Already a subscriber?For University of Sydney student Abby Bonic, the decision to live on campus despite calling nearby Bellevue Hill home was easy. “With so much of uni going online during COVID, it’s not the same experience any more, whereas colleges have kept that alive.”
Bonic is part of a growing trend. Once the domain of country, interstate and international students – as well as blue-blooded locals with familial ties – today students with family homes in the same city are increasingly calling the colleges at some of Australia’s most prestigious sandstone institutions home.
“At universities that don’t have campus residences and where time spent on campus is being minimised there is no real campus life any more. That’s where you build relationships, and it’s fading away so I understand why people are wanting to live on campus.” “I would definitely explain … the lack of engagement on the university campus for certain reasons, including online lectures and a shift in socialising in general post-COVID on the campus. A remedy to that is try and get their children into college where they know there is still a very vibrant and strong cultural experience.”