There is no greater building experience of character and culture than living in a dorm room, blindly choosing your roommate.
That being said, you could not pay me enough to do it again. Ever.
I live off campus with a few guys that were in my dorm last year, and it has to be the most relaxing way to experience college.
I pay an extremely lower rate to live in this house, which is not only up to date, but spacious and clean. My bedroom is bigger than my dorm room last year. My closet is probably a fourth the size of a dorm room by itself.
Oh yeah, and I have a secret room in the back of my closet my roommates have dubbed “Narnia,” which also happens to be bigger than my dorm.
Not to mention the fact, I can now carry on with my own extracurricular activities within the friendly confines of my dwelling place without the worry of an RA walking down the hall.
I can scream at the TV when the Lions are losing, the bathroom is always open, and I can always be alone if I need some time away from all of the madness.
It’s true that you’ll meet a lot of your college friends through dorm rooms, but had I not been off campus this year, I wouldn’t have half the fun I do now.
The drawback of dorm living is basic. They’re cramped, the bathrooms are small, the beds are uncomfortable and there is rarely any time alone.
The risk of your roommate waking you up bringing back that person at the party he’s drunkenly convinced “is the one,” is significantly higher in the dorm.
While sitting perched in my bed, I hear nothing of the rest of the house, other than the occasional breakout in song of “Afternoon Delight,” that my roommates enjoy so much.
Living in the dorms can be compared heavily to the cupboard underneath the stairs at the Dursley’s because of the constant cramped feeling and the stomping on the floor above me.
Yes, “WAKE UP HARRY!” was becoming the catchphrase of my neighbors above me.
Cooking my own food without a microwave has also changed my lifestyle considerably. My roommate and I recently did a massive breakfast for dinner on the stove, and we were able to invite people over comfortably and have a great night.
If it is at all possible for you to move off campus, my advice is choose your roommates wisely and make sure their eccentricities are things you can handle on a daily basis.