As a New Yorker, I’ve lived in an apartment for all of my life. I’m used to living in close quarters. Freshman year, I commuted from five minutes away further into Riverdale. Although, there were perks to living at home, I definetly missed my resident friends when I went home and felt a little isolated. I decided to make the investment and live in a dorm this year and honestly, it was an interesting experience…there are drawbacks and benfits to both living spaces.
One of the benefits of living in an apartment is the kitchen, a place for you to make what you want, when you want it. Also, healthy eating may be easier for us picky eaters when you are able to prepare all your meals. Locke’s loft always has healthy options. I can always count on there being vegetables and a protein for every meal they offer. Also, the salad bar is always full! However, sometimes I find that the vegetables could be prepared without butter and oils. Also, I have friends who have many dietary restrictions; unfortunetly, sometimes the vegan options have mistakenly had dairy in them.
There’s a new sense of freedom when dorming. You are in such close proximity to the trains and academic buildings. My attendence has gone up since dorming because it’s very easy to make it to class. On occasions, I’ll wake up 10 mins before my class and still be able to make it on time. I also have access to the library at later hours. When I was a commuter, I couldn’t stay in the library too late because I had factor in the walk home. I was constantly buying ubers from campus because I was studying late or it was too cold to walk home. Those ubers piled up and it ended up being alot of money.
Sometimes you need a place to just be alone and relax; however, living in a dorm doesn’t provide that very often. You can alternate times without your roommate so that you both can have alone time. When you have your own apartment, there’s no need to adjust your schedule.