Pros of Dorm Life
When considering colleges, factoring in the room and board options should be a vital part of the decision-making process because they can consume a sizable chunk of the funding you’ll need to set aside. Unless you’re pursuing your degree online, you’ll inevitably incur traveling and living expenses that can ramp up significantly, depending on the situation.
More often than not, the decision to attend a school far from home will dictate your living arrangements. Many universities require that first-year students live on campus and purchase a basic meal plan. Depending on the location of the university, campus housing may even be preferable if there are limited options off-campus.
When the cost of a dormitory and meal plan is stacked next to the tuition payment, the rising expenses can become unnerving, especially when you consider the number of semesters it could take to earn your degree. However, dorms are often a core part of the university experience. Tools like Education Loan Finance can help you evaluate what you can afford and navigate the available alternatives to help fund your education.
Social Life
Going away to school can be both exciting and scary. You’ll be leaving your friends and family behind, and you won’t necessarily know anyone in college. Dormitories offer plenty of opportunities for you to meet new people, since you’ll likely have at least one roommate and live close to other students. It will be nearly impossible to not engage with other people.
Dormitories often sponsor events and activities for the students, so they can get to know the other residents, but ultimately, it’s up to you to be socially active. Ideally, you connect well with your roommate, but with the variety of people who live in the dorms, you’re bound to find someone who shares your interests. In the technology era, it’s too easy to close yourself off from your surroundings with so much information available on your phone or laptop. The dorms make the campus and other students more accessible, helping you to interact in person.
Transition
Dorm life can be a step toward independence if you’re living away from your family for the first time.
Self-reliance and self-discipline are crucial as you exercise time management skills, not only to get to class and complete assignments, but also to take care of responsibilities like laundry without constant reminders from your parents. With the costs of higher education always on the rise, you may find that you need to juggle a part-time job as well. While all these undertakings may not seem wildly different from what you already did before enrolling in the university, the excitement of being on your own, coupled with new social opportunities and the demands of the college-level curriculum, can create a unique challenge for students.
Dorms are very often the first place you make friends when you start college. Many people even make life-long friendships and meet their significant others in school, so don’t discount the importance of the connections you’ll make when you invest in campus housing, even if it’s limited to your first year.
