English Comparative- Dorm Life Vs. Life At Home Essay

When entering college, there are many things to consider. Having to make such important life decisions can be very overwhelming for a high school senior. Not only are teenagers expected to make a decision on where they are going to potentially be spending the next four years, but they are also deciding who and how that is going to look like. In the article “A college education should include rooming with a stranger,” Ann Altman uses emotional diction to persuade readers to consider what their living conditions will be like their first year of college.

Some of these dorms are labeled as the “party dorm”, and many freshmen are unaware of this because they are given little information and they do not have previous friends or family that have attended the university before them. Monica and Karen were both housed in the “party dorm” at MU, the party dorms are directly affiliated with the Greek life on campus. The Greek system is a sorority or fraternity that consists of mostly white male and female members from privileged backgrounds. These members of the Greek life usually have a great deal of connections both on and off campus and this in turn gives them more power within the educational system as well as the social aspect in the universities. Many students will attempt to join this elitist Greek life without realizing the consequences that come with the membership. Some of these consequences are the out-of-pocket costs to join, another is the constant partying that id involved as well as the deeds that you must do to prove your loyalty to the fraternity or sorority that you are hoping to become a part of. About less than half of the students that were in the same housing unit as Karen and Monica opted to try and join this elitist group. Many freshmen saw the Greek life as a great way to party and relieve stress but much more importantly these students saw free alcohol and a great social connection. That is what these

Seniors have a tendency of taking their last year of high school for granted. They do not realize that the relaxed classes and fun filled weekends with their best friends will all soon come to a devastating end. They have applied for college, bought miniature refrigerators, and sent in their housing applications, but none of them have really thought about college in the way that they should. When asked about college most high school seniors image the huge parties, attractive people, and freedom; however, college is much more than that and, in a way, much less. College and high school are completely different when it comes to a student’s actual lifestyle, but they have many of the same traits that most high school seniors do not see coming.

Freshman year students are moving out, figuring out to be adult and trying to understand what career path they want. Since most colleges require freshmen to live in the dorms for their first year, getting to know their roommate and hall is really important. Their roommate could make or break the experience of living in the dorms and getting along since, they will be living with each other for about nine months. Their roommate could be their first friend that they make and miss homeless. Since homesick is common first year of college, finding friends and getting involved will make their campus a home for them. Another things are that college is way harder than high school, finding your study areas and time is important. The average studying done by a college student is fifteen hours per week but does not included class time (Nelson). According to Randall S. Hansen, there are 25 tips to survive and thrive first year of college, which are “go to all orientations, get organized, go to class, meet your professors, get to know your academic advisor, seek balance, keep track of your money and more.” These are good thing to live by the first year and through rest of college life. Freshman are knowing their responsibilities, how to have a successful year, and now needing a plan to incorporate all of

Living on campus requires you to only walk a relatively short distance from the dorm to the classroom. You are also surrounded by other students your age with similar ideals and outlooks on life as your own. Meals are accessible and on campus activities are much more convenient and ideal to attend. Living on campus does for the most part does have its benefits. As a student living on campus you are given the opportunity to socialize on a regular bases. Interaction becomes easier because you are amongst an atmosphere of likeminded individuals. Whether it may be in the dormitory among roommates or sitting in the quad with friends between classes.

Melanie states that “college isn’t so much an academic life , but it’s also a very social and emotional part of who you are , too.” She explains that college isn't about only education but also is socializing with others and knowing yourself. College students also have the rights to socialize with people and

Hence, students must learn to properly nourish their bodies with a nutritional diet, enough sleep, and limited intake of alcohol or dugs. Next, students must feel both safe in regards to financial and personal security. Financially security is often what both dormers and commuters alike struggle with, and often take on 20+ hours of work (a damaging effect on school work), or have no gaurantee of being able to afford to come back to school the next year. Also, students learn in college and enjoy their time there if they feel safe enough to explore the campus and walk at night, or use the bus. Hence a low crime rate should be necessary. Thirdly, belonging means students feel they have close friends and family to talk to and be accepted by both at home and on campus. In this sense, it is easier for dormers to find friends on campus, but get more distances with those back at home, while the opposite is true for commuters. However, if both make an effort to get involved in groups of their interest on campus, and keep in touch with family and friends back home, they can overcome these struggles, although it may be difficult at first due to the big campus size and busy schedules. Once the basic needs are met so far, students must feel a sense of self-worth and achievement. They need to

When a student chooses to dorm, they are forced into independency. They have more responsibilities, but they also have more freedom. Dormers are responsible for meals, laundry, money, and their well-being. In contrast, students that commute do not have to worry themselves with these responsibilities. With the parental aid, they always have a safety net to fall back on. However, living with parents often means living by their rules.

The transition from high school to college is a dynamic time in one’s life that parallels the change from childhood to adulthood. Both of these changes are dramatic and, as a result, feelings are difficult to put down into words. A messy combination of emotions fills the heart, surfacing in strange ways. Confident high school seniors go right back to the bottom of the chain when entering college as freshmen. These students start all over, just like entering grade school or high school for the first time. The move up from high school to college signals the switch from dependence to self-sufficiency. From a personal point of view, going through the experience of graduating high school and transferring to a residential college campus at STLCOP, made me realize I was no longer a kid and capable of making my own decisions.

The dorms isn’t what I expected when I came here, but I lived and went with it. We learn to be responsible, disciplined, want to keep the place clean, and don’t want trouble. There is always activities after school or on the weekend. I say go out there and have the out of dorm experience, try and not to be a dormrat. My favorite activities are swimming, paintball, and

In high school there is a certain structure that has to be followed. Students are required to be at school in their first hour class, which is the same every day until the next semester/trimester, at the same time every morning. After first hour they go on to their second hour and so on and so forth until the day is over and they are free. Day after day and year after year high schoolers wake up and follow the same routine as the day before and are expected to do it with a smile on their face and no back talk. College on the other hand, is a different story.

When a student goes off to college, they begin to no longer rely on their parents as much as they once have. The majority of college students choose to live on campus. They start becoming more independent. They learn to make their own food, do their homework and clean up after themselves without being told, and they start providing for themselves for the most part. They discover they have to be responsible with their money because they now have tuition to pay; and books, tuition, and other miscellaneous items to buy. They also gain a better sense of responsibility by deciding their major and choosing their career

Living in the college dorms will allow students many beneficial social interactions that they would otherwise not have. College dorms are usually divided into floors. Each floor will have a Resident Assistant that reports to a Resident Director. The Resident Assistant will organize events for the floor so that the students living together can get to know each other. This is a great opportunity for the students to meet and find others that have similar interests or majors. Throughout the semester there will be floor meetings and activities that will help the students meet new people and make more friends. Generally students will have at least one roommate. This can be someone you know or it could be randomly assigned. This is a great opportunity to make a good friend when you first move to college.

Dorming can also be very overwhelming at first. You can easily be distracted by parties or hanging out in the lounge or a friends dorm. Also it makes it more susceptible to leave everything for last minute and realize that you have no time to

At some point, someone has said that high school will be the best four years of their lives and college gets even better. So with that idea in people’s heads, they come up with their ideal image of the college. They start planning the perfect scenario of what college they will go to and what their roommate will be like. They often try to compare an unrealistic image and turn it into a realistic image, but they are unlike in many ways. Once students step onto the college campus, they will soon face what it is actually like to be in college.When people understand that college is not the perfect movie scene, then they will take advantage of expanding and furthering their education seriously. Going to college is a whole different experience and there is a lot more to it such as the rigorous classes and overwhelming school work, being more independent, and forming new bonds with others.