My parents are insisting that I stay in residence in my first year. I want to live with friends off campus. I need your help in presenting my case to them.

Sit them down and explain why you would rather live with your friends. However, you should also think about WHY you are so against it yourself...Res living can be lots of fun, and by not being in res you may miss out on meeting new people.

I lived off campus when I went to university. Just barely off campus. It was about 5-10 minutes walk to classes. It was a shared townhouse. My 3 room mates were all fellow classmates. Other than being just outside the border of the university, I really don't see what the difference is.