For some people, the idea of living in a dorm room is a dream come true. The ability to live with all of your friends in the same space sounds like a lot of fun for some. However, it gets old as you matriculate through your collegiate experience. Furthermore, it’s nice to have some autonomy as you get older. Consider some of the major reasons why it’s a good idea to ditch your dorm as you continue your collegiate education.
1. Fewer Distractions
In college, studying is one of the most important activities. Yet, it can be really difficult to concentrate when your roommates or suitemates are hosting a really loud game night. Sure, you can go to the library to focus. However, for many people, the library is just another social club. Additionally, the library typically closes at a specific hour. If you’d like to have a late-night study session, it’s much easier to do that in silence when you have your own place.
If you’d like to wake up really early and study with the lights turned on, you can do so without bothering a roommate. These simple treasures matter when you’re trying to maximize your time, develop a consistent routine and achieve excellent grades.
2. Cost-Effective
Because room and board are expenses that get paid along with your tuition in a lump sum, many people don’t recognize how much more expensive they can be. By planning your meals in advance and creating a realistic budget to cover one of the many apartments in Durham NC, you’ll be able to save a significant amount of money in the long haul. Make monthly trips to a local big-box retailer in order to buy items like paper towels and toilet paper in bulk.
As you buy in bulk, you’ll decrease your expenses tremendously. In order to be successful in this area, stick to a budget, solidify income streams before moving in and be responsible with the resources you have. If you choose to get a roommate, you’ll be able to save even more money on your living expenses.
3. Adult Responsibilities
When you live in a dorm, you don’t have to worry about making sure the light bill gets paid on time. You don’t have to send a check each month to cover the rent. However, when you’re living in an apartment, everything falls on you. When you don’t pay the bills on time, this will impact your credit and your financial future. This is a perfect time to build a strong financial foundation by paying bills on time and more.
4. Flexibility
Many dorm facilities maintain strict rules regarding coming back into the dorms after a certain hour. Between curfews, cleanliness checks, and other campus rules, it might feel like you’re a high school senior who’s living underneath your parents’ roof. However, when you live on your own, you get to experience full autonomy over everything you do. There’s no need to sign out or inform a resident assistant of your whereabouts. Granted, you do still need to maintain safety precautions when you’re living on your own. You can choose who to trust with information such as your whereabouts. Still, there’s a lot more flexibility when you don’t have to make plans that include the rigid rules of campus life.
5. Full Control
It can be really discouraging when the community bathroom is constantly unkempt. There’s only so much control you can have over living quarters when you share them with others. However, when you opt to rent an apartment, you gain full control over what happens within those four walls. If you’d like to bring in a maid to clean weekly or develop a daily cleanliness routine, it’s your choice. If you’re sharing the apartment, you and your roommate have to come to an agreement. Still, it’s much easier to share an off-campus apartment with someone you have a full understanding of. This leads to fewer arguments, surprises, or contentious experiences.
As you get older, the idea of sharing spaces with strangers becomes less and less appealing. It becomes more convenient to have one or two roommates (if you choose to have any). By choosing the right apartment to fit your lifestyle and your budget, you’ll be very happy you opted for freedom instead of dorm life.
