Introduction:
I chose to create a website about the reality of living on campus as I wanted to do something that was personal to me and to document my experience. Going into university, I honestly had no idea what to expect when living in a dorm with 3 of my closest friends, 4 hours away from my family. The topic of living on campus is important to first-year students or anyone who could potentially be considering the dorm lifestyle as this is usually the first time young adults live on their own. When I first moved in, it did not really hit me that I was responsible for so many things I never had to do for myself at home. Thompson Rivers has a very helpful housing page with loads of information, however, it was more about the dorm than what to expect living there. Obviously, they have to make the campus lifestyle appealing for students so they choose to live in dorms rather than off-campus, but I wish I had additional information about the reality of it all. The purpose of this blog is to share my personal experience and how I went through my first year of university on campus.
There are many stories I would like to cover, however, the main topics I will touch on are: my expenses with living on campus, my apartment, what it is like living with 3 other girls, school life, and some helpful tips. Overall, I hope that my website can be helpful to those who are debating this particular lifestyle and a way to have all my stories saved about my experience.
Rationale:
The target audience for this website is mainly students ages 18-25, who are either in their first year of university or considering living on campus. The Reality of Living on Campus goal is to be considered a “handbook” for those who want to read about what university is actually like. Furthermore, this website is to help post-secondary students understand the dorm lifestyle and living on campus. Although to keep in mind, my experience may be different compared to others as it is specifically with TRU and that we are in a global pandemic. It is important for future students to understand what they are getting themselves into before they jump right into university. Living on campus is not fit for everyone and I hope with this blog students can decide what works best for them.
Core Angles/questions relevant to the topic
A few questions my website could explore are…
- Why did I choose to live on campus to begin with?
- What is it like being a first-year student at TRU?
- What does a typical day look like for me?
- How much do I typically spend per week?
- What do I do when I am not in class?
- What are the dorms like?
- How accessible is the campus from my dorm?
Some story ideas/angles that might be included are…
- What it is like living with 3 of your closest girlfriends (the pros/cons)
- What my first semester was like on campus
- What I expected coming into university versus the reality of it all
- My favorite memory since being at university
- Advice I have for future students
- What to bring/not bring for your dorm
- If I could change anything about my experience, would I or not
Media Outline
- Informative Text story w/ photos – What the dorms are really like?
For this story, I want to compare what TRU says about our dorms and what it actually is like to live in them. This post will almost be a “before and after” scenario where I use photos from when I first moved in till now. I think this story will cover the basics of the reality of living on campus and would be a good first story to post for my website.
- Audio Interviews – Interview my roommates and get their input on how they like living on campus
This fits the media as my blog is personal so some people may not relate to my thoughts and might connect with how my roommates view dorm life. This is also a fun way to see my roommate’s perspectives on their first year of university and see if there are any similarities or differences. Everyone experiences things differently so having a variety of viewpoints will help my audience connect with my website.
- Investigative Video – Day in a life/dorm tour
Vlogging my day fits the media as it is a “realistic” day on campus and I would be taking my readers through exactly what I do at TRU. This is an engaging way to keep readers/viewers interested in the topic and they can also see a visual of what it is actually like. I would be able to cover plenty of content within my video to make it as informative as I can while showing off what a first-year university student does.