We all wonder what dorm life would be like especially if it’s going to be the first time away from home. Whether you are stepping into a new chapter of your life or you’ve just started high school, we all think of college at one point. You might be planning on attending a school out-of-state or simply staying in California, but keep in mind that several colleges expect students to live on campus or at least the first year. So if you’re worried about the pros and cons of a dormitory, then you are at the right place!

We’ll start off with the cons so that we can end this article on a good note with the pros. We all know that dorm rooms are fairly small and have very limited space for you especially when you are sharing with one other person. You most definitely won’t have any privacy, since in most colleges everyone on ONE floor shares ONE communal bathroom so you need to become comfortable with surrounding yourself with other people.

According to Valerie Cho, who’s currently a student at Occidental College, claims that “Sharing a bathroom with your entire floor can be uncomfortable and it gets dirty quickly”.

Just because you are away from home does not mean there is complete freedom. Every resident hall has a RA, shortened for resident assistant, who is always making sure that everyone is abiding by the rules and so keep in mind there will be room inspections so that there isn’t any funny business going on. So for some of you that like to stir up trouble or like to have too much fun, the RA might just not be your best friend. 

We all know how expensive college itself is but you still have to pay for every load of laundry which can start to add up by the end of the year. Also, you won’t have a kitchen which doesn’t give you the freedom to have the diet that you prefer because it’s hard to rely only on dining hall food and take out. 

Esther Choi who is currently a student at Yale has pointed out “Many people I know have moved off campus because they wanted to save money, or to have a more flexible diet”. 

Living in a dorm also makes you prone to catching a cold quickly because you’ll be breathing the same air and living in a small space with everyone else. Especially when everyone is living in such close proximity as you are. So it’s important that you take care of your own health since you won’t be able to avoid those who are sick. 

Now since we’ve discussed all the negative parts of dorm life we need to talk about all the PROS of dorming. It’s universally known that your roommate can eventually become your best friend. For some students being far from home this would be a chance to expand your horizons and meet new people to help you adjust to this new experience. 

Sarah Jo, who’s currently a student at USC, has commented “I really love living with my roommates. It’s almost like having a sleepover every night!”

You have the choice to make your own decisions such as not having to ask your parents whether you can stay out or just simply learning to be independent. Dorm life is great because campus life is ingrained in dorm life so especially for first year students it’s a chance to meet your peers! 

Judy Yamaguchi, a student at UC Berkeley, beams that “It’s a great place to make friends and hang out with them till really late because they live right down the hall from you”. 

Living on campus definitely would be safer as well because there is always on campus security/police and you won’t have to be worried about being alone. It would be safer than living off campus because you’ll always be aware that there is always security there. Also, you can request campus security to escort you back to your room if it’s too late to be walking by yourself. There are even blue lights installed on campus to ring and call the police if you feel unsafe. 

Maria Monreal, a student at UC Irvine, states, “I actually feel safe to the point where I would take walks in the park at the center of our campus at 12 am”.

There are various reasons why dorming is great or not but it’s solely up to you. Dorming just makes college life more convenient and if you prefer to be involved on campus it is definitely the right choice for you. If you’re someone who rather keeps to yourself and enjoys having  your own personal space, then maybe dorming may not be the best environment for you. At the end of the day it’ll all be a learning experience for you.