College Q&A: To Live Alone or Not To Live Alone….

March 29, 2010 1:00 pm     Posted in Reality  Candy -- NYU g+ page


By Candy

Got some college questions? Unsure of a decision? Don’t know what the eff to do with your life? Just wanna chat it up with some really awesome chics? We’ve got the girls for you. Hit them up in the comments or shoot them an email with the subject “College Q&A”! They’ve got all the answers you need, no matter who you are.

Question:
I was approved to have a single in the dorms next year. Yay! I was really excited about having my own space (and it’s so, so, so hard to get a single on my campus) with my friends down the hall. But then a few of my friends decided to get an apartment together off campus. They asked me if I wanted to live with them and I’m just not sure. On the one hand, I’d have to share a room and wouldn’t really have any privacy. But on the other, if they are all living together I’ll be alone in the dorms.

What would you do?

GPA Girl:
Tough choice, but a nice one for sure, since there are big perks to each living situation. I’m reading between the lines here, but it sounded to me when I first saw your question that you value privacy as a number-one priority. Is that right? If so, I think you should go with the single. It can be a refuge for you, and if you feel like being super-social and hanging out with your friends all the time, what’s stopping you? You and I both know plenty of people who only “live” in their rooms in the loosest definition of the word because they’re always out. On the other hand, if you choose to live with your girls, you’ll probably have to retreat to some cold and depressing corner of the library if you ever want to find any privacy at all. (Not that there’s anything wrong with the library, of course, but . . . well.) So it’s up to you, chica, but I’d nab that single while I could. Good luck!

Party Girl:
Trust me on this one – stick with the single! I have lived with roommates and I have lived alone… and living alone is far superior. You can keep your own schedule without feeling guilty about disturbing others. You can leave last night’s underwear lying around for as long as you can stand it without someone plotting to kill you.

Your friends will always be there, but thankfully, when you live alone, they don’t have to ALWAYS be there. You won’t be alone – far from it! The dorms are a great place to meet new people. You never have to spend a night sober when you live in the dorms (not that it’s super hard to find an excuse to drink when you live off campus…). Plus, your friends will be begging you for the sweet campus party hookups. No contest, sweetie.

Busy Bee:
 It seems like you really enjoy living by yourself, which is different since most people I know prefer having roommates! Personally, I would take the single dorm and then make trips to visit my friends in their apartment or have them visit me. A dorm should be for taking a break from the world. Knowing that you can go out and have fun but come home to peace and quiet, is a pretty good feeling. And I am sure you will make new friends on your dorm floor! They don’t have to replace the ones you’ve got, but who doesn’t want new friends? At least it’s fun people to watch Gossip Girl with.

Also, seeing your two different reactions to having a single dorm (“Yay!) versus your reaction to rooming with your friends (“Just not sure…”) pretty much seals the deal. I’m sure you already know the right living situation for you. I know you feel like you’ll be missing out on time with your friends, but if they are your real friends, it doesn’t matter where you life.

Oh, and take it from my experience – it’s so much nicer to have down time in college, no roommate strings attached. Just a little food for thought.

6 Comments on "College Q&A: To Live Alone or Not To Live Alone…."

  1. Olivia says:
    Mon, 29th Mar 201010:02 am 

    I'm going to disagree with all three of you. I've lived alone and with roommates; and the roommate situation is far superior. Granted we all have our own rooms, bathrooms and min-fridges, so that might make it a little bit different than your situation. If you need alone time and/or study time, just close your door, and as long as you're not living with extreme partiers, who are up at all hours of the night, you should be fine. You always have someone to talk to and hang out with, but you can also have your private time too; it's a win-win! I consider myself an extremely independent person, but living alone was just too independent; it was just too lonely for me sometimes. Hope this helps and good luck to you!

  2. Liv says:
    Mon, 29th Mar 20102:05 pm 

    I say the benefits of living alone outweigh living with roomies, but just be prepared to feel a little left out…

  3. grace b says:
    Mon, 29th Mar 20103:30 pm 

    Live alone!! You can always join your friends some night and be glad you get to go home while they are dealing with someone else's dirty dishes. I just find living with others to be too stressful when you're trying to live your life in college. IMHO anyways.

  4. Mary says:
    Mon, 29th Mar 20104:12 pm 

    I've just finally moved into my studio after nearly four years of roommate hell, and I love it! I don't think I'll live with anyone else until I get married lol.

  5. KB says:
    Mon, 29th Mar 20105:09 pm 

    I find it interesting that all of the comments are weighing the pros and cons of living alone/with others, while there's also the question of living in the dorms versus in an apartment to consider. I live in a (small) one-bedroom apartment with two other girls, so there's not a lot of privacy, but for me it's still much better than living in the dorms even if I had had a single because: we have our own bathroom, own kitchen, it's less expensive and much quieter (in the dorms people were always coming back drunk at crazy hours etc.) So I would suggest look at those other factors too, not just the room-mates or no room-mates question.

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