I am a junior in college and was really getting tired of living on campus after my first two years of school. I was sick of DPS knocking on my door, the constant noise from people who went out partying at night, and the paper thin walls making your buisness the entire hall's buisness. Needless to say I am thrilled to be living off campus and there are so many perks to having an apartment instead of a dorm room.
1. No more Cafeteria.
I really enjoy healthy food, so the cafeteria was never my favorite place to eat. While I occasionally ate on campus against my better judgment, most of the time I struggled to cook inside my dorm room. I love cooking and making up my own recipes by playing around with my favorite ingredients. One of the hardest things about living on campus was attempting to cook with my makeshift dorm kitchen. For starters, the George Forman Grill I had was completely illegal, in addition to my 900 Watt microwave and Croc pot. So whenever there was a fire alarm, DPS or RA room check, or a school break, these illegal utensils were hidden out of sight. Needless to say I became quite the master at cooking with very little to work with, but I am very happy to have an oven, stove, and a dishwasher to my disposal in my new apartment.
2. Privacy
It was really annoying how at any moment, you could get an email from residence life saying that there was a room check, the fire department came to check for hazzards, or that any RA could enter your room at any time, for any reason. I never enjoyed the lack of privacy, and now that I have my own place, the only people who can enter, are those who I allow to enter.
3. No Roommates
Roommates are just complicated when living in such a closed space. You live on different schedules so when you sleep, and when you are awake can get very annoying. I am a night owl and enjoyed staying up late, whereas my past roommates went to bed very early. It was also complicated when the roommates had guests over, especially of the romantic variety. Long story short, it is nice not having to deal with roommate drama.
4. Space
Without such small enclosed dorm spaces, I can actually have a closet that fits my clothes, a laundry that functions, and room to relax after a busy day of sports, work, and classes. I no longer have to live in a small cubicle.
Dorm living was not my cup of tea, nor do I think anyone really likes living in a dorm. However it is crucial to the expirience of college and teaches you a lot of valuable lessons for later on in life. While I am happy I went through it and learned a lot about myself and other people, I am much happier living on my own.
