During high school, many people visualize college as a big party, a place where you meet many new people. Naturally, we want to live in the party as much as we can and we pay for room and board. Most kids just plan on waiting to think about the financial debt once they graduate, while others would rather avoid the stress altogether. I myself didn’t want this stress, so I chose to not live on campus. I knew I wasn’t going to want to make the hour long commute from my hometown to Akron everyday, so I moved in with a relative who lives ten minutes from campus. So far, I think it’s going pretty well because while I’m not still living at “home”, I’m in a house every night that I’d definitely pick over a dorm. I love being able to make meals in a real kitchen, use a nice bathroom I share with only one other person, and hang out in a living room with a big TV. These are all things most college kids don’t have access to in the dorms, so I feel pretty lucky.
To be fair though, dorm life is nice if you want to start being independent and have a little space away from your family. This can be good or bad for some people depending on their level of responsibility. College freshman are pushed into a world where their mothers aren’t there to tell them when to wake up or when to get homework done. Some students learn time management fast and figure out when they can party like a college kid and when to sit down and hit the books, but others don’t. I believe every student needs to learn a sense of independence and eventually get to the point where they can live their own lives. I’ve been in some of my friends dorms so far, and they seem to be liking it. They’re struggling to find meals, but so far that’s about it.
If you can balance work with school, you could always go with the apartment route. It’s a lot cheaper than a dorm or any kind of housing tied to your college. Then again, you have to learn to pay everything in a timely manner. Being only a freshman, I think I’ll get a few semesters of college experience under my belt before trying to work so many hours and juggle school. For the time being, I’m only working 10-15 hours per week which is manageable.
All in all, deciding where you want to live each year can be stressful, but you can make the right decision by weighing the pros and cons. If you can afford it with loans and possibly scholarships, the dorms will be waiting for you. Do you have a best friend who has always been super compatible with your lifestyle and you want to live together? Depending on how much you both like to work, you could live in a dorm or apartment. Maybe you can’t take small spaces or dirty bathrooms that you have to share with others, but your home and parents are always waiting for you. Can’t stand your parents anymore? Try to find your home away from home with your grandparents or an aunt or uncles house if you’re able to. Over the span of college, your living situation is bound to change, so just enjoy having any type of roof over your head and remember your blessings.