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The Quinnipiac Chronicle

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The Quinnipiac Chronicle

The Student News Site of Quinnipiac University

The Quinnipiac Chronicle

Forget dorms, I prefer to be by myself

I am one of the few students not under stress due to the upcoming housing lottery, as I chose an alternative living arrangement. Rather than worrying about university-owned housing and the problems that come with it, I decided to live independently off campus next year.

Living on campus is convenient. You don’t have to worry about arriving earlier to drive to school, or better yet, worry about commuter parking. Another benefit is social interaction with other students.

But even the excessive amount of convenience has not convinced me to continue residing on campus.

Living alone is more relaxing than living with someone who does not have the same interests, who you feel a disconnect with, or who inserts themselves into your private life. Also, it will be nice not worrying about waking someone with a different sleeping schedule than I do.

Sophomore housing holds six to 10 people per unit. Many of my freshman friends in tight-knit groups are worried about finding additional people to live with. Rather than involving myself in the issue, I distanced myself from it.

The university cafeterias are another thing I will not miss. I will be able to eat the food I want, when I want, and not have to wait in long lines to do so. Plus cooking is an art everyone needs to learn sooner or later.

I cringe at the thought of having a public bathroom cleaned only once a week. It sickens me even thinking about how disgusting the bathrooms are when they get cleaned once a day. I’d prefer cleaning up after myself than dealing with the mess others make, regardless of how many “others” I live with.

The benefit of a solitary environment off campus also rids the need of walking to the library to ensure a quiet environment, avoiding the treks late at night through the snow or severe heat.

Living independently off campus will allow a balance between my private life and social life, which is something we must develop as we enter into adulthood.

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  • T

    TyMar 1, 2011 at 10:58 pm

    I agree in that living alone is indeed more relaxing than living in a dorm. However, as a student who has done both (lived in a dorm for 3 years and now living in an apartment) I can honestly say that I actually prefer living in a dorm over living in my own apartment. Socially, living on your own is pretty boring. It’s definitely manageable, but I feel like I’m extremely disconnected from the “ebbs and flows” of campus life which is really quite depressing.
    Jenna (previous commenter) is correct when it comes to learning how to live and work with others. That is definitely an experience that I am grateful to have – It really does build character quickly. I think the best way to go is to live on campus for the first two or three years and then if you feel the need to live off campus find a good friend or two to move out with so that you don’t feel so disconnected. I don’t live very far from campus, but socially it has been a difference of night and day.

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  • L

    LarryFeb 23, 2011 at 9:50 pm

    Off-campus housing is the future. More and more people are going to college and the schools can’t afford to build bigger dorms due to budget cuts. Stuffing 10 kids together in a room is no way to live.

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  • J

    JennaFeb 23, 2011 at 7:54 pm

    Although students entering into adulthood need to create a balance between private and social life, they also need to learn how to live and work with others, which is something you cannot run away from.

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