Must I live in the dorm as a freshman?
Getting into college is one of the happiest moments of every student and as such they want to make good use of it. There are many things that will be new to them and one of them is accommodation. While there are people who live in boarding houses while at High School, some still go to school from home.
This is not high school, it’s college and as such most students will like to live home. The next question might be, must I live in a college dorm as a freshman?
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Must I live in a dorm as a freshman?
It is not a must to live in the college dorm as a fresher. You have some options. Unlike the boarding Schools we have for high school. If a school is a full time boarding school, you are not allowed to live with your parents at home or rent a house outside the school, you must live in the hotels. But it is not the same with colleges and universities.
As a fresher in college, you have options to choose when it comes to accommodation. You can choose to come to school from home if your parents are living close to school and this is a nice option.
But I am sure most people would like to live at home so they cannot be under the supervision of their parents. They have been there for a long time and want to think for themselves and care for themselves too. As such the next option is to look for accommodation elsewhere especially if their home is far from school.
If you’re living in a different city from your college and you can’t afford to get a car or transport yourself everyday to school and or maybe you want to live home, the next option is to choose whether you will live in school dormitories or live off campus, all are great.
Living in a college dorm will be a nice option for every freshman but it is a must. You can choose to live off campus. But what determines where you stay is you. If you can cope with staying with other person’s at the school dorm, then get to fill the form and live in the school dormitory. Otherwise look for a house outside the school.
Other things to take into consideration or determine where you live as a freshman in college since it is not a must to live in a college dorm is your pocket. The cost of living off campus is always very high and if you can afford it, good for you. But if you can’t, the only option is to live in a dorm.
Though they are different from the accommodations in the college dorm. You can see rooms for multiple people or a double room with just two occupants and then a single room made for one person though this is not for fresher’s. Most schools will not allow a freshman to live in a single room except there is a reason for that.
So you must not live in a college dorm as a freshman, you have options of staying in the dorm, off campus or living with your parents at home. It is left for you to choose and this is dependent on three important things.
Note: Some colleges in the United States have it as a rule that every freshman in the school must live in dorms for the first semester or session but not all colleges. If you happen to be admitted to one of the colleges that it is a must to live in the dormitory as a fresher, then you don’t have options.
Though there are exceptions to this whereby your parents will have to sign a document permitting you to live outside the campus and then the school will not have to be sued if anything happens to you outside the school.
Is it better for students to live in a dormitory?
There have been a series of arguments on the matter of the best place to live as a freshman or students, either in a school dorm or off campus and home. Also many people have argued that people who live in dormitories in school tend to perform Higher than those who live off campus. One thing that is sure is that students can perform well anywhere.
Personally, it is better for students to live in a college dorm for academic reasons. There has been research done on this and it was found out students who live in dormitories perform better than those outside the school.
That being said, dorms are aimed heavily towards freshmen. They act as a stepping stone for students as they transition from living at home to living independently – offering guidance and guidelines, while at the same time allowing the student an abundance of freedom. Thereby, dorms also benefit colleges by making things easier on students, therefore allowing them to perform better in school
To help you understand why it is better to live in a college dorm as a freshman, let us discuss the benefits of living in dormitories.
Benefits of living in college dorm
Making friends
As a fresher in a new school and location, you need someone to walk, talk and do things together and living in a dorm will be the best for you. While staying in the dorm, you are assigned a roommate for double rooms and you have the opportunity to become friends. Though there are single rooms and still the probability of becoming friends with the next neighbor is still high.
Sometimes your roommate will be a person in a higher level than you are and being a friend to such a person will be of great help since he or she will share their experience with you.
Living in a dorm, residents meet other students from all walks of life, enriching their college experience. Unless you live alone, you’re probably sharing a room with one or two other people. Sharing a space with others allows residents to learn from each other and grow, all while building a solid circle of friends and acquaintances. Some dorms even place together students with similar majors to better foster a sense of community.
Location
Most of the school dorm are located within the school premises or very close and as such is a great advantage to students. Living in dorm make easy for students to access the classroom easley and on time. It also remove the cost of transport or gas if you have a car. Also while in a college dorm, you can access the library at anytime and other school facilities which aid learning.
