A popular college choice now a day is going into the city. Moving out of our little towns surrounded by farmland and going to the bustling city, whether is be Philadelphia, Boston, or Los Angeles, going to college in a city is a whole new level of crazy compared to your typical college experience.
1. There is never any quiet.
When I say never I should say NEVER. Dorm living in general, you barely get any quiet but then when you add the random city people screaming at each other or cars driving around blasting music at 3 am (where the hell are you going at 3am???), it just gets that much more crazy.
2. Your walk to class doesn't just include college students, it also includes real adults.
Sure, this may make you feel like you are in the real world, but other times you just want to walk to class to people who are struggling just as much as you are. Going to class in sweatpants gets much more difficult when 10x the amount of people see you walking to class who don't understand that you've been up all night writing a paper.
3. Google Maps is your best friend.
You will never, ever actually know where you are going. Sure you will remember where your classes are but no matter how many times you go to the chipotle near campus, you will never remember exactly how to get there. With so many streets that look the same, there is just not enough room in your brain to memorize the city streets.
4. Everything is more expensive.
Supply and demand. More people means everything is more expensive. Yes, it is true. Starbucks is even more expensive in cities than in urban areas. And don't forget about the trains and Uber's you take to get from one side of the city to another.
5. The sports fans.
Whether you are a fan of the team that or not, the fans are annoying. Especially going to a school in a city where the sports teams aren't that good...there are a lot of angry fans. Angry fans go to bars and get very drunk and proceed to annoy us even more. Also, when the team is in town for a home game the traffic is terrible and you just want to hide in your dorm until they all go away.
6. The non-traditional campus.
A traditional campus includes grass, a little main street, and a quad. At a city school that doesn't exist. Your "little college town" isn't very little, it's a huge city. And your school most likely doesn't have a real "quad". Your classes are held in halls that blend in to the rest of the city skyline.
7. Traffic.
Whether you're walking or driving, its packed. All the time. Any student who lives in the city knows the only way to avoid traffic is in the middle of the night. Going home for breaks and moving in you have to plan out what time you will be arriving in the city and make sure its not during peak hours. If you're trying to walk fast in the city, good luck. Trying to weave through tourists and slow business people is a skill that takes a while to acquire.
8. Knowing where to go and when.
In all cities, there is always an area of the city you don't go to, especially at night. Students in the city have to learn where to not wander off to late at night to keep themselves safe.
9. You aren't the only college in the area.
In a city, you can have another school down the street from you. You have to share your area with other colleges. The rivalry between these schools can be very high with academics and athletics. In a normal school, you have a whole town dedicated to your school but not in cities.
10. Not having enough time to do everything you want to do.
With everything cities have to offer there is a never ending amount of things to do and places to explore. Whether it be museums or shopping, there isn't enough time to do them all. Your class work takes up most of your time. If you're not studying, your sleeping and all the fun things in the city that normal people can do are just teasing you.
With all that being said, going to school in the city still has many more perks than downfalls. These cons are nowhere near the level of pro's there are. Going to a city school you are thrown into a world of various cultures and people. Although frightening at first, the city welcomes all of its students with open arms. I would not change my decision to go to a city school for anything, i love my school and my city entirely.
