J.