Reasons to Avoid Living on Campus

Freshmen all around the world are thrilled about leaving for college. They have expectations about college dorms and often are pretty disappointed with the reality. The truth is – movies might be a little misleading when it comes to college life. Of course, living on campus has many pros, but there are also cons that you should be aware of when making a decision on whether you should live in the dorm or rent a place. Let’s discuss the reasons why you should avoid living on campus.

Sharing a Room

Living on campus rarely means having a roommate of your choice. It might be not that serious of an issue, of course, but not in a situation when you happen to have a roomie that causes stress and arguments between you two. Roommate wars are another level of life experience that not everyone is ready for.

Living off-campus means having an opportunity to choose. It doesn’t matter if you are the one who moves to a place where someone is already living or searching for a person to share an apartment with. You can talk for a while before making a decision, learn more about another person and discuss some rules and habits. You can also find a place to rent with your friends. But when you are living in a dorm, you just need to work with what you have.

Finances

Renting a place on your own can be pretty expensive. But when splitting, it might be even cheaper than living on campus. You can choose the type of place that suits your needs, allows you to have your private space, and is even located next to your workplace – it’s all possible when you live off-campus.

Living in a dorm doesn’t cost that cheap as many might think. It all depends on your learning institution and the cost might vary from $5.000 to $10.000. However, even when the price is pretty low, all you get is a bed in a tiny room, with a bathroom that you have to share and a lack of proper cooking space. 

Lack of Personal Space

Living in a dorm room is not all about sunshine and butterflies. Especially if you are the one who is used to having your private space. You should be ready for some changes when it comes to moving into a dorm, for example, following the rules and living in a shared space.

When you are living in a dorm, it’s unlikely that you are able to have guests, go to bed whenever you want, do your laundry at your wish or just chill in a tub. That’s not about living on-campus style. Dorm life might be harsh if you are an introvert or if you really value your personal space as you will have to deal with another person in your room all the time. It means balancing your schedules, deciding on who’s turn it is to clean, and when you both should go to bed.

Distractions

As it was said earlier, lack of privacy is a common thing when you are living in a dorm. Another aspect of it is that you might face a serious issue – it’s hard to study in such a place. Lots of distractions might affect your concentration and have a bad influence on your college performance.

If you have a noisy roommate, it might be literally impossible to study in your room. Going to a library to study is not always an option, and constant arguments with your roomie might cause exhaustion. So, think about it before moving to a dorm. If you really need a quiet place where nothing distracts you, living on-campus is not the best option.

Moving in and out

Dorm buildings are not working all year round as they usually close for summer break. If you would like to stay because of your work or other reasons, you would be still in need of finding another place to live until the dorm is open again. Of course, it’s not a problem if you are planning on going back home for the summer. But for everyone else, it’s a serious reason to think twice.

Another thing is that sometimes dorm policy requires you to change your room after the semester is over, so you might need to take all of your belongings and move to another room. It’s not a big deal but it is a stressful time that none of the students need.