Freshman year of college can be an exciting time- moving away, joining Greek life, newfound freedom, endless parties, and living on your own for the first time. To make the transition a smidge easier, many people choose (or are forced) to live in a dorm. This idea seems great on the surface because you have someone to share your experiences with, navigate adulting and your university, and you aren't completely alone. On the flip side, you do not have any personal space, no alone time, and you have to share a room that isn't much bigger than some supply closets. Some people really love their experience living in such a small area, others not so much.

For many people, the idea of living in these human shoeboxes is somewhat of a scam. On top of the fact that you don't have your own space to properly study and take care of yourself, you are also paying so much more than your friends living in apartments. An average price for on-campus dorms at universities in the United States is about $8,887 for public universities and $10,089 for private universities for the entire year, whereas many mid-cost apartments, where you have your own room and bathroom, are costing a little less than public university dorms. In addition to the heightened cost of dorms, you also get kicked out for holidays and certain vacations. So theoretically, you are paying for the entire month of December/May and you don't even have the option to stay for the whole month if you so choose... which is a huge rip-off.

On top of this scam that they try to sell you, you still have a roommate and an RA. This can be a super positive experience for some college students, especially those afraid of change and living on their own, but for others that enjoy and value their personal space and are responsible, not so much. As far as the roommate situation goes, many people love their roommates. However, even if you do like your roommate there comes a point where you feel quite literally that you just can't get away from them. Usually around October-November comes the time where all the roommates start realizing that they just want some time away from their cohabitant, regardless of how well you two live together. This would be about the time where your RA (resident assistant) comes in.

Your RA can be a positive tool to help you through anything from roommate squabbles to navigating college. Your RA can also be a negative thing if they're always on your case. Living in on-campus university housing means rules because freshmen cannot always be trusted to live on their own, especially being that many are young and living away from mommy and daddy for the first time. I appreciated some of these rules at times when I was trying to study or get some sleep and quiet hours were in effect, but it's not great when you can't have things -such as candles or a toaster- in your room due to these crazy rules your RA aid required to enforce.

Overall, dorm living can be a positive or a negative, it depends how you see it. For new college students, dorms can be a way to make best friends, get advice, or even have familiar faces to come home to. It can also be a way to limit one's freedom and privacy in a new and uncomfortable setting like college. Whichever way you turn it though, these factors combined with the monetary value of a shared, multi-functional, less than 130 square foot space makes dorm living a scam and nothing can change my mind.