Your Lovely College Abode…Or Not. Maybe. Pt. 1

By Jaz Hill on April 10, 2012

This will be a two-part observation of “college living.” Mine at least, but it still applies in general.

After making the huge decision of what college or university you’ll go to, the next little decision is where you’ll reside for the next four years or so. Where you’ll live will be your sanctuary. This definitely prepares us for future thinking versus “present thinking.”

As soon as I graduated from high school bright eyed and bushy-tailed, the one thing I looked forward to was leaving home and living on-campus, enthused to make new friends. I went out of state my freshmen year to a small art college. The dorms were apartment-style with a kitchenette, living room, fridge, and washer and dryer. Basically two colorful apartment complexes that sat near the main building, the school in its entirety.

My former single-room college dorm (apt.-style)

I shared that four-bedroom and two-bathroom dorm with three other girls. You’re pretty much asking for trouble placing all that estrogen in one place. While the private bedroom was a plus, the fairly new art school didn’t have meal plans but a café open on weekdays, nor did it have much going in the campus life department. So I virtually experienced living on my own.

That next semester, I transferred to a more traditional college (read: archaic). I had an actual roommate, a meal plan, and garnered some campus life. Lucky me. Not really. I learned that I don’t like sharing a large room, the food sucked, I have odd sleep and study rituals, and compromising only goes so far.

I transferred again and finally came home this sophomore year, saying “screw that” to living on campus. So I’m a commuter and as others have expressed it has its drawbacks that’ll be touched on in my next article. But I learned a lot about myself, which is what college is kinda for—to find yourself.

A lot of factors contributed to my college living experience freshmen year. The next step will be getting my own place, an apartment with one to two roomies at the most. There are moments I want to be around others and then there are moments I need my brooding alone time. I’ll be able to communicate this better to roomie(s) outside the strict structure of campus housing regulations.

While there are still a good percentage of students living on-campus, I’ve noticed more and more students are living off-campus nowadays for different reasons. Some are living at home, like myself. Others have their very own places.

Living on-campus or off-campus is big choice you’ll have to make or have already made. Sure you might miss out on some things choosing one over the other, but there are factors that must be considered I’ll mention in part two (pros and cons). It’s all about what works for you because it’s your first steps toward living away from home ultimately. Have you had similar living experiences? What are your thoughts or opinions on college living?

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