Dorm life vs. off-campus housing…
Both have their pros and cons. Dorms, in particular, have some great positives and some pretty severe negatives. This is because what they are – small, shared rooms amongst many other small, shared rooms, in the middle of campus.
In this article, we’ll break down the pros and cons of moving into a dorm, so you can decide whether it’s right for you.
The Positives of Moving into a Dorm
- Located on campus – Dorms are right in the thick of campus, making it very easy to get to class. A friend of mine once slept through a final until I called her about 25 minutes in (I was taking said final). She made it to the classroom, took the test, and passed. This kind of irresponsibility is possible only if you live in the dorms.
- Social life – There are hundreds of people around, and you’ll like at least some of them. Seriously, you meet some great friends in the dorms.
- Amenities – Dorms usually have washing machines, computers, printers, and sometimes even buffets.
- Safety – Dorms are secure buildings, and there are always people watching out for you (and making sure you stay reasonably in line).
- Cost – Dorms are often, though not always, cheaper than good off-campus housing.
The Negatives of Moving into a Dorm
- Small – Dorm rooms are small rooms… and you need to share them.
- Roommates – Roommates can be cool or very uncool. Even if you have a cool one, though, there will still be moments when you just want to be alone and he/she’s talking loudly on the phone and watching reruns on TV.
- Privacy = no – Not gonna happen. Get it out of your mind.
- Loud – Music, drunken shouting, stomping about. Resident advisors (RAs) do a good job keeping things under control, but dorms are still loud places.
- Shared bathrooms – It’s kind of like having to brush your teeth at a gas station… every day.
- Expensive – Price per foot, dorm rooms are probably more expensive than a Vegas penthouse.
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