Kenyon is a pretty unique place in many ways, but one of the things that always surprises people at home is the fact that we’re not allowed to live off-campus. There are a lot of schools where freshman are required to live in the dorms, and it’s still pretty common for sophomores to as well, but by junior or senior year, most places allow and even encourage upperclassmen to live off-campus in an apartment. There are many upsides to this, mainly because it’s often cheaper to pay rent than room and board, and it’s a chance to exercise more independence. In fact, as I listened to one of my good friends from home get ready to move into his first apartment, I began to feel a little jealous. Being at Kenyon, I won’t have the chance to have my own apartment (“my own,” of course, presumably still meaning with housemates) until after I graduate. But as I began to consider the situation more, I decided that I might as well think positively about it, and realized that there are many perks to the dorm life here at Kenyon.
1. You get to live in a building full of your peers. In an apartment, your housemates may be the only people you know in the whole building. In a dorm, you tend to know most of the people living there, and even if your best friends don’t necessarily live in the same building, living among your peers can still be fun. If you need help with your homework or someone to look over your paper, chances are there’s someone in the building who’s taken a similar class; and if you want a second opinion on your outfit, your neighbors or hall-mates would probably be happy to offer fashion advice.
2. You don’t have to clean your own bathroom. I know people love to complain about communal bathrooms, but I’ve always thought that there’s something to be said for not having to clean your own bathroom (thank you, Maintenance!). Communal bathrooms have never really been a problem for me; there was never a long line for the shower, as I feared before coming to college (though in an apartment with three roommates and one bathroom, you may have that wait). Even though we obviously don’t want to leave the bathroom a mess for Maintenance to deal with, I feel much better knowing that as long as I’m living in a dorm here, I won’t have to clean any mold out of the shower.
3. Everything on campus is never more than just 15 minutes away. Despite the fact that I may complain that I live South and most of my friends live North (So. Far. Away!), everything on this campus is really no more than a 10-15 minute walk from each other. And since everyone has to live on campus, that means that your friends are going to be no more than 15 minutes away, max. Walking home from a friend’s dorm in the cold for 10 minutes may suck, but it sure beats having to take a 30-minute subway trip across town to visit their apartment.
4. Peirce’s unlimited food supply. I know we all love to complain about Peirce, but, to be honest, the unlimited food offered there is a really nice perk of living at Kenyon. Peirce always has at least one good (and relatively healthy) option, even if it means just making a sandwich or salad. Plus, there’s always some fruits and vegetables available! That’s more than might be true if you were living in an apartment and had to make your own meals every day. Sometimes, the idea of being able to cook all the time seems super appealing, but there are definitely nights where I know I wouldn’t be able to deal with making a creative and healthy meal, and I’m so glad Peirce is here to make sure I’m well fed.
Finally, I have to admit that it feels nice to being taken care of for a little bit longer. I know sometimes we definitely feel like we’re in a rush to grow up, live on our own, and finally be truly independent, but we only get to be in college for so many years. Let’s enjoy being young while we still can!
Images: thekenyonthrill.com