7 Pros and Cons to Living in a Dorm

(This post can also be found here on the Baylor Admissions Blog! )

The prospect of living in a building with hundreds of adolescents is looming…Seniors in high school everywhere are getting nightmares. Dorm life? It can do that. Or can it? From living in my dorm at Baylor for around three months, I bring you a handy dandy list that should help you answer this question:

Is "dorming" worth it?

Let’s get those cons out of the way, shall we?

1.       Expense- Let’s face it. Everything about college is expensive, and dorms are no exception. You have to pay big bucks for so little amenities.

2.    Hygiene- Or lack therof. Everyone’s heard scary rumors about dorm bathrooms. Depending on what sort of dorm you live in, they may or may not be true. Vague, I know. If you live in a dorm with community bathrooms, where you share with you hall, they're cleaned out every day, but if you live in a suite style (like I do), you have to clean your own bathrooms. Yes, there are people who leave hair, trash, and other germs everywhere. Advice? Wear your shower shoes always always always.

3.      No privacy- Living in a huge building with other girls or guys really doesn’t include privacy in the package deal. A dorm is a community area. There are people everywhere. Even in your room, if you have a roommate (which you most likely will).

4.    Cramped- Dorms are all about efficiency. How much can you stuff into a little box? By the time you get unpacked, there’s barely room left to study or walk around. Storage bins can help with this, but you aren’t going to be living in the Taj Mahal either way.

5.       Lack of decorating freedom- Mostly an issue if you’re the artsy type, an aspiring interior decorator, or you just want to make the place feel like a home. Dorms can be quite picky about hanging things, or what can and cannot go on the walls. Also, again with the small space. You can only decorate so much.

6.       Roommate- I’m not saying having a roommate is a con. It can actually be a pro. I have a pretty cool roommate myself. The con is that if you have a terrible roommate, your life can become a living nightmare.

7.       Visitation hours- When you make friends that don’t live in your dorm, and you want to go check out their pad, and you have plans for the evening, and…oh wait. They can’t come over. Visitation hours. Plans ruined. Darn. I’m not going to rag on this one too much, because these hours help us to manage our time wisely, but sometimes they just get in the way.

But does this cloud have a silver lining? It sure does! It’s time for the pros!

1.       Location- Because of the close proximity to campus…ON campus itself, your commute time to classes or to the library is smaller than what it would be if you lived off campus! Which means more sleepy time! Also, you’re smack dab in the middle of everything going on around campus, so you don’t have to worry about missing out.

2.       Community- I never imagined that being in a dorm had such a great sense of community. Living with a bunch of other girls or guys (or both if you live in a co-ed dorm) builds strong friendships. You learn to rely on your floor mates and come to each other’s rescue. I can’t tell you how many great experiences I’ve had with the ladies who live on my floor. From swapping stories to snacks to t-shirts (I don’t own an orange t-shirt, okay?), being in the dorm has been a fantastic experience.

3.       Paid Utilities- You don’t have to worry about how much electricity or water you use! Also, plenty of dorms have cable and Wi-Fi. The dorm staff also take out the trash and clean the hallways and community bathrooms! How nice!

4.       Study Spaces- Roommates and suite mates too distracting? Need to get out of the room, but you don’t want to walk to the library? SPEAK NO MORE. Dorms often have little lounges or cozy corners tucked away where you can crack open the books or get to work on that paper that’s due tomorrow. Because you’re going to study. This is college.

5.       News- News flies fast around campus. While this can either be a good or bad thing, you’re always in the middle of things when you live in a dorm. Posters are hung everywhere, and usually one of the dorm mates has an idea of what’s going on.

6.       Don’t have to pack a lunch- While cooking a decent meal is an impossibility unless you use the community kitchen, meal plans often come with the dorm, so you don’t have to worry about making sure to pack a lunch before you dash out the door. True, you can get tired of cafeteria food, but there’s usually a variety of dishes to choose from!

7.       Activities- Nothing to do on the weekends besides homework? Dorms are great about providing movie nights, outings, and other fun activities throughout the year! And even if they don’t do things too often, there’s always the dorm mates to hang out with…they’re only a minute away!

Still on the fence about dorm life? Keep this in mind: Most colleges require freshmen to live a year on campus, so whether you like it or not, you get to experience dorm life for yourself (unless you happen to be a commuter, which is a whole different animal). But don’t get down in the dumps! Think of dorming as an adventure! You never know what will happen next in the dorms!

However, not everyone has the same experiences with their dorms, but don’t be discouraged! Even if your dorm is the scariest place on earth…you’ll survive! You’ll make it! And you’re not in it alone. Your roommate, hall mates, and dorm mates are going through the same thing! Plus, with all the craziness that is the college experience, you won’t be spending all your time in the dorm anyway.


Good luck, have fun, and enjoy the ride!

Disclaimer: All pictures are from Google and copyrighted to their respective owners. Because it's far too late at night for me to lurk around taking pictures of the local dorms.