Should I move into the dorms at college?

Question

I am not so sure If I should. I mean I really want to move to experience the whole college thing, the only thing that stops me is that I have a good paying job here. But my college is 30 min away from home, and it will be difficult with traffic.

Answer 1

Sometimes it is hard to know what the best answer is, but if you have a well paying job and they work around your schedule so you can go to school, that could prove to be more important than simply moving into the dorm. Dorm life can be great because you are right there on campus. If you have spare time you can go take a nap between classes. Of course there are the room mates. Even if they are your best friends, you will get on each others nerves before the semester is up. Simply because living with someone is totally different. Either way you go there are positives and negatives. You just have to decide what overall is going to be the best thing for you. Hope this helps!

Answer 2

I think you would be better off leaving the "whole college experience" behind. What's so great about it? And besides, the cost of living in a dorm is often more than what you can afford, and I don't just mean price. A 30 minute drive is not such a bad thing. At least you have peace of mind. You can study without all the distractions of dorm life. After all, isn't that why you're going to college...for an academic education? The education you'll get in a dorm can be passed by. You won't miss anything. I've known lots of kids who have experienced the dorm life, and it changed them...some for the worst. Some ended up dropping out because of what happened in the dorm. College is hard enough without living right there among everyone else's attitudes. I know this 21 year old who's having a really hard time right now. He used to be an honor student. But he's into the "dorm life" and his grades are falling. He's only got one year left and things aren't looking too good right now. I hope he can get it together before the next school year starts. It would be a shame for something to happen now, when he's so close to graduation. Think about it very carefully. Are things really so bad where you're at, other than the drive? Having your privacy is very important, and very hard to get in a dorm. <*)))><

Answer 3

If you want to meet and make new friends then you should definetely move into the dorms. I was the same way when I started college. I lived only about 40 minutes from the college I chose to go to, but I still moved into the dorms. It is such a learning experience and it is soo much fun. You will meet a few people in your classes, but it is rare that you will actually do things with them since you will be going back home every day. However, living in the dorms, you can make some of the best friends of your life. Two of my best friends to this day are those that I lived with in the dorms my freshmen year.

The dorms are also a very nice transition from living at home with your parents to being out on your own when you decide to move into an apartment later. You have much of the same freedoms, but you don't have to cook all your food, pay utility bills, or be so independent. After living in the dorms for at least a year, you are better ready to live on your own after that.

Dorm life also allows you to really get involved on your schools campus. Most colleges are constantly having activities throughout the week, such as movies, sports to go watch, intramural sports to play, club meetings, etc. If you live at home you will be much less likely to participate in any of these activities, which are all fun and a great chance to meet other students.

So my advice would be, live in the dorms!!! You will be missing out on a lot if you don't! There are always other jobs.

Answer 4

It is hard to say. I lived in the dorms and I had fun, but I wish I had more "real life" experience. After college, "real life" involves getting up, driving to work or school, and driving home.

As far as your job, I guess it depends on how much it is supporting you. If it just supports shopping sprees and such, then I would consider moving into the dorms. But if you are contributing to your education, then stay home and commute. You may become a more responsible adult. I actually thought at times that living in the dorms made me lazier because I got too comfortable. It was very convenient, but towards the end, I started to get bad habits such as finishing my work five minutes before class. Also, what kind of job do you have? does it relate to your career goals?

I actually wish I would have gotten an apartment. I've been out of school for a few years and I am still trying to manange maintaining/cleaning and apartment while working a full-time job and doing freelance work. You may be able to pay your rent with student loans. It can still become costly furnishing a place though. And you may have to deal with roommates in apartments and the dorms, they can be great or a major distraction!

The college dorm experience is great, but you have to realize that room and board at colleges cost a fortune and you have to pay that back via student loans.

Like someone else said, there are pros and cons to everything. Bottom line is do what will benefit your education. good luck.

Answer 5

Definitely! Attending classes are an important part of the college experience but it's not the entire experience. If you really want to know what college is all about, take a deep breath and jump in. My parents always said that work is for the rest of your life, college is an average of just four years. There's something to be said for leaving your little bubble of home, work, etc. and trying new things. If you find you don't like it after a year, move back home. Try working only part-time or find a job closer to campus if you must. I believe 100% (and have experienced first hand) the benefits of living on campus, you gain an entirely new perspective on what college truly is about...if you live in a dorm, live all the way. Don't spend weekends at home but embrace the entire college experience the way it was designed to be embraced.

Answer 6

Deciding to move into dorms and truly experiencing the college life is a personal decision. There are many factors that you must look at and decide which one is the most important to you. Your first year at college only comes around once. Would it be reasonable to talk to the housing department to see if it is a possibility for you to move out of the dorms if you decided to move in. I have been to several schools and you could move out at the end of the term/semester. You might try living and commuting as to not have to give up your job and see how that goes for 3 months (or however long your term is) if it does not work out move back to where you are. Just decide what is more important, the college experience or your job. You might realize in the end that holding the job you have, classes and socialzing in the new college enviornement might be very hard to juggle. Good Luck

Answer 7

A couple of points:

1. What might be a good paying job now will probably not appeal to you after college. Take the time now to educate yourself and do it right; i.e. don't hedge your bets. Get your education so you can move on to even better jobs.

2. Dorm life is great, but it can be distracting. The advantage is the proximity; the disadvantage is the lack of space and constant presence of other people. On experiential note, I loved living in the dorms. It's one of the few times you're going to be around that many people your own age but still with a diverse set of interests. My best friends are the people with whom I went to college.

3. A half hour drive is not going to be an impetus to get to class. It's going to be hard enough to drag yourself out of bed when you just have to walk across campus. Don't give yourself more reasons not to go to class.

Move to the dorm. Do college right. Don't do too much at once. Concentrate on being a student--that's your real job.

Answer 8

ABSOLUTELY! You'll never get another chance at this, and the experience, friendships and fun are definitely unmatchable!

My advice is do anything you can to live on campus. I don't think it should be an either/or statement. It's not out of the question for you to keep your job while living on campus.

Talk with your employer and see if you can cut back your hours to two weeknights and Sundays or something, or maybe the company you work for has a location closer to school you could transfer to. To keep up your level of income, you can supplement with a second part time job on or near campus if you need to.

You'll find that you have a totally different perception of time once you live on campus - there's always a time and a way to get things done. If you are organized with your time, anything is doable.

One semester I lived at home, took regular classes, worked an internship, held two part time jobs and took a night class on a different campus. Each place was 45-60 minutes away from the others! I graduated *** laude, too!

Answer 9

I would definitely recommend moving into the dorms for at least your first year of college. The dorms offer lots of interaction among other students thus allowing you to make more friends plus truly experience college. At the same time, there are also rules that must be followed which helps to keep some students from going completely out of control.

Answer 10

Absolutely! And I speak from experience. I didn't get a chance to stay in the dorms as they were full and I was forced to get an apartment off campus as a freshman. At the time I thought it was great but looking back I wish I would have had the chance to meet new people and have that whole "college experience."