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What Are Living Learning Communities?

As a college student, you’ll probably encounter a host of opportunities to immerse yourself in your learning. Some of the most immersive of these options are living learning communities, also sometimes called “themed housing.” These communities allow you to gain real-world experience in subjects you’re interested in. These may relate to your major, or might just be in line with your interests. Living learning communities are a great way to learn in college outside of the classroom.

Let’s break down everything you need to know about living learning communities. We’ll start off with a general definition of the idea, followed by some examples. Then, we’ll point you in the right direction to finding living learning communities at your college. To close things out, we’ll give you a pros and cons list for getting involved with a living learning community.

Also see: How to pay for housing

What is a living learning community?

Living learning communities, or LLCs, are programs that can vary widely across colleges, but the main idea is to have students live together who all share a common interest. That can be anything, ranging from a field of academics, a sport, a hobby, or service work. Students who live together in an LLC work, study, and learn together. It can be a great complement to your classroom education.

As a member of an LLC, you’ll learn about your common field of interest, but you’ll also learn to work closely with your peers. It’s a great way to gain leadership experience at a young age. Because these organizations are typically small and student-run, you’ll end up in a much more involved role than you would at a typical job. You can learn valuable lessons from this experience, and it will be a big asset if you apply for leadership positions post-graduation.

Related: How to get involved on campus

Examples of living learning communities

Living learning communities can vary widely at each school, so make sure to check out your school’s opportunities if you don’t see anything that catches your interest here. But to show you some examples, we have a brief list of LLCs at Boston University:

• Earth House – focused on sustainability and environmental issues
• Global House – focused on foreign language proficiency
• Kirkland Honors House – participants in an honors program
• Core Curriculum Floor – students enrolled in the college of arts and sciences curriculum
• Music House – students majoring or minoring in music
• Women in Science and Engineering Floor – Female students who are studying a STEM field
• Classics House – students studying classics at the university

Finding living learning communities at your college

To look for living learning communities at your college, try your college’s office of residential life. You can check their website or reach out to them via email or in-person. They should have a list of all the official living learning communities at your school. You can also try attending an activities fair or talking to upperclassmen who are available as counseling resources.

It’s also worth noting that some campuses may have informal living learning communities. There may be off-campus houses that have been rented by students historically aligned over an interest. These may be harder to find through your college institutions. Try speaking to people who share that interest with you in order to get the scoop.

Don’t miss: How to create a budget as a college student

Why you should live in themed housing

Themed housing is a great opportunity to get real-world experience in college. It’s a good chance to try your hand at leadership positions to see if you like it. It can also be a great way to make friends and balance your academics with some more hands-on work.

LLCs also create strong bonds between their participants. These can be valuable for years to come; you might even find a job through graduates of your LLC. People who have gone through the LLC program and value its education will try to hire employees who also went through the program.

Also see: How to find roommates

Pros and cons

Pros	Cons
Opportunities to learn outside the classroom	Might distract from your classroom learning
A great way to bond with classmates	Could impede on your independence
Building teamwork skills	Can easily become a difficult situation to live in if you don’t get along with your LLC peers
Can be a great addition to a resume	Might impede on time that you could spend gaining other resume skills
A unique opportunity to bring learning to your home life	Could prevent you from living with your friends who don’t share your LLC interest
Taps you in to a potential alumni network

Additional resources for college students

As you work your way through college, remember to enjoy yourself and immerse yourself in your studies while preparing for your future. College is a great time to learn how to make a budget and save money. You can also earn some money in college through side hustles and online tutoring jobs. Don’t forget to look for internships to help make the post-college job search a bit easier for yourself.

All that being said, remember to enjoy your time! College only comes around once, and you should enjoy it to the fullest.