Junior year housing here at Fairfield is a major milestone for students. It is typically the first glimpse you get at life in the real world with multiple roommates, your own kitchen and bathrooms you need to clean yourself (but hey, maybe you lived in the Village or Faber and have already had to face two thirds of these things). Junior year housing is largely associated with townhouses, but not everyone can get a townhouse. Whether you picked to live in an apartment and may now be somewhat regretting it or you didn't have a good enough lottery number and were forced into Meditz or Dolan, here's five reasons why living in the apartments will be nothing to complain about:
1. They're new. Obviously the most compelling reason to live in an apartment over a townhouse is that they're newer and if you've been inside both a townhouse and apartment, you know the apartments are way nicer. That goes for both Dolan and Meditz. Newer furniture, newer kitchen appliances and newer bathrooms are definitely pluses to the apartments.
2. They're chill. On any Friday or Saturday night, the townhouses are mobbed by over-eager underclassmen trying to get into any party they can. This also grabs the attention of DPS, who are usually lurking in that area on the weekends. If you live in an apartment, the chances of it getting out of hand because underclassmen are continuously barging in is greatly reduced. You can have a chill Friday night in your apartment with only people you know.
3. They aren't that far. I understand wanting to live in the townhouses because that's where all your friends will be, but when you think about it, both Dolan and Meditz are not that far from the townhouses at all. Dolan is obviously right next to them, but even Meditz is closer than you think. Go out the back door of the building and use McInnes road. You do not have to walk all the way around.
4. They're more convenient than you think. The townhouses are close to each other, the Levee and McAuliffe. That's about it. If you live in Meditz, you're right by the library and the BCC, which also means you are not too far from any academic building (except for McAuliffe). If you live in Dolan, you're in the most convenient spot in case you get sick, because no one wants to walk far when they aren't feeling good and are in need of medical help.
5. It's more like the real world. When you get out of college and move out of your house for the first time, chances are you'll be moving into an apartment. Living in the apartments gives you a more realistic look at what life will be like after college, because you'll be in closer quarters with your roommates. Since the townhouses have two levels, it can be easier to get personal space when you need it, but that may not be the case in the real world.
With these in mind, I hope all juniors can start feeling better about their housing situations. For those living in townhouses, I'm sure you'll have a great year, too, even if you aren't in the apartments. In the end, it doesn't really matter where you're living. All that really matters is who you're living with (hopefully your best friends).
