[Jerick]

I'm trying to figure out which type of housing I want to move into. I could move into either, the dorms, my own apartment, a shared apartment, or university apartments, or maybe something else.

What have been your experiences with types if university housing?

 

[Thrifty Walrus]

I have not had any experience living on my own yet but out of those options I would definitely choose living on my own in an apartment, and that is also what I plan on doing when I go to college. First chance I get to have my own space I'm taking it.

 

[northernsky]

I liked having my own room in the university accommodation. It meant I had my own space but people nearby to talk to, plus meals were provided and there were no bills to worry about so it was a good introduction to looking after myself.

 

[Socrates]

I preferred dorms, primarily because of the proximity of the dorms to campus, knowing I don't want to wake up earlier to travel farther... and I can't drive... plus, there's a food court on campus that takes this credit card thing instead of money...

I made my only college friends from living in the dorms. I almost got arrested in the dorms... twice.

I'm staying in the dorms again this year.

 

[Jorge]

Freshman & Sophomore: House (Family)
Junior & Senior: University Apartments
5th year (...what?) : House (Roommates)

I transferred universities after my sophomore year, and the transition made me lose a couple of semesters because of the lack of equivalence between degree plans.

I could not stand living with my family anymore. It came to the point where it was depressing having to live with two ESFJs who would get into arguments and fights with me and one another. They would always bring their drama home, and it was just unbearable to me. I got (very slightly, it was more defensive) violent one time because of this, and I did not like it one bit. I moved away to gain independence, and to be able to control myself better.

I moved to this new university, and I had one roommate at these university apartments. This roommate would go back to his house every weekend (it was an hour away). This was my favorite arrangement by far. I was able to cook and eat what I wanted, without the demands of having to stick to what the (gross) cafeteria would serve you, or what anyone cooks for you. It can be intimidating at first to have such freedom to do as you please, but with maturity and money, it's very nurturing. I feel like I grew up a lot internally in this phase.

Wanting to try something new for my last year in college, I decided to rent a house with a friend of mine (ESFJ) and one of his friends (xSTP). Very poor decision. While the independence is still there, there were more bills to pay, and more sharing space. This equated to having to depend on other people to get things rights. Whenever one of them fucked up, we all had to fix it. Needless to say, it ended with really bad arguments and ill-tempered vents.

I would seriously recommend you to try to be in an apartment with as few people as possible, and try to land a job, if you want to have more freedom over what's going in your body. I was a full-time student working 20 hours a week throughout internships and other programs. It's awesome. Don't ever forget to apply for scholarships.

One other advice tho, although I am suggesting independent living, I do not recommend for you to isolate altogether from society. One of the greatest things about college is not to learn material that you will never have to use again in your life, but to expose yourself to a vast world of ideas and knowledge. I learned a lot about different cultures and beliefs by just talking to people and hearing them talk. The way they would do it, the way they would react... you will never have a chance to do something like this out of college. Make the most of it. Fuck the grades.

 

[KrystRay]

It all really depends on what type of person you are. I couldn't stand living in the University accomodations. I thought it was dirty and cheap, I hated living with other people, they stole my stuff, ate my food without asking... I diddn't deal well with it. But I'm a difficult peson, you may be different. If you can, get a nice apartment with some friends you like enough to live with. You'll have a great time either way, but if you're looking for a true university experience, move into the dorms. I guess it was an experience for me, so I know when I have kids that I'm sending off to college, they will not be living under those conditions. But then again, I'm stuck up. lol.

 

[vel]

Imho first 1-2 years it is best to live with a bunch of people. If you are moving into a new place, you need to make new friends. For an introvert this is difficult. If you isolate yourself in your own apartment, doubly so. My first year I lived in dorms sharing a wing with 8 girls and we had 8 guys living across. It was wild, but I did feel the pressure of being unable to be alone at times. Then second and third year I moved out to apartment. First year people usually celebrate their new found freedom from parents then 2nd and 3rd year is when they refocus more on academics.

As for people eating each other's food and not taking trash out and somebody's boyfriends/girlfriends throwing up in your hallway and random homeless people dropping by at 5am to use your shower and cops hiding on your balcony ... yeah that kind of shit happens but it depends on how sensitive you are to these kinds of living conditions and how well you can readjust. It bothered me but not to the point that some people seemed to be irked (cough*SJs*cough).

 

[Chilln]

I could recommend living in the dorms the first year but after that, there is always better housing for upperclassmen and then apartments where you will still have roommates but are more likely to have a room to yourselves. Less general social interaction close to home though.

Whatever you do NEVER let the college randomly assign you a roommate, even if you don't know anyone for the freshmen dorms. I think I was extremely naive back then.
This happened to me because I skipped orientation and didn't know a single soul save a few seniors.

My first roommate freshmen year was one of those white kids who thought he was black (wigga) but was just really dumb. He eventually got kicked out for defacing college property with racial slurs, drug possession, general idiocy, etc. I used to imagine I had a revolver and fantasized about shooting him through the throat as he chugged one of his forties.
The roommate they replaced him with was the world's biggest asshole douchebag. It's just so shocking having to experience such mentally defunct people as your first foray into the college living experience. Probably would have motivated me to care about class if I was in a better environment, I used to stay the hell away from my room all the time, sleep at friends' dorms/apartments etc.
Luckily after that sophomore year and beyond I found nicer people to live with in a sweet building on campus and eventually got into an off campus apartment. I managed to have a great time then onwards and deleted most memories of that first year.
So yeah my advice, live with people you know freshmen year, after that get a studio apt.
Listen to what Jorge said about people, cultures, grades, and new experiences. The coolest people I got to know were the international students. Cherish it.

 

[ceembee]

I think I got lucky with my whole roommate assignment freshman year.
My roommate was more extroverted than me, yet also extremely understanding of my need for privacy.
she was in band, so while she was at marching practice, I would know that I would get 2-3 hours to myself to just do whatever. And that helped keep me sane.

I hated the communal bathrooms.
Not so much because there were other people I had to share it with, but more because I had to make small talk with everyone whenever they walked in. And there were a couple of gossipy bitches on my floor that thought I was creepy just because I didn't always want to stop and chat in the hallway.

The lounge area was of little use of me, I didn't really care to sit and watch football games with the guys or whatever.

I think the whole situation would have been vastly improved if I had a car to leave campus.
I started out at a private school with 2,000 students, and felt trapped.
I went 10 hours away to school to have greater autonomy, and yet, was dependent upon other people to take me places.

I eventually had a breakdown and ended up transferring back home.
Still trying to figure out where I want to transfer next year...

But, I would recommend a private dorm if they are available.
The proximity to classes is nice, but you don't risk the chance of being screwed over with an unacceptable roommate.