College is a time of someone’s life that should be experienced by everyone throughout the world! There is nothing quite like it: taking stimulating classes that pertain to your interests, meeting hundreds of people with the same interests as you and learning how to become a successful adult. College doesn’t mean your life is over; it means that your life is just beginning!

One of the many great things about college is campus housing. Most people would disagree with me on this one and say, “Campus housing sucks!” Many students believe that campus housing and residence halls are like prisons because they have rules to abide by and authoritative figures to answer to, but is campus housing really that terrible? Yes, most college campuses are dry which means alcohol is, to put it bluntly, banned. Yes, most college campuses have residence halls which require you to have a roommate. Yes, most college campuses have community bathrooms, one accessible laundry room, and no kitchen. But, I’ll say it again: these seemingly unfortunate campus housing qualities shouldn’t sway students’ opinions on college as a whole—it’s all about the experience!

I am a senior at the College of Charleston, and I have lived on campus all four years of my college life. I lived in Berry as a freshman, McAlister as a sophomore, and 1 Warren as a junior and senior. And, would you look at that, I survived and am now able to write this article.

People ask me where I live all the time, and I tell them I live in Warren Place, an upperclassmen residence hall. They always give me a look of disapproval and say something along the lines of, “Sucks to be you. Why do you still live on campus as a senior?”

But what they should really be saying is, “Hey! Look at all the perks you get from living on campus!”

It’s true! Living on campus has amazing perks. I’ll compare my situation to the situation of someone who lives off campus. They claim that it’s cheaper to live off campus and in some cases, they’re right. But they have monthly bills to pay (or maybe mom and dad pay them), such as water, electricity, cable, internet, etc. I don’t have to pay for those things! All housing expenses are included in my tuition which I’ll pay back later on in life. People who live off campus also have to keep their fridge and cabinets stocked with food and drinks but I can keep snacks in my room and dine at the dining halls on campus.

Living on campus is convenient. I’m a five-minute walk away from all of the essential buildings on campus. People who live off campus may have to walk an extra mile or two. (When it’s practically three hundred degrees outside and you have to walk in the heat… now it sucks to be you.)

Another great thing about living on campus is the luxury of living securely. Most residence (at least, at the College of Charleston) have a front desk that is occupied by an individual at all times, day and night. Security officers manage these desks at night. Where I live in 1 Warren, the main door to the building can only be opened by a key fob, which only 1 Warren residents own. We also have keys to our own apartment/bedroom doors. For students living off campus, they lack this extra security. I can say without a doubt that I have never felt unsafe living on campus. Can those of you who live off campus say the same thing?

Although I’ve listed many reasons why living on campus is beneficial, I can see both sides of the argument.

A major con of living on campus is having little independence and privacy, especially if you have a roommate. Many college dorm rooms require you share a bedroom space with someone but the rooms also have another bedroom connected to the main room, which your suitemates would occupy. While having a roommate can be annoying (and, quite frankly, hell if your roommate is the polar opposite of you), it all goes back to living the experience. If you’re lucky, your roommate and suitemates could become lifelong friends. You just have to be open to the idea of sharing your personal space with a total stranger.

Don’t rush to be independent and please don’t grow up too fast. You have the rest of your life to be an adult and live on your own. For the time being, as a college student, take advantage of the wonderful opportunities college and campus housing have to offer you. Don’t let four years of the traditional college life slip away from you because you have to balance two jobs to keep up with monthly living expenses which leaves you for no social life whatsoever.

Let the college of your choice help you. Don’t throw away useful campus housing amenities to live like an adult. (They say living like an adult is stressful, anyway.)

I promise you won’t regret it.