Pluses and Minuses of Rooming with More People in College

Ah, college – some of the best years of your life will be spent here. Making friends, learning how to be self-sustaining without parents to lean on every second of the day, the experience of learning independently – it’s all happening at college. One of the biggest pieces of the puzzle here to complete the experience is campus life, and if you are in the middle of choosing whether to go solo in your dorm room or have a roommate, we’re here to tell you why you should consider the pros and cons of the best apartments Ohio University has to offer, first. 

Below, we’ve got a list of the things that you should consider – both positive and negative – of sharing your life with roommates while you’re in college. 

Finding Your People 

When you end up in a dorm with others, you’re going to make fast friends. Often, colleges put their students with others in their classes so there is an instant friend right there if you go ahead and share your space. You can study together, workout together and head to the right parties together. You can look out for each other, and these connections in college are so important for the rest of your life. 

Safety In Numbers

Unfortunately, the figures show that college students who are incapacitated are at some of the highest danger than others. By rooming with someone, you’ve always got a spotter to keep an eye on you. A roommate can get help if it’s needed and you also have a lower chance of being broken into!

Space – Or Lack Of It!

If you’re rooming alone, you often have far more space than if you roomed with new people. Double dorms have the downside of being on the smaller side, and when you share the space, it shrinks even more! You need your dorm room to be spacious enough for you to have room for your things, and sharing will mean figuring out how to share your space with someone you don’t yet know.

Privacy – Or Lack Of It!

As with space, there’s rarely much privacy if you’re sharing your living space. Phone calls and conversations can be overheard, and you’re changing in front of each other, too. You’ll need to be okay with having less privacy when you’re sharing a room!

It’s Cheaper To Share

As a college student, you’re not going to be flush for cash at all times, so you need to think about how you can lessen the cost of the time you spend in school. Sharing a dorm means you’re going to spend less money on yearly rates compared to single rooms, as you’re sharing the cost like basic utilities, cleaning (pro-tip: you may hire a student dorm cleaning company for cleaning services), etc. Checking out the amenities with the student housing is important, as you need to know that sharing is going to be right for you.

When it comes down to it, no matter where you go to college, you need to know you can happily and safely share with someone new. Check out the above pros and cons before you make your final decision.