The decision process for all high school seniors on where they will go to college is both an exciting and nerve-wracking time. They await the letters from their top choice schools. hoping that it will say “Congratulations, you’ve been accepted!” across the top.

One of the biggest choices you have to make after choosing your school is deciding if you will live at home and commute or dorm on campus. But here are five reasons why you should choose to live in a dorm:

1. Friends.

By living in a dorm, you make so many new friends. This is mainly because you're living with them 24/7, however, they're the friends that will last a lifetime.

2. Independence.

Being away from home and your family can be intimidating at first. However, you will learn to be self-sufficient. You will learn how to save your money, wake up on time, do laundry and clean when it’s necessary, and ultimately, grasp the idea of what it is like to live alone.

3. Travel time.

You wake up at 7:45 a.m. for an 8 a.m. class. No worries, however, because when you live in a dorm, you can roll right out of bed 10 minutes before your class starts and make it on time. You can walk to all of your classes, along with anything else you may need on campus.

4. Less maintenance work.

While living in your dorm and something breaks or stops working, all you have to do is put a work order in. This saves you both money and time.

5. Getting the full college experience.

Spending four years at college is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a lot of people. Some people never get the chance to experience this. While you may encounter some awkward situations or bad roommates, those can be funny stories to look back on later in life. You step out of your comfort zone and meet some of the greatest people. If given the chance to live in a dorm when going to college, it's a definite must. Looking back later in life, you will thank yourself and remember you will never get those four years back. Make the most of them.