While the freedom of living independently draws many students off campus, there's still something to be said for free high speed Internet, 24-hour security and living under the same roof as hundreds of other students.
In fact, for 60 percent of Penn undergraduates, on-campus living is a solution to the yearly housing predicament.
College House spokeswoman Sue Smith said there are many practical advantages to living in a College House.
The high-speed Internet connections are one of the greatest perks, she said.
Smith also pointed to the faculty masters as an advantage of staying in a college house.
However, Smith said that the most enticing incentive to live in a college house is the social environment.
"For me, it's almost a given," Smith said. "In the college houses, you are guaranteed a really enriching mixture" of hallmates to interact with on a daily basis.
Other benefits Smith cited ranged from in-house academic help to free rodent and pest control to reduced-price music lessons.
Some students, like College senior Charlie Dan, choose to live in college houses to become residential advisers.
RAs don't have to pay for housing or dining costs and can receive potentially valuable pre-professional experience.
While College sophomore Brian Gartner chose to live off campus this year, he looks fondly back on his experience with on-campus housing.
"It was pretty sweet," Gartner said. "Spring Fling was fun, and [there was] accessibility to all the other freshmen," he added.
College junior Carlos Gonzalez also considered his social life when choosing to continue to live in a college house beyond his freshman year.
"The benefits of the college houses are meeting people and being in a campus lifestyle," he said. "If I go out, I go off campus, [and] I do not feel entirely part of the college experience."
He said he also likes how accessible the college houses are from Penn's academic buildings.
"They're so much closer to classes," Gonzalez said. "I don't have to walk."
