Dorm living can be good for people when they’re first starting, especially if they didn’t have to study in high school. The imposed structure of dorm life can be very helpful to new students first learning to focus on their work.
You Can Enjoy More Privacy
Life in a dorm can be very off-putting if you’ve always had your bed and bathroom. Sleeping next to a roommate may be a big adjustment, and if you’re a morning lark and you’re a night owl, it can lead to conflict.
The ability to get up when you choose to and enjoy some quiet time early in the day can be an incredible gift. For those who don’t have a high tolerance for company, dorm living can be incredibly stressful. Additionally, you and your roommate may have different concepts of cleanliness and organization. Even if you have similar living styles, dorm rooms are small and you may end up resenting your roomie.
Learn to Manage Your Time
Dorm life has a quiet time rule. Some dorms also have a “lights out” rule. You may be someone who loves to laugh with a friend to energize yourself before a late-night study session, you will have to learn to end the conversation and get to work.
If you are not taking any physical education classes, part of managing your time and your energy, you’ll need to build your own exercise time into each day. When you’re shopping for your next living space, make sure you check out the fitness area. Make sure you can get into the fitness area when it works with your schedule. You’ll soon get to know which neighbors at Auburn University off-campus housing are interested in healthy living.
Learn to Budget Your Money
In a dorm, once you’ve paid for housing your food will be easily available. If you’re in an apartment, you still need to fill up your refrigerator on your own. To that end, you will also need to learn to manage how you can pay your
- electric bill
- water bill
- gas bill
- laundry and dry cleaning
However, this bill-paying requirement is not necessarily a bad thing. For example, you may have a hard time ignoring the dessert bar in the cafeteria. You can protect yourself by shopping smart and ignoring the cookies and cake at the grocery store.
You Can Build Up a Household For After Graduation
After college, you’ll be working on your career. Heading into the real world means that you will need some furniture to function effectively. A dorm apartment couch can easily move with you into your new “I got a job!” apartment.
Once you settle into your next apartment with your student gear, you can slowly transition from college stuff to grown-up stuff. A college student who has learned to function on second hand or parent’s cast-off furniture, cookware, and dishes will be less likely to overspend when the offers start coming in once they’re working.
Will Learn to Adult
Part of adulting is learning who to spend time with for best results. The really fun friend who’s always ready to party is a wonderful contact, but they can make for a terrible roommate. The very kind friend who always helps out folks who are in trouble can be a joyful person, but the first time you wake up to a stranger on your couch while you stumble around in your pajamas may make you wish you didn’t have a roommate at all.
You’ll also learn some of the hard budget lessons that can crop up when you move out on your own. Yes, you’ll finally be making money. However, you may end up getting lots of credit card offers, car loan deals, and 6 months same as cash chances to buy new furniture. All of these come with a bill due each month. The student budgeting tips that you learned in your first college apartment may be all that you need to get your budget back under control.
Your college years are a time of great growth. To make sure that you make the best choices for your budget and your future lifestyle, consider rooming with an older student who can help guide you into the best choices.
