Living in residence has some great perks, but so does living in a house in the student ghetto. Here are some pros and cons of living outside of residence:
PRO #1: Goodbye Caf Food
Though Queen’s does boast some pretty good caf meals, nobody can eat it for 8 months straight and not get tired of it. Having the freedom to choose what you eat is a definite perk of living in your own house.
CON #1: Hello Adulting
Living in residence is a year of being able to call yourself an adult without having to actually deal with most of the responsibilities that come with being one. Living in a house means doing groceries, cleaning your own bathroom, and making your own meals. Now, some people do some of these tasks at home to help out their parents, but real adulting is having to remember to do all of these things without your parents’ reminder.
PRO #2: Drinking Games Are Better
There’s something about whispering the intro song to flip cup that just isn’t as exciting as belting it out as loud as you can. Being able to play drinking games without your Don sticking their head in to write you up is a great thing.
CON #2: Not Living on Campus
Say goodbye to the days of rolling out of bed 10 minutes before class and getting there on time. Unless you’re paying those premium housing prices, you’ll probably be at least a 15-minute walk from any given class. You no longer have the luxury of returning home between classes, so you have to pack your bag for the day ahead and say goodbye to those midday naps.
PRO #3: Comfier Bed
You can stack as many foam mattresses and mattress toppers on a residence bed as you want, but nothing makes them as comfortable as a real bed. That first jump into your bed back home at Thanksgiving of first year is a memorable and lovely event and nothing is better than jumping into a real bed everyday after class.
CON #3: All of Your Friends Aren’t Right Next Door
Having your entire friend group down the hall makes it easy to maintain friendships. Hanging out with your friends everyday is easy when you all live 30 seconds from one another, but when you’re all living in different houses, maintaining those friendships takes a lot more effort.