A recent poll of the amount of seniors commuting or living in a dorm next year.
As the school year is coming to an end, it is time for seniors to start deciding their upcoming plans for the next year. With college being the most common choice for after high school, there will come a time to make the decision if you want to live in a dorm or commute from home. Either choice is followed by an array of possibilities, with advantages and disadvantages for each destination.
Moving into a dorm is probably the more common choice of the 2 and this can be for many reasons. Here are some advantages and disadvantages for living in a dorm:
Advantages-
Being closer to classes
Meet new people easily
Decorate to your liking
Have a new sense of freedom
Always involved in school activities & campus-life
Disadvantages-
Being away from home and family
Have to share a space with virtually a stranger
Communal showers
Is very expensive
Having to decide what to keep at home or bring with you
Harder to find employment or a new job
If you are going to college and do not want to live in a dorm there are other options, but this requires you to commute to school. These are some advantages and disadvantages of commuting:
Advantages-
Staying with pets and family
Not having to move all your belongings
Being able to eat at home, saves cost on on-campus dining
The comfort of being somewhere you know
Being able to keep your current job
Saves on student loan debt
Disadvantages-
Not being included in school activities or campus-life, leading to FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out)
The cost of gas
No freedom away from parents which can distract from schoolwork
Takes up time (and energy) to drive to and from school
Harder to form close friendships
Choosing where to live for college is a very tough decision to make, but thankfully it doesn’t have to be permanent. If you regret your decision you can always choose to move back home or find a dorm, but you may have to wait until the end of a semester or year depending on your college so that is why it is so important to try to make the correct choice your first time. Hopefully now that decision is easier to make with the advantages and disadvantages laid out in front of you.