Where will you live?
Going to high school can be a wonderful experience. You’re getting ready for the rest of your life, especially if you’re a senior. You’re getting ready to take the SAT and choosing where you want to go to college. You’re actually planning your future.
That’s a huge deal. Going to college is exciting and even a little scary. You may be going away from home for the very first time in your life or you might just continue to live at home and go to a college near your house. Either way, you’re in for some wonderful new experiences in the next four years of your life.
If you are planning on going to a college some distance from your home, you’re going to have some decisions to make about where you want to live. Dorms on campus or off campus housing? I’d recommend that you try living on campus for at least the first semester to give you a chance to find out how things work at your school. This will give you some time to acquaint yourself with the surrounding areas of the university. Take time to walk the neighborhoods, look at what off campus housing has to offer. Living on campus your first year might make it a bit less intimidating for you. If you have an older sibling that goes to the college you are admitted to and they are living off campus, you might want to look into moving in with them.
One thing you’re going to experience at college is having a roommate. Depending on how you grew up, this could be a culture shock of a very serious kind. If you have a lot of brothers and sisters in your family and you’re used to sharing a room with someone, the having a roommate at college shouldn’t be that much of an adjustment for you. If you’re an only child and have never shared a room with another soul before, then this might take some time to feel comfortable. A roommate can turn out to be your best friend or your worst nightmare.
Campus Housing offices generally try to match roommates that want the same things, as applicants fill out their admission forms for housing. If you’re the studious, religious type then it might be best if you were not paired with a punk rock playing slacker. Not that I believe anyone would actually put that down on a housing application, but you see where I’m going with this. It’s best to be compatible with someone that you’re going to be spending a lot of time with.
If you find that you simply cannot get along with the roommate that has been assigned to you, talk to your housing office. Generally they can help you change rooms or make other arrangements in order to make you more comfortable.
After the first year of dorm life you may feel that off campus is where you need to live. By this time you’ve probably checked out what’s available and decided where you want to live. Dorms are generally for the underclassman, but you can live there during your entire college education if that’s where you are most comfortable. You can even apply to be an RA, a Resident Assistant. An RA lives on your floor or in your building. They are generally an older student who knows how things work, and they are there to help you with any issues you might be having. Your RA is the person to talk to if you need help or have questions about your dorm room or rules.
Wherever you decide to live while you’re at school, make sure you feel safe there. After all, it’s your new home for the time being.
