Should Indian undergraduate students at US universities like Rochester live on campus or in off-campus apartments?

Living on campus for all four years is strongly recommended and significantly underrated advice. The case is not primarily about cost, it is about the quality of the experience and the time you get back. When you live on campus, you are never dealing with lease negotiations, furniture purchases, utility bills, or the logistics of commuting. Those hours and mental bandwidth go directly into academics, internship applications, networking, and social life. Campus living also means you are physically present for spontaneous events, study groups, late-night conversations that turn into lasting friendships and professional connections, and the daily social fabric of university life.

• For Indian students in the US for the first time, the adjustment period is already significant, having a built-in community through campus housing removes one major source of friction.
• Students who move off campus often report missing the campus community more than they expected and spending more time on domestic logistics than they anticipated.
• If it is financially viable to stay on campus, the experiential case for doing so is strong enough that it warrants the premium.