After choosing what college you want to go to, there are still multiple decisions to be made. There are usually meal plans and class sign-ups, but one of the most important decisions is choosing where you will be living while attending college. Usually, there are multiple dorms on campus and houses to rent for older students. One other thing you could do is to live at home if you are close enough. Students will need to decide if it is better to live at home or in the dorms for college.
Seniors Nova White and Nathan Schaefer have both decided that they are going to live at home next year. Both Nova and Nathan are going to UW Platteville and they said that it had to do with cost, and Nathan stated that living in the dorms would almost double his college tuition. Neither are worried about getting the “college experience.” Nathan said, “I know I won’t get the full college experience, and I am completely fine with that.” They both say they are not worried about making friends. When asked if they would live in the dorms if they didn’t have to pay for them, they both said that they totally would. Nova said she would love to “get to experience living by myself.”
Seniors Oliver Post and Connor Jepperson have decided that living in the dorms will be the best for them. They both said that the option of living at home is off of the table because they will be attending college farther from home as Connor will attend UW Madison and Oliver will attend UW Platteville and lives 45 minutes away. Oliver said, “Living on campus will help me be able to make new friends and get to classes sooner.” Some downsides to living in the dorms could be losing personal space and having to live with a stranger. If they could live at home, they both said they would because it would save a lot of money.
The two students who have decided to live at home are only doing so because it will save a lot of money. The other two, who have decided to live on campus, are only doing so because they are going too far away. Oliver and Connor would live at home if they could to save money, and Nova and Nathan would live on campus if it didn’t cost so much. The biggest factor in deciding if you should live at home or on campus seems to be money. If you want to live on campus, you will have to be okay with spending more money and maybe being in a little more debt. If you decide to live at home, you will have to be okay with possibly losing out on certain experiences and commuting to campus every day. It will be a tough decision, but one that all new college freshmen have to make every year.