Dorm Housing or Home?

Phantom · 09-21-2007, 06:23 PM

Hey Everyone, I'm caught in a dilemma about if I should choose College housing, or stay at Home and just take transportation to classes. I start College Oct.1st and I need to make up my mind quick. With dorm housing I could experience living on my own, but I'm worried about the roommate I would be getting. If I live at home, I wouldn't have to worry about food, and I have the privacy of my room. I'm just alittle worried about leaving my mom home alone if I do decide to leave. I'm confused about what I want to do, and I need some advice. Any and all advice is welcomed.

James D. · 09-21-2007, 07:12 PM

I have a good perspective on this.

For the first semester of my freshman year, I lived in a dorm. It was cool at first. I was by myself and my roommate was always gone somewhere. But I developed an alcohol habit so I stopped living in the dorm second semester.

I sort of lived everywhere second semester. Friends dorms, strangers living rooms, etc. I saved so much money but my friends started to tire of me.

This year I live at home, and commute two days a week. I can make it to school in an hour with no traffic, but an hour and a half is realistic. It cuts down on some of my partying, but I have a lot of money now. Go for this route.

P.S. home cooking = meal plan.

**OceanEyes28** · 09-21-2007, 07:33 PM

I go to college out of state, so I have to stay in college housing. Honestly, though, it's been worth it to me. If your roommate sucks, give it time, meet someone else, and move in with someone else. People switch rooms more than you'd think. Also, if you stay at home, you won't meet near as many people. Most of the people I hang out with all the time are not the people I met in class. They're the people I met from down the hall.

Second year is even better. You choose to live with who you like, and (in my college) you can pick your room.

I think it's good to get out on your own and learn to be responsible for yourself. After all, you can't stay at home forever.

I say it's best to have the experience and then make up your mind.

CloudsGhost 17 · 09-21-2007, 07:51 PM

Haha

I would not really know what to pick here b/c I am only a Junoir in High School.
But anyway man I would say that going with the decision you feel is best would be the best thing to do. In my beleive if you follow your heart here then you should not go wrong with your choice but this is what I think. Go with the choice that you feel is best for you ok?

Bye.

Neo Necron · 09-22-2007, 09:32 AM

Dorms. Here in England we have call them Halls of Residence. They're basically the same thing, except only a few people have to share rooms. Where I lived there were only 2 shared rooms on each corridor of about 12 people.

I was in a single room myself, but no matter what type of room you have, living in dorms is awesome, in my opinion. I'm in a house now, and I was last year in my second year, but only because I have to be in a house. Mostly, only first years (freshers) can move into halls (dorms).

But I enjoyed living in halls so much more than living in a house. I love living in this house, and I love hanging around with the people I live with, but halls was SO much better. I would always bump into people I knew every day, and a lot of close friends were just a stones throw away if I wanted to go and see them. It had it's own bar and there were always events on. Yeah, I loved it.

So I say dorms. Living in a house does have its merits over dorms, but ultimately dorms is more fun. At least try it for a year.

EDIT: Just noticed it's staying at HOME home which is your other option, haha. Here, if you study away from your own home-town (which pretty much everybody does), you're either in dorms or renting a house with 4 or 5 other students.
Staying at home is definately the last thing you want to do. Living with other students REALLY helps you develop social skills, and like Ally says, helps you to learn to be independent. Seirously, that's an important skill to pick up - independence.
If I went to uni at my hometown and lived in my house there with my family, I'd still be the shy idiot I was 2 years ago. Now I'm completely different. Always up for going out and meeting new people, and not worried so much about how I appear infront of new peoples.

*Chez Daja* · 09-22-2007, 12:12 PM

Where I live, there are no dorms in colleges.

Only universities.

I'm a college student, and so I don't have a dorm, nor do I need one, considering I'm a half an hours' bus trip down the road.

Onto the point, though, how far is it from your house to the college and back?

That's worth thinking about before you decide.

Neo Necron · 09-22-2007, 01:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chez Daja

Where I live, there are no dorms in colleges.

Only universities.

I'm a college student, and so I don't have a dorm, nor do I need one, considering I'm a half an hours' bus trip down the road.

But in the USA a university IS a college, which has dorms, and the sort of college (I assume) you attend would be a year 12-13 college (right?), which to the USA would be high school, so from an American point of view, British colleges DO have dorms and British high schools don't have dorms

That's probably rather confusing.... but meh ^_^

Angantyr · 09-22-2007, 02:12 PM

You're in the same position as I am except I have nowhere to stay as none of my family live in the same city so it's the only choice. I just gotta sort all that stuff out sometime this week because they want you to get in early for some reason. The next year you can go back to the Dorms but its preferred if you get a flat, so I'll probably have to do this.

May I ask are most people at the same age group in their first year or are there a few older students like in their 20s in the dorms... quite a few people here finish school at 17/18 work a year or two then go up from what I hear including myself.

*Chez Daja* · 09-22-2007, 02:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Neo

But in the USA a university IS a college, which has dorms, and the sort of college (I assume) you attend would be a year 12-13 college (right?)

I have no idea...I've been out of the education system for ten years, only just decided to take a diploma now.

I have no idea when high school ends for Americans, either...

I blame the fact I've been out of schooling for years.

Phantom · 09-24-2007, 04:05 PM

Thanks for all your advice guys

I'm still trying to decide and look at the pros and cons of both. If I choose Residence Housing I would have to pay for my own cable and internet hookup, and I'm trying to figure out how I'm going to do that. Well I guess my mom can still pay for the internet connection because I'll still need it lol especially if I want to talk in my favorite forum

. As for cable, my only major shows come on Saturday so I guess I can record it at home and visit home on weekends. But I would like to make friends and meet new people that's one aspect I would really look forward too. I got into an agruement with my mom last weekend about this, she keeps jumping to conculsions about how I would do things some other stuff but I would mention it.

But I called my admissions corridinator today and asked her to send me some more information about Housing so I should be getting it tommorow. It's still a dead heat between home and residence life, if I do choose housing I wonder what roommate I'll end up getting, lol. Anyway the school is not that far away from home, just a train ride away but I still want to go and meet new people. * sigh *

Govinda · 09-25-2007, 04:14 AM

I moved into one last Saturday. Flee the nest. Take my word for it. It's so much better. Yeah, you lose some of your creature comforts - but the experience that you gain is invaluable.

Usagy · 09-25-2007, 09:32 AM

here in Holland you don't really have dorms at the actual university, you just have to find some cheap apartment where you can live in the university's city.
Doesn't really do it for me since I am too spoiled, I got a bigass room at home and rather just finish my university course first before I start a fulltime job, get my own house etc.
If you want to find out how it is to live on your own, go to a foreign country for a few months.

Peace out

Phantom · 10-17-2007, 10:38 AM

Hey guys I have a new problem, I might be living in the school apartments in less then 2 weeks, but I might end up living with a roommate ot more then 4 roommates. I don't think I would ever get any kind of privacy, and I fear if I bring some of my belongings my stuff would be stolen. I'm afriad of that fact. I wondering what roommates I'm going to get, it makes me nervous. Any advice?

**LocoColt04** · 10-17-2007, 10:43 AM

Put your stuff on lockdown. Make sure you bring some sort of chest with you that you can put a combination lock or padlock on. Until you're comfortable with them, there's no reason to risk theft. They might look at you like you're crazy, but at least your stuff will be safe.

Once you feel comfortable, you can start leaving your things out.

To Chez/Neo:

Most colleges/universities Stateside have dormitories; however, most junior colleges do not. If you want to compare things on a word-by-word basis, your college would be our junior college, and your university would be our college. Silly words.