One of the biggest choices students make in regard to college is whether or not they will dorm. Most students would support the claim that dorming is easier. Even I would have to agree with this statement at certain levels. When I started school, I developed a change of heart and a new appreciation for my status as a commuter student. I must be sure to point out that commuting was convenient for me because I lived a reasonable distance from my school. It wouldn’t be sensible for someone, say, from Pennsylvania or Connecticut to commute to NYC. I’m also not advocating for someone from further away get an apartment instead of dorming for their first year. For those students who go to school close enough to home that they can stay with their families while attending school, I think it’s a good option to consider.
The lifestyle of a dorm resident isn’t everything it’s hyped up to be. I personally prefer the sanctity of my privacy, my personal space, and my safe haven. Dorm life gives all of these things new definition, because sharing a room demands compromise. Although many people remain close friends with their roommates well after graduation and even throughout their lives, sharing a small room with another person (or people) can be a pain. Wacky schedules among you and your roommate(s) may mean that you have no time to yourself, or no proper study time. You may come back to your room after a long day to find that you can’t crash onto your bed because a roommate has company sitting on it. Simply sharing a fridge or a closet can make a mess in dorm life. There has to be a system; will you each buy food and drinks separately? Or will you all put up a certain amount for groceries each week? Do you share what’s in the fridge, or is what you spend your money on yours and only yours? When you dorm, you have to set a standard with your roommate(s) and then abide by it, whereas if you stay at home, there are hardly any adjustments to make, aside from maybe a curfew negotiation with your parents.
Dorming also sparks health concerns. Any thorough guide to dorming will warn students to wear shower shoes and beware of the infamous “freshman 15.” Dorms are filled with teenage students—some who’ve never had to clean a bathroom, cook their own dinner, or even do their laundry. This is not the type of place I see as healthy for a college freshman. While at home, you and your parents can decide on small responsibilities you can take on. However, a dorm student has all the house responsibilities thrust upon him at once. Even worse, he has to learn to juggle those responsibilities with roommates! College is not like a hotel; you have to do your own laundry, make your own food, change your own sheets, and keep your own room clean. It’s up to you and your roommate(s) to maintain an orderly home, which isn’t always a smooth transition from living at home, where everyone’s on board in a system that already works. Negotiating house rules can be a hard thing to do, especially with people you’ve just met. When you stay at home, there are fewer adjustments to make, and your home life can generally be much smoother than the potential catastrophe of dorm living. After all, college is hard enough without having issues at home, right?
I’d say that a lot of the reasons why students find themselves messing up in different ways when they come to college stem from the new lack of parental control, and, thus, the new sense of freedom which is relatively welcome after 18 years of captivity at home. Instead of handling this new freedom responsibly (who would?), many students tend to go crazy. With no one there to stop them from eating too much junk food, or make them do their work instead of partying (or even taking a shower, in worse cases), teens might not feel the need to stop themselves. This is the way we overdose on freedom and lose self-control altogether.
As a college student who lives at home, I feel that it’s a lot easier to keep myself in check. For example, my mom usually cooks dinner, so I’m getting better-balanced meals at home than I would choose for myself on campus. The beauty of it is the support system I have, students who dorm might be missing out on this. If I run out of money, I don’t have to wait for a bank transfer or wire, I just ask someone at home. If I’m behind on chores or bills, my family understands that I’m in school working hard and that’s a priority. I don’t get homesick and we save tons of money on college, because we don’t have to pay for my room and board.
I know you probably think college will suck without having the dorming experience. However, just consider that the world won’t end if you stay at home.
