Though you will have to make more of an effort to be social and there are bound to be many other disadvantages along the way, there are many advantages to living in a single room. Here are five of, what I feel are, the greatest advantages to a single room in college.
1. Work on your own time in your own way.
Having a roommate can be an absolute pleasure. However, if the study-chemistry doesn't line up, this won't necessarily be the case. Being without a roommate allows one to use the space in their own way, and when they want.
2. Impossibility of conflicting curfews.
I'm a bit of a night owl. My average bedtime is 3 a.m., maybe 4 a.m., without work to do. So if you are the same person --sure, let's be roommates. But, in all honesty, the majority of people would find this hard to bear with and vice versa. Being without a roommate eliminates the tension of having to fit one-another's sleep patterns. Or you could just be a seriously inconsiderate roommate, but let's try to avoid that.
3. "So much more room for activities"
I don't literally mean you'll have more room in a single (you most likely will), but that you will have more room for yourself. There is no risk of conflicting style when you do not have a roommate. You can be as yourself as you would like. Not saying that you can't with a roommate, but there is no risk of offending your roommate with the way you keep your "side."
4. Invite who you want over when you want, and vice versa.
I have found that there have been instances where hanging out with a group of friends is awkward just because of the mere fact that there is a conflict between my friend's roommate and a person that is hanging with us. This issue is eliminated if you have a single. At the same time, one doesn't have to worry about being barged in on at some ridiculous time at night by inebriated or loud friends.
5. Your own abode
This might sound like it has already been mentioned, but I think there is a sense of privacy that a single provides that, even if your roommate and you had the perfect chemistry, would not exist outside of the single-room world. This privacy is especially made clear to people in relationships, or, for personal reasons, may seek a more private sphere for themselves.
