After the pandemic ended in 2022, Dallas College had more international students attending North Lake.

Even though Dallas College has many international students, they don’t have student housing or school dorm room options. Some international students must find other places to live on their own.

Dallas College should work with local landlords or apartments to arrange affordable rental options that are good for international students, to help solve the living problem.

In American universities, living in dorms is usually the first choice for students because it is convenient and gives them a chance to socialize with other students. But for our community college, there are no dorm rooms on campus.

When international students are forced to find other places to live, such as renting apartments outside or dormitory flats, it adds to their stress and inconvenience

The language barrier and unfamiliarity with the local area can further complicate their search for accommodation.

If students want to rent an apartment they need to provide three months of salary.

Which is almost impossible because international students cannot apply for jobs off campus.

Even then, those who find jobs working on campus, cannot work when the semester has ended or when school is closed due to the holidays.

Additionally, work-study students are only limited to work part-time which makes it even more difficult to pay for expenses during a time that food and other amenities are inflated in cost.

Some international students have friends or relatives in Dallas who they can rely on. So, they don’t face the problem in the same magnitude as those who come alone.

Others may need to live in unsafe areas in Dallas or move far from Dallas College, leading to longer commutes and higher gas expenses.

“I like to live with my family,” Julmer Calcopietro, a student said. However, he drives 40 minutes to school.

Student housing not only compromises students’ health, well-being, and academic performance but also reduces the mobility of international students. It results in some students facing homelessness.

Microeconomics professor Uzo Agulefo said he has met students who have admitted to sleeping in a truck, garage or on a sofa from a shared house. But they only admit to it once after they have overcome those hardships.

”It will be much more convenient and better, and I can study with my roommate and classmates,” student Osama Hesham said.

If Dallas College North Lake campus had housing options with local landlords, it would be convenient for students and landlords, who would benefit from longer leases.

Additionally, being able to walk to school will save them money, commuting time and potentially save them from mental and physical health problems