Many schools, like mine, have lots of options when it comes to student living. You have the choice between living in a dorm or apartment, after your first year that is. My school does require you to live in a dorm for your freshman year. There are many differences between the two living situations - good and bad.

One of the biggest differences is that when living in a dorm you are all up close and personal with someone else. You may know them, you may not; but, you will get to know them while you share a small bedroom and everything in it. Not only is there a whole other person there at all times, but you have to share all of your space too. My room was decently sized, but there were two people sharing. Not only did we share a room but we also shared a bathroom with the whole rest of our floor. So there were 6 bathroom stalls and eight shower stalls shared between 58 girls. You can't just leave your stuff in the bathroom. It's carried with you every time you go.

Another difference was that everything is so much closer in a dorm. You get to know the people in the rooms around you pretty quickly due to floor meetings or the communal laundry room, or even just going back and forth to the bathroom. No wonder you meet a lot of people during your freshman year. You learn to recognize the people in your building seeing them around campus, and may even meet your new best friends.

Living in an apartment is not even knowing the names of the people living next to you. I would not recognize them even if I had a class with them every day. Everyone appreciates having their own space and in my opinion, you lose some people skills. No one really hangs out at the communal spaces in an apartment complex.

Also, there is so much more space. I never thought it would be so nice to have my own bathroom, but now I don't think I could ever go back. I also get to leave things in the bathroom and make it my own space. I sometimes have too much space than I know what to do with. I have my own kitchen that I share with just two other people where I have more than just a mini-fridge and a microwave. I can leave things in the common areas (the living room) and not have to worry about it being gone when I get back. I know who is there when I am not, and it's comforting to know I can leave my things and not worry about them.

You still have roommates but you aren't always with them. If you don't feel like being social one day, you can go into your room and shut the door. But also there is the opportunity to still sit and watch TV with them. I think this helps further friendships because you aren't as close to where you get frustrated with them, but they are still around.

It is also about adulting. Even though I am in school, I pretty much make my own decisions. I decide who comes over, or if we cook for dinner. I also decide If I wanna pick my clothes up off the floor today, or If I wanna be lazy and just do it tomorrow. I appreciated the social aspect of the dorm and I am glad I was forced to do it because it made me appreciate living in my apartment even more.