On campus living increases retention, grades
Despite moving off campus, Margaret Elias still finds the resources she used on Central Michigan University's campus essential to her success.
The Eastpointe junior said she is able seek academic advising and other student services on campus between classes, before returning home.
"I don't think moving off campus really had an impact on the amount of resources I use while I am on campus,” Elias said. “Since most of my classes keep me on campus most of the day, I have actually been able to study more during my break than I would if I were to go back home.”
In the Office of Institutional Research's most recent survey, conducted each year from 1999 to 2011, comparing student residents to those who lived off-campus, CMU student residents were reported to have a higher GPA than those who lived off campus.
Students living in a residence hall reported an average GPA of 2.73, the average for off-campus was 2.49, according to the study.
The same study reported 92 percent of student residents returned for a second semester, with 60 percent returning for a second year.
Students living off-campus returned at a rate of 77 percent for a second semester, while less than half of off-campus students returned for a second year at about 42 percent, according to the study.
Lake Orion junior Andie Roll said her GPA dropped .02 from her overall average when she left campus.
“I think I studied better being on campus because things like the UC or my dorm's lounge were only a short walk away. Now I have to pack up and drive there,” Roll said. “I saw my friends studying more when I was on campus. That really motivated me more than now when I hardly see my roommates doing anything.”
Joan Schmidt, director of Residence Life, said living in a residence hall provides students with a base for starting their college careers.
“It provides them much more than a place to eat and sleep but also a wonderful opportunity to learn how to live with others, become a part of a community, and grow while learning many new things about themselves and others,” Schmidt said.
The proximity to academic resources offered throughout campus, Schmidt said, is the reason for higher GPAs among student residents.
“I believe our Student Success Centers contribute to student GPA’s as well by providing assistance in the form of a Counselor in Residence, Academic Advisor and Success Coach,” Schmidt said. “I believe the passages that our students go through, particularly their first year, are addressed very well by living in our residence halls."
