It may not be something you’ve had to do at home, but sharing a room with one or more people may be the best thing to do when you go to college, especially in your freshman year. Yes, a dorm is noisy, there is hardly any privacy, and you have to put up with the eccentricities and foibles of total strangers; but in the midst of all the chaos and confusion, you end up enjoying college life as you should, right at the heart of it. If you still need reasons to stay in a dorm your first few years of college, read on:

• Lower costs: Campus accommodation is cheaper than renting your own apartment and having to pay an advance of the first and last months’ rent upfront. Also, food on campus is much cheaper than buying it outside or even cooking on your own. Although you may not get to eat what you like when you like, you do need to look at the money aspect when you’re a poor college student. Besides, if your college or any other educational loan is subsidizing your education, your accommodation and food costs are likely to be included in your scholarship if you stay on campus. Also, you can share the cost of a microwave, a fridge, hotplate or any other appliance that your dorm rules allow you to keep.

• Better social life: It’s easier to make new friends and fit in faster when you’re a resident of the college dorm. You meet people from different parts of the country and the world and find like-minded souls and those with similar interests and passions. Also, it’s more convenient when you wish to know about and attend events held on campus. And if you’re of the opinion that the more, the merrier, then you’re bound to love living in the social atmosphere of the dorm.

• Broader experiences: Living in a dorm exposes you to all kinds of people from different cultures. You learn more about yourself, other people, and other countries too. Your experiences make you wiser and more mature and this gives you an edge in the real world when you work and interact with people from different backgrounds.

Among the disadvantages of dorm living is the fact that you have very limited privacy and that it’s hard to do any serious studying amidst all the perpetual noise. But even with these limitations, dorm life is an experience that every college student must go through for at least a year.

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This guest post is contributed by Anna Miller, who writes on the topic of online degree . She welcomes your comments at her email id: anna.miller009@gmail.com