Hello world (or at least Newark). This is my first post for 186 South College, and like one of my fellow bloggers, I have decided to include a brief introduction to me, your humble author. I am a junior at the University majoring in English due to my love of the language. Ok, that is a bit strong. But the reality is I do enjoy reading and writing, and I desire to become a wordsmith—someone capable of expertly using words to express precise meanings. But enough about me.
About 8,800 of the University’s 16,000 undergrads live off-campus. That’s a majority. Given that fact, and that I am a junior, you might suspect I live off-campus now or at least plan to move into a house or apartment next year. That’s not the case.
What can be so bad about a dorm with a giant TV and a Wii tournament?
I have lived in Honors housing my three years here so far and intend to do the same next year. Why would I want to live in a stuffy old dorm and rely on dining halls when I could have my own place, you ask?
Well, in my experience, dorms are not that bad. Sure, the rooms might feel a bit cramped at times and you might want to cook more often (most dorms have a kitchen somewhere in the building, though it may be in use by other students when you want to use). But overall, a dorm is not a bad place to live.
For starters, it’s simply easier to live in dorms. They are on-campus and thus close to the university’s many buildings. This makes getting to classes easy. From my dorm, it’s literally a three minute to my farthest class right now. You also get the chance to make friends with people living in the building. Because you are right next to these people, sharing a bathroom with them and often seeing them around campus, it’s easy to become acquainted with them. I met my best friends here because they lived on the same floor as me.
Now to another common concern: the food. I really don’t have a problem with the dining halls. Sure, sometimes the closest one might not have food I like for lunch or dinner (I am a picky eater, granted), so I will just take a two-minute walk to Trabant. And of course, there’s always Main Street, home to a wide variety of restaurants.
For most of my tenure at UD, I have not minded living in a dorm. Sure, there are times where I wish I had my own place, but then I’d have to worry about making breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day. Plus, I’d be paying monthly rent and utilities and having to walk much farther to campus.
As I mentioned earlier, I have living in Honors housing my three years. I recommend this, as in my experience, the students are a bit quieter and more focused on schoolwork than those living in regular housing might be.
Overall, dorm life is not bad at all.
~Matt Bittle
