For many, having roommates is a staple college experience. Not for me though. This is now my third year living alone and let me tell you, I love it!
The original plan was to come to school at the University of Iowa and room with my best friend from high school. However, plans changed last minute the summer before freshman year and she ended up going to the University of Illinois instead. More than halfway through the summer, it was near impossible to find another roommate. Rather than try my luck with someone completely random, I hesitantly decided to room alone. At first, I worried a lot about not making friends quickly and being lonely, but as the year went on I learned to appreciate the many benefits that came with living alone.
Now here I am 3 years later, happily in a single apartment.
The biggest thing I love about being alone is the fact that I can be alone whenever I want. I have a place that I can escape to when I need some peace and quiet or I just need a little bit of alone time. On the flip side, since I live alone I can also have people over whenever I want without having to okay it with anyone. My mom (and my dog) will just pop in and randomly visit. I have friends who come for the weekend from other schools that can just crash on my couch whenever. My apartment is like a revolving door, with people constantly stopping by to hangout.
I also like the fact that I can keep my apartment however I want. I don’t have to worry about figuring out apartment rules since I am free to do what I want with my place. If I need a quiet space to study… I have it. If I want to blast 2000’s throwbacks and dance around my kitchen while making food at 3am, no one will judge me. It’s nice to be able to do what I want when I want to.
There are definitely quite a few upsides to living alone, but I’ll be honest. Living alone isn’t something that works for everyone. There are definitely downsides as well, and sometimes I do wonder if I’m missing out on something by not having a roommate. I think both ways have different things to offer, but for me personally living alone is a great fit!