Decisions, decisions, decisions. Getting the most from your college experience is all about choices. One that will have the most impact on your time at college is deciding what living arrangements will work best for you. Live at home and commute? Off-campus apartment? On-campus residence hall? The majority of college students choose the dorms, especially as freshmen and sophomores, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that’s your best choice. Naturally, finances play a big part in the final decision, but there are a number of other considerations you should take into account before you pick on-campus living. It depends on how you tend to look at things:
Friendly companionship or lack of privacy? In the dorms, there will be plenty of opportunities to make new friends. It’s a great way to get to know who’s who and what’s what, and one of the best cures for homesickness. The down side is you can’t just turn it all off if you’d like some privacy. You may discover that when opportunity knocks, it doesn’t stop knocking, even when you just want some peace and quiet. And if you’re not a really sound sleeper, things can get pretty loud at 2 a.m. on the weekends.
Welcome simplicity or restricted opportunities? Living in a dorm is much simpler than living in an apartment. No monthly bills, no worries about groceries or cooking, no cleaning chores other than your bed and your desk. The flip side, of course, is that your dorm room can seem a bit cramped. Entertaining friends can be a struggle, especially if your roommate has the same idea at the same time. What’s more, many dorms require students to leave for holiday and term breaks and for the summer. This can be a huge pain, especially if you're an out-of-state student.
Convenience or confinement? Leaving your dorm room at 9:45 to make a 10 a.m. class is no problem. Walk wherever you want to go and forget high gas prices, lack of parking, and bus schedules. Some dorm rooms even come with free cable, high speed Internet access, and other perks. On the other hand, the comfortable convenience of the campus can seem confining at times. Also, most dorm contracts require that you purchase a campus meal plan. That translates into a lot of cafeteria meals that may not be always to your liking, and you may have to pay for a certain number of meals even if you don't eat all of them.
Interpersonal skill building or social-life overload? Dorm life is a quick way to get a ton of “extra credit” in interpersonal relationships. It’s a total-immersion course in learning how to get along with your roommate and the people roaming the halls. For that very reason, it can also be a bit – or a bunch – overwhelming, depending on the personalities involved. You may have to deal so much drama you feel like you’ve declared a second major. And even if that freaky guy down the hall does turn out to be the next Bill Gates, there may be some people you just prefer not to get to know.
College is a whole new world. With some planning and forethought, you can have that world by the tail.
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