Living situations during college can be really hard. When you’re a freshman, you get assigned a random roommate (first time ever for me!), who can turn out to be either your BFF for the rest of college, or an absolute nightmare. Sophomore year can also be tough living-wise—I lived in hillside as a sophomore surrounded by some interesting freshmen.
I knew junior year, I most definitely needed somewhere I could call home. Somewhere that I wanted to always come back to after classes. And for me, that was the downtown apartments.
Like a lot of people, I was initially hesitant to apply downtown. The shuttle commute seemed too stressful and time-consuming, the idea of cooking dinners was too much, and it all just seemed like a lot more work than living on campus.
Although the above has proven to be true to an extent, living downtown has made such a positive impact on my Colby experience. Here are some of the reasons why!
- Ability to cook
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This was one of the biggest reasons why I chose to live downtown. Kitchens here are fully equipped with a brand new fridge (with ice!), microwave, oven, and dishwasher. Not to mention an island table and ample marble countertop space!
Like many other Colby students, I really didn’t like going to the dining hall for food. I love to have control over what I am putting in my body and planning my meals.
- Uh have you seen how NICE IT IS?
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A huuuuge living room you can decorate however you want! Each bedroom has a full sized bed, and all the windows are so big it brings in lots of natural light. It’s just infinitely better quality than the smelly, old, on-campus dorms.
- No more communal bathrooms
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Which means no more shower shoes! I am never going back to sharing the bathroom with dozens of other girls. Like the kitchens, the bathrooms have a large marble top countertop with lots of storage space. I love that I can do a full-on beauty routine in the bathroom without having girls swarm around me. I also love that I don’t have to deal with messy bathrooms, especially on weekends.
- Access to downtown stores and restaurants
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I’ve discovered lots of new restaurants while living downtown. It’s nice to be able to walk to these stores and also support local businesses! If you’re over 21, having bar night accessibility is also something I’ve found very nice.
- You’re always with friends
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I love having the living room area because it’s just a cozy space to socialize with my roommates. We do things like cook together, watch movies, or just study there. Even if it’s not throwing a big party, having a living room area makes it so much easier to socialize and be around people.
- But you always have alone time too
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This was something that contributed a lot to my excitement with the downtown living situation. The first two years of Colby, I lived in a double, so having a single bedroom to myself is very liberating. When I feel like it though, I can just step out and be with my roommates!
- It’s one step closer to adulting
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Living downtown definitely takes more responsibility and independence. I have to plan out grocery shopping trips, wake up earlier to take the shuttle, and plan ahead to be on campus at certain times. It really all comes down to time management. With these responsibilities though, I get a sense of freedom and independence that I know I can’t have while living on campus.
Living in these downtown apartments has made such a positive impact on my time here at Colby. I think that even if you are 100% not sure about living here, it really is worth it!