With the end of the fall semester coming up, students have gotten used to the flow of college. Formerly terrified Freshman are nearing the end of their first college semester with lots of experience under their belt.

Yet, you can hear them upset over the thought of having to come back to their crowded dorm rooms next semester. Freshman—except for those who meet specific criteria—are required to live in the dorms on campus for the first year.

This should not be required as it honestly isn’t worth the fuss. Although the first semester of a Freshman’s life in college is difficult, it is also extremely expensive. With housing and meal plans costing upwards of $4,000 a year according to the Emporia State website.

The tuition itself is only $3,404 for in-state students. Why should students pull out loans to pay for room and board outright when they could just get an apartment off campus and pay a smaller fee monthly without raking up student debt?

If ESU allowed freshmen to live off campus, it could save them at least $4,000 in loans. Now, an apartment isn’t cheap by any means.

However, with a part time job, a student can pay monthly rent and not have to pull out student loans to pay their room and board at the beginning of each semester.

After interest rates on loans, it is much cheaper for students to get an apartment and pay for a car. Students don’t need their loan debt hovering over them for the rest of their lives. If someone wants to live in the dorms, wonderful.

Give others the chance to save themselves some money in the long run.