I’m sure you’ve seen the Campus Lodge shuttle. It’s hard to miss (literally, the shuttle driver narrowly misses running over unsuspecting pedestrians on a daily basis) — it’s big, it’s red and it advertises beautiful, happy people partying at a tropical resort with a moose.

While I wouldn’t say Campus Lodge is the paradise the shuttle tries to depict, it’s not a bad place to live as a poor college student.

When my roommates and I were going through the stressful process of figuring out how to not be homeless, we ultimately settled on Campus Lodge. Located just a short drive down Old US 63 from campus, the Lodge is relatively cheap, relatively close and a relatively all right home.

**Pro: Everybody gets their own bathroom.**
It’s beautiful. All units have four bedrooms and four bathrooms, meaning that you don’t have to deal with anybody else’s hair on your shower floor, which is always positive.

**Con: It’s fairly tiny for four people, especially the kitchen.**
With three other roommates, you will run out of room in your refrigerator for your yogurt. You will have to keep family-sized boxes of Frosted Flakes in your room due to a lack of cabinet space. It’s usually not a big deal until you’re trying to cram your pint of ice cream between dozens of frozen dinners and fish sticks.

**Pro: There’s a private shuttle.**
You don’t have to deal with the city buses, which is a glorious thing. The shuttle is always on schedule and runs frequently — if you miss your ride, there will be another in 20 minutes. However, the biggest issue with the shuttles is that they stop running at 5:55 p.m. This creates problems regarding evening classes and other campus commitments. It also doesn’t run on weekends, which leaves people without cars stranded at the complex.

**Con: The Internet connection is beyond awful.**
This is the only major issue I have with Campus Lodge. My laptop connection always goes out, my phone will barely connect in the first place, sometimes I’m unable to binge Netflix and my whole day is ruined. I’ve driven to campus multiple times just to have Wi-Fi. I reiterate: I have chosen to use MizzouWireless over the Wi-Fi in my apartment. It’s that bad. And with us students being so reliant on Internet access for schoolwork, this is very problematic.

But despite its problems, Campus Lodge is, well, fine. When things break (which is semi-frequently — sometimes your blinds might just come crashing to the floor for no reason. It happens.), maintenance is there the next day. The layout of the apartments is nice. There’s plenty of parking (and it’s all free!). There are a ton of amenities that you will probably never use, but I guess it’s nice they’re there.

If you’re considering living in a complex, I suggest looking into Campus Lodge.