This year at school I'm living all by my lonesome. I've got a single room in the dorms, and golly, am I pleased about it. My own private space that I won't have to share with anyone. I even have my own bathroom! I'm not going to lie, I'm fairly pleased with my living arrangement. Not having a roommate has got quite a few perks, but there are a couple downsides people don't see when they start getting all excited about having their own room.
My absolute favorite thing about having a single room is the privacy; if I want to be alone, I can be alone. If I don't feel like wearing pants on a certain day, I don't have to wear pants (fun fact: as I write this in my room, I am not wearing pants). I don't have to worry about whether the TV is too loud, or if the lights are bothering my roommate, or even closing the door when I go to the bathroom. Nope, I can do pretty much whatever I please. It might sound kind of selfish, but not having to take another person into consideration when you're in your room is incredibly freeing. Also fantastic on the privacy side of things is that I will always have a quiet place where I can be alone to study or work, whereas last year I shared a room with someone that liked to have the TV on and game and whatnot.
Another great thing about having a single room is not having to be as clean as if I had a roommate; I don't have to worry about the roommate thinking that I'm a slob. This is my space and my space alone now, and if I don't feel like picking up dirty clothes or emptying the trash until it's absolutely necessary, then it isn't happening. Who cares if my room looks like a mess? I don't mind that much, and nobody else lives here to feel a different way.
Now for some of the bad things: it can get lonely and boring. I've been at school for two days now, and while I enjoy the solitude now and will continue to enjoy it, I did like having someone that lived with me for company. There was usually a friend in the form of my roommate in the room, someone who I could talk to or play video games with or watch TV or just hang out in general. I can tell just from the boredom that I experienced earlier today that not having someone else around for company is going to really suck at times.
For the money aspect, a single room is a bigger pit than a double; not only are the rooms more expensive, but they also require that you bring all of your own stuff. Last year I brought the Xbox and the fridge, and my roommate brought the TV and the microwave. This year I brought everything, in addition to paying an extra $3,500-ish to have a single. It's not a particularly fun thing for your wallet, especially after you've already taken out tens of thousands of dollars for school loans. Oh well.
Those are my favorite and least favorite things about having a single room. To me, it'll be worth it, obviously. I just prefer having my own space and not having to share it with other(s), and that makes all the downsides a small price to pay for my own little fortress of solitude.
