With the arrival of March, the search for rooms is heating up as students scramble for fall housing.
While many UB students are expecting the normal turmoil that goes with finding housing, some UB officials will not swear on anything yet.
Ursula Herz, the residence hall director in Fargo Quadrangle, said judging future housing trends thus far is difficult.
"It may be too early to tell because students just put in their housing deposits," said Herz.
According to the Office of Institutional Analysis, 62 percent of all UB undergraduate students lived on campus in 2003, compared to 79 percent in 2002.
The total capacity of all on-campus housing is 7,547 including both North and South campuses. The total UB population including undergraduate, graduate, and professional students is 27,255 in 2003.
Brandon Kappus, a resident advisor in Fargo Quadrangle and a senior international political science major, said despite changes in the statistics, housing trends remain stable.
"To tell you the truth, it's the same every year," Kappus said. "Almost all of the freshmen stay in residence halls. Most of the sophomores tend to come back to the residence halls, and it seems that many of the juniors don't stay in the residence halls."
Amy Lahut, a junior biological sciences major, lives in Flint Village. She plans on moving off-campus next year.
"The on-campus apartments are overpriced, especially for the quality," said Lahut. "It's about $450 per month for the double I live in. It's not worth it."
Lahut said she is considering more economical options for the coming year.
"There's a lot of cheap housing, its just a matter of finding open housing when my lease expires," she said.
Although some may think the on-campus apartments are overpriced, Kappus said that complaints in the residence halls are scarce.
"I really don't hear any complaints," Kappus said. "Some people have metal furniture and I hear some complaints about that. Most are satisfied. They adjust to the problems."
Herz said that almost all the complaints she encounters are personal conflicts.
Students who live with their parents are at an advantage this time of year. They can avoid the burdens of choosing a roommate and finding an apartment, and still have all the comforts that family life affords.
Kristin Engel, a junior sociology major, lives with her family and commutes 30 minutes each day to campus.
"I feel comfortable living at home," she said. "I like to stay closer to my family, really close. I would feel nervous to live in the dorm by myself. It's just out of my comfort zone."
Rachele Trippe, a freshman undecided major, lives in Wheatfield with her family. She said she does not mind living at home, but she is trying to move to University Heights this fall.
"A couple of friends and I are getting an apartment by South (Campus)," Trippe said. "We have relatives that can pass down a house to us so it's a pretty good setup."
Students who live on-campus and off-campus agreed that convenience is an important issue when they consider housing.
Jungsun Son, a graduate student studying economics, has lived off campus for eight months. She is currently thinking about moving on campus.
"Buffalo's winter is so long, I don't have a car, and I don't want to walk to school," said Son. "Living on campus is better. It's more convenient. I can use all the facilities on campus, like the gym and library."
Son said she would prefer on-campus housing for short-term study.
"It is so expensive to live off-campus," she said. "I don't want to buy a car because I stay here for only one more year, I don't want to buy furniture. There is too much to spend."
Vanessa Graf, a junior political science major, has lived on-campus for three years and is moving into the on-campus apartments next year. She says that living on campus brings certain freedoms.
"It's really convenient to live on campus," Graf said. "It's easy to get to classes, especially in the winter. In the winter, the transportation is terrible. Parking is an issue. It takes an hour to get to school and the students still have to find parking."
