Of all of the things people remember fondly about college, living in a dorm is rarely one of them. Living in a dorm usually means living in a five by five room with three strangers, sharing a bathroom with something like one hundred more strangers, having no kitchen, and no privacy. College is the time in life when you are supposed to be experiencing independence for the first time, but when you arrive to the dorms, you figure out quickly there may be no such luck. Sure, you have gained independence from your parents, but the dorms are still a strictly regulated and supervised environment. While dorms are an essential part of the college experience, they in many ways stand in contrast to everything prospective college students expect out of their experience.

Despite all of this though, everyone should still live in the dorms. There is a reason they were created in the first place, and even if you can’t see it when you’re suffering through another sleepless night because one of your roommates gets laid way too often, you will be able to see that reason one day. On top of that, there are these 5 reasons every new college student should spend their freshman year living in a dorm.

  1. Where Else Will You Live?

The only option besides living in the dorms if living in an apartment or house off-campus. You may be able to rent a room in some non-college student’s house who lives locally, or you can find a few students who had someone bail at the last minute and now need an additional roommate. How are either of those options really going to be better though? If you are renting a room from some family, it probably won’t earn you much in ways of independence, privacy or freedom. If you sublet with some other students, you will still be living with a random collection of strangers.

  1. It’s How You Will Meet New People


Despite all of the negative aspects of dorm life, it is still essential to the social elements of college. That is where all of the students will get to know each other and form friendships. If you live off campus, you will be left out of that bonding.

  1. No Housing Search Required

You have probably never done it before, so take it from me: looking for a place to live absolutely sucks. Especially as college student with no credit history, and a bias against you from landlords everywhere who have probably had numerous bad experiences with people like you. Living in the dorms lets you avoid that awful process.

  1. Location Near Campus and Classes 


The dorms will be a five-minute walk from everything: your meal hall, your classrooms, the dorms where your friends live.

  1. Experience


Even if it is no one’s favorite part of the college experience, it is still a part of it. If you’re going to live off-campus, you might as well drop out and get Rutgers masters in social work online instead.