When living in a dorm near campus, residents can walk back to their rooms between classes for some much-needed relaxation time or a quick nap.
Focus
Most of the people who argue that living in a dorm is better than living outside the school based their arguments on academic reasons. I too totally agree with them that living in college dorm have great academic importance.
The lifestyle of many people who live outside the school do contribute to their poor academic performance. The life of luxury and pride will let many not to focus on academic activities but on parting and other social activities.
But in living in school dormitory, you are under the supervision of Resident Assistants who make sure that social activities do not interfere with your academic activities. While at the dorm you have the time to read and engage in activities that will make you more conversant with your books.
Students attend college to learn and grow academically, and dorms are specifically designed to foster this academic achievement. Dorm rooms are equipped with features students need to succeed, and community amenities are tailored to students including quiet study rooms and fast Internet speeds. Form study groups with roommates and other students and stay focused on why you here in the first place. You will find a strong sense of community and academics in a dorm environment
Independence and maturity
Many people never have the opportunity to live alone and care for themselves throughout their live and this is a great opportunity.
College is the time to branch out and be independent, but independence doesn’t come without its challenges. That’s why dorms are the ideal way to begin that journey into adulthood. Students get their first taste of independence while still having a supportive network of resident assistants (RAs), counselors, and other friendly staff to help them with this transition
Living alone or with a roommate is very different from living at home. Many of us, including myself, grew up not having to do too many household chores, repairs or paying bills. So if your choice is between staying at home or student dorms, the latter is a good opportunity to learn how to be less dependent on your family, without being completely out there on your own!
Do students living on campus do better academically?
It is a general belief that students who live on campus perform better academically to those who live outside the campus. This is based on many research papers some people have Carried out. One thing that we should take note of is that environmental conditions affect how students perform academically.
Whether on campus or off campus, students living in favorable environments tend to outshine others. This is the reason why people who live in dorms are believed to be better academically since dormitories are seen to be more favorable.
Why are campuses seen to be more favorable to students for higher performance and GPA?
There are many academic activities that are out in place at University campuses that will help students to be more focused in their academic work. Students who live in dormitories have an advantage to use School facilities like the library, computer, academic advisor and internet service more easily than their counterparts living off campus.
Though there are people who also believe that dormitories are full of social activities that will make them less focused as they tend to engage in them more often than those living outside the school. To remedy this, there are changes recently at many institutions to the activities allowed in school hostels.
Many institutions have transformed conventional dormitories into living learning communities (LLCs), residence halls designed to promote the academic integration of students. Several common features of LLCs include on-site faculty lectures and office hours, noncredit seminars, advising office hours, cultural events, and courses attended by student housing groups.
Research on LLCs indicates that, even after adjusting for pre-college ability, these types of residential environments indirectly improve academic performance by fostering students’ academic involvement with the institution (Pike, Schroeder, & Berry, 1997; Zheng, Saunders, Shelley, & Whalen, 2002). Such findings illustrate that residence halls, when structured appropriately, can have a positive influence on both academic involvement and performance.
So to perform better in a dorm, it totally depends on the student, the dorm activities, environment and School. On a general note, Students who live in school dormitories tend to perform better academically than those who live outside the school.
What is not allowed in the college dorm?
There are many things that the Residents Assistants will not allow you to bring into your room while staying in the dormitory. This rule is different from college to college but has some in common.
These rules and regulations are made to make people living in dorms to be comfortable, safe and focused.
- Guns – Students are not allowed to bear guns or any other weapons.
- Hot Plates – Any electric appliance that has open heating elements are not allowed.
- Candles, incense or anything else that involves an open flame because of fire hazard
- Live Animals – You are not allowed to bring pets to the dorm. Though some Schools do welcome fish.
- Drugs – No drugs for students of all ages
- Alcohol – You are not allowed to take alcohol while in the hall of residence. Some school only allow those above 21 and hardly will you see someone in that age still in college dorm
- Large and/or loud Parties will not be tolerated in the campus hall of residence
- Excessive noise – this one of the many reasons why people prefer to stay in the dormitory because you will focus well with no or less noise
- Smoking inside the building
- Unescorted male guests on the female’s floor or vice versa