Making the Choice: Living in a Dorm, Apartment or at Home
If you are a student entering college as a freshman, you may have a decision to make about housing. Depending on your school, you may have options for a dorm, an apartment or for living at home (if your school is close enough for your to commute). Some colleges are full to capacity and offer housing in hotels or have negotiated apartment rates in the surrounding community to accommodate the overflow of students.
As a freshman, you should try to stay on campus in dorm housing. This is the way you will make new friends and become part of the new community that will be your home for most of the four years you are in school. It is very hard to make these connections if you are commuting or living off campus. For commuting students, some schools even have commuter lounges and areas that cater to non-resident students, and while you likely to meet other commuters there; you are segregated from the on campus community.
As you progress through the ranks and get into your junior year, you may have friends who want to go off campus to rent an apartment. At that point, you will have enough seasoning and exposure to feel confident on campus and to know your way around, so you can certainly consider this option. If you like these friends enough to bunk with them for another year or two, it can be a great way to change the scenery and shake things up a little, so you don’t get too bored or fall into a rut. Still, you need to know yourself well and know your own preferences. If you are shy or you find it hard to make connections, living in an apartment or at home while you attend college may be the exact WRONG thing for you to do. It is too easy for you to avoid additional contact with the community and it is unlikely that you will become part of the college culture. If you put off making this transition until you graduate from college, you will find it even harder to join the community in your first job.
Consider your own personality, your preferences, and what you want to get from your years in college, as well as your own ability to become more independent and make the jump out of the nest. After you consider all of that, make your decision about housing. You should know that some colleges will REQUIRE a student to remain on campus in dorm housing for at least the first year. If you are a commuter, the college will have no such requirement. Remember that your high school friends will also be away at school, so staying home with mom and dad may not turn out to be the blast you anticipated! Do what is right for you and keep your goals clearly in mind when you make your first housing decision! Remember there is always the time and the opportunity to make changes as your college career progresses.