By Marley Cruise
As a college freshman, it seems that most everyone that I know is either apartment searching, already living off campus, or counting down the days until they move into their own apartment. I don’t know if I’m just a weirdo, but besides the occasional longing for a cat or dog, the lack of a place to prop my feet on in the shower when I shave, and the struggle of taking my laundry downstairs (all of which I can live with), I love living on campus. I’ll be the first to admit that I’m a bit privileged in the dorm that I live; I’m in the Luckday program, and, therefore, live in a contemporary room in a newer building with fewer people. That being said, I doubt that I would be excited to leave the dorms, regardless of if I lived in a traditional room, just because of the sheer convenience of living on campus.
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Less driving, less gas money, no roadblocks/ speeding ticket/ accidents that make you late. Living on campus means that you are automatically walking to more than half of your destinations, be that going to class, getting lunch or dinner, and, if you are like me, shopping on the square. Of course, everyone will have to face the wilds of Jackson Avenue every once and a while, but I have bought gas maybe five times in the four months I’ve lived on campus, and three of those were in preparation of or after my four-hour drive home.
Photo Credit: https://www.pexels.com/photo/car-refill-transportation-gas-9796/
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You pay once and get everything. Everybody knows that college is expensive. While paying for room and board in full at the beginning of the semester hurts at first, I don’t have to stress about making sure that I remember to pay bills every month which is a godsend for a girl who sometimes forgets what day of the week it is.
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Connections, connections, connections. My mom told me my senior year of high school that she had the most fun living in the dorm simply because she knew more about what was happening on campus. As with most thing she tells me, she was right. If there is a free concert in the grove, your CA sends a reminder in your floor GroupMe. If Starbucks is having a Christmas sale, you hear your neighbors talking about it. Are you bored on a random Thursday night? There are FREE egg rolls for your hall tonight.
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There is always food. If I’m two things, it’s forgetful and a food lover. Often times, these two things get crossed, and I forget to eat breakfast, lunch, or dinner (never all three thankfully). When I’m in need of a quick fix at night, when I’m out of class, really busy, or already wearing my PJs, there is always an option for food. It’s always nice when I can run down the hallway to a vending machine, or across campus to Starbucks/the Student Union/ a dining hall/ Freshii instead of getting in my car and driving somewhere for food. (Pro tip: be careful about what you’re eating. Freshman Fifteen is a real thing).
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You are safe in your room. As a paranoid true crime fanatic, who knows more about Ted Bundy than she probably should, the idea of living alone in an apartment that would arguably be easy to break into is incredibly terrifying. With ID card locks and the, honestly, annoying process of checking people in, dorms are arguably the safer option.