Firm Helps Students Prepare for Life After College

Going beyond traditional student housing property management and helping students prepare for life—that’s the approach of The Grove, the brand of student housing properties built and operated by Campus Crest Communities, a vertically-integrated student housing company based in Charlotte, NC

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The Grove has a team of talented staff, who focus on designing and implementing programs that help residents become successful both during and beyond the college years. The Grove team collaborates with local professionals and university staff to offer programs that best fit each Grove community. Campus Crest’s property management team refers to its “X-factor”—an intangible but very present extra ‘pop’ at each property—which it uses to foster a community environment that has a positive impact on the social fabric of its properties and residents. Campus Crest has the philosophy that by providing programming geared towards educating its residents about life after college, the residents’ lives while in college can be more tailored to meet future goals. “We believe it’s important to expose our residents to life after The Grove. Living here is pretty sweet with no worries about roommates not paying rent or bills and the luxury of having a full amenity package at their fingertips. We don’t want them having total culture shock when it’s time to enter the real world,” says Julie Yow, VP of Field Operations for Campus Crest Real Estate Management. Programming geared towards life after college includes resume workshops, how to manage your credit, cooking on a budget, and more. In addition to preparing our residents for life after The Grove, the staff works on promoting healthy lifestyle during the college years so that when it is time for them to go, residents start off on the right foot mentally and physically. “We know college is stressful, so we help balance that stress with a lot of fun. We put together themed parties like ‘Peace, Love, Grove’ event where students wear tie dyed Grove shirts, love beads, and participate in green days”, said Yow. “Other ways we help residents relax are through fitness classes, pool parties, Monday Night Football parties, and movie nights.” The Grove also hosts programming on health topics including avoiding eating disorders and healthy eating habits. “Our events are successful because they are led and organized by our community assistants—peers attending the same university. When residents feel a part of something, they are more likely to stay where they are. Making our residents better, makes the Grove a better place”, said Yow. “One way we help residents is through designing programs to help them look at things from a different vantage point. For example, in one of our past events residents helped blow up hot air balloons and took tethered balloon rides, illustrating how different things look when you see them from a new perspective.” Campus Crest also helps students reach beyond the Grove and the university to the community around them. Collaboration with local clubs and organizations motivates resident involvement in recycling programs, local school and church projects, and mentoring programs. Campus Crest opened its first location in August of 2005 in Asheville, NC. Currently Campus Crest has 19 properties provide fully-loaded living facilities for college students in Alabama, Georgia, New Mexico, North Carolina, Texas, Colorado, Kansas, Arkansas, and Washington. Additional locations will be developed later this year and 2009 in with plans to expand into the Northeast and Western parts of the country along with growing its presence in the Southeast and Midwest. About Campus Crest and The Grove: Campus Crest is a vertically-integrated student housing company based in Charlotte, NC. Through its wholly-owned Subsidiaries, Campus Crest Development, Campus Crest Construction and Campus Crest Real Estate Management, it delivers one of the best student housing products in the United States. Through its brand, the Grove, [www.gogrove.com], its projects are both amenity rich and have progressive lifestyle programming to help build the total sense of community Looking for a car that's sporty, fun and fits in your budget? Read reviews on AOL Autos.