City based University vs. Campus University

There are a number of big decisions that you have to make when becoming a university student, but none more so than what type of university you’re going to study at, city based or campus based. This article will go someway to explaining some of the advantages and disadvantages of both and will give you an insight into life at both.

From my experience as a student attending De Montfort University in Leicester, England, the best thing about a campus university is you have a real feeling of a sense of community, a close-knit university where everybody is together. The majority of the buildings are within 5 minutes of each other and this really helps when you have more than one lesson a day, sometimes from different subjects.

It also helps that all the student halls and accommodation is a maximum of 10 minutes away from the university, making campus facilities such as the gym and the library very accessible, especially if you need to use the library late into the evenings. Something that could be a problem if you attend a city based university…

Now what Charles University offers is a city based university with many faculty buildings and the university directory situated in the heart of one of the most beautiful cities in the world, a university that is surrounded by stunning architecture and steeped in history. Only some parts of Charles University, in particular most of the accommodation facilities, are located outside of the city centre.

Being in the heart of the city encourages you to engage in the culture and to explore the city on a bigger scale; this could be especially rewarding if you aren’t from Prague and don’t know anything about the city. Whilst campus based students might sometimes have to make do with what is around them, city based students have a wealth of options all around, especially if you are looking for somewhere to eat or drink into the evenings or if you require something specific from cheaper shops like clothing or utilities.

A disadvantage of a campus based university could be that you don’t necessarily have to explore the city you live in, so you may miss out on what the city has to offer on a greater scale, like events and open markets.  Being in a city based university like Charles on a daily basis also gets you used to the fast pace life that comes with being in a major city, something that could later prepare you for work after university. 

Something that affects all city based universities is travel. Getting into the city on a daily basis could be a problem for people that do not live in the city – but in Prague this isn’t actually a problem because of the brilliant and affordable transportation options. In England transportation is very expensive with a bus into the city centre costing on average £ 2.40 (some 80 Czech crowns), but in Prague you can pay as little as 24 CZK (80 p) for a 30 minute ticket that will cover most journeys you would need to make. 

Benefits of an all campus university is that there will never be a cost to get to and from university; something that will almost definitely save you a lot of money over an academic year.

Whatever type of university campus you choose to attend, whether it is campus based like DMU that I attend in England or a city based campus like Charles University, you are sure to have a fantastic experience and I hope this article has given you a little bit of an insight into some of the advantages and disadvantages and which type of university might suit you.