It’s more important than ever for college students to have blazing fast internet on day one—and since 80 percent of them live off campus, MDUs have a golden opportunity to get them up to speed from the get-go.
The gold standard of internet today, with its fast speeds, wide bandwidth and low latency, is Gigabit fiber. But it’s not something students can access at most off-campus apartments. If internet is even included in the monthly rent, it’s probably on the level of “free WiFi” you’ll find at a typical hotel or café.
Here’s why fiber internet is one of the top amenities students and parents look for in housing options.
Research
These days, most of a college student’s research for papers and other assignments is done online, not in the dusty stacks of the campus library. A fast fiber internet connection allows them to quickly access multimedia research materials from online databases, journals and libraries without paying five bucks for a cup of coffee to keep them moving.
Collaboration
The “group project” is alive as ever in university classes, but the method of collaboration has changed. Video conferencing is now a viable and accepted alternative to meetups in the campus union, and after living and learning through COVID-19, everyone is already accustomed to the format. Fiber internet gives them a reliable foundation.
Remote learning
Another holdover from the pandemic era, remote learning has become a staple of the college experience. Millions of students take online courses, including lots who are enrolled in traditional universities. Also, dependable internet lets them access learning management systems such as Canvas and Blackboard to ease that 11 p.m. assignment deadline panic.
What else? Gaming, of course
What many college students won’t tell you is exactly how much time they spend playing video games in comparison to the time they spend studying. But online gaming is here to stay, and fiber internet—C Spire Fiber in particular, with its symmetrical up/down speeds and low latency that give them an advantage over other players—is essential equipment.
And for MDU owners and managers, you’ll see an average 8 percent increase in property value as well as enthusiastic loyalty from your tenants.