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Apartment or Dorm?
I'm a commuter student at my university. I live at home with my mom and my grandparents. In the Fall, I plan to move out. I will be an upperclassmen in the Fall. So, I have two choices: dorm or apartment. Which should I pick? This is what I've come up with so far:
I am working on campus and I'm in a sorority, so sometimes, it gets late and I'm still at school. Having a dorm would make life easier since I wouldn't have to drive home every night. I wouldn't get home very late on weeknights. I'll have privacy and space, which is what I need. I know that I'll have a roomate, but it's completely different. I'm also involved in many clubs on campus. So, it's convenient for me to just walk over to anything I need. I also think that my family wouldn't feel as bad if I moved to a dorm because it seems like something necessary for me to be more comfortable while moving to an apartment they may see it more like I just don't want to live with them.
The issues with the dorm is this. My school is big. Going to a big school means there's all kinds of different people. Some people are bad and some people are good. The other day I was almost taken by a cult. I know it sounds weird, but it really happened. They started talking to me and wanted to put me in their car. Then I found out and confirmed that they were a cult and they were taking people. It was on the news, the internet and everything. The girl who was trying to seduce me into it lives in the dorms because she left her family since they didn't want to participate in the cult. I'm SO scared of that. What if the roommate is literally a psycho... like this chick? In an apartment, I would be able to pick my own roommates and a few of my sorority sisters would be willing to move with me.
The other thing is that I'm already 20. I don't know if living on campus is just fun for the first or second year students. I'm not trying to say it is or it isn't. I have no idea since I've never lived anywhere other than my house or with any other people less than 30 years older than me. So, either way I think it would be fun and different to live with friends. But, I'm just saying what I've heard. A lot of my friends who were living in the dorms moved out last year and it was also cheaper for them. Maybe I could get a place that's close to school. It's not like I have to move 20 or 30 minutes away.
What would you do in this situation? Either way, I'm really excited. I just want to make a decision that would be fun and responsible. And just a sidenote: As far as the partying goes, I guess me and my friends do party but we don't throw major parties with tons of people. We would mostly go out and come back so we're not extremely noisy. And in an apartment, i could decorate as I please. I'm not as limited as I would be in the dorms.
Any suggestions, preferably from people who have been in this situation before?
Thanks!
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HI, I'm old enough to be your grandparent and I will offer you some advice based on the wisdom of my age. While I can't make a decision for you; what I can and will do is point out what I feel are some points to consider and hopefully the benefits of each choice.
First you are correct in that living in a dorm you are assigned a roommate rather than selecting a roommate. If the dorms are full and you are put with someone you just cannot live with, for whatever reason, this can and will have an effect on you school work.
You are also correct concerning your on campus activities. What you need to also consider is your safety. How safe is it to walk from the activity to the parking lots as opposed to the safety of walking back to the dorm. Which is safer. Your safety and security should be paramount. Then the question of commuting distance can be considered.
I'm sure your family understands that you are getting older and want to experience life. I doubt they will see your choice of moving into an apartment or dorm as simply not wanting to live with them but for what it really is. You wanting to experience a little more of college life.
As for the other things you mentioned they are somewhat ancillary to the real questions.
From my point of view your choices are: Safety and convenience, and selection over assignment regarding a roommate(s). Both are very important questions.
Not knowing where you go to school my first thought is safety. Some schools and the area they are in are safer than others. Even so your safety has to be or should be the larger part of the decision making process.
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Apartment. There's a reason your friends are moving out of their dorms, the same way there's a reason I am too.
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