Many people spend their first year at university sharing a dorm room with another student — and they have mixed experiences. The other extreme is to live alone off campus. There are a number of pros and cons to this living arrangement. To choose between having your own apartment and sharing with roommates, you’ll need to decide what matters most to you.
Pro: It’s More Comfortable
For most students, the biggest advantage of living alone is comfort. No one is bothering you with habits like making too much noise late at night or early in the morning, leaving dishes in the sink for too long, or inviting friends you dislike over. Plus, you don’t need to worry about adjusting your own behaviors or lifestyle for someone else, either.
Cons: It Can Be Expensive
Even renting a small apartment on your own is much more expensive than sharing a large apartment with roommates. As well as being responsible for the entire rent, you have no one to split utilities with. It’s important to determine if you can afford to live alone — consider that you may need to work a part-time job.
Pro: You’re Truly Free
Some students find moving out of their parents’ house into another shared space somewhat of a letdown. You still need to be considerate of other people and your roommates may have quite different lifestyles to you. Having your own apartment means true freedom. All the decisions about your home life are up to you, including when you clean, how you decorate, and what groceries you stock up on.
Con: Making Friends Is More Difficult
It’s easy to make friends when you live with other people. If you already know your roommates, the bonds between you will likely grow stronger. If you are assigned roommates or you find them through social media, there’s a good chance you’ll at least have someone you enjoy talking to — perhaps the friends of your roommates if not your roommates themselves! If you live alone, however, you’ll need to put in extra effort just to meet people.
Pro: Your House, Your Rules
Meeting new people is less of a concern if you already have plenty of friends. A big benefit, though, is that you’ll be able to invite friends over whenever you want — even large groups of people. Since you live alone, there’s no need to ask anyone’s permission.
Con: You May Feel Lonely
Inviting friends over is quite different from living with other people. If you prefer to spend time alone anyway, this is less of a problem. However, if you’re a social butterfly, you may find living alone to be a lonely existence.
Pro: Friends and Family Can Stay Over
If you’re attending university far from your hometown, an extra appeal of living alone is that you can invite old friends and family members to stay for the weekend whenever you want. All you’ll need is a futon in the living room. Plus, college friends who want to come over for drinks can crash at your place, avoiding the need to order a ride home.
Con: It May Be Difficult to Find an Apartment
You’ll need to start your search for housing early, as there tend to be limited one-bedroom apartments in most cities. If many other students also find living alone appealing, the apartments near campus may disappear quickly.
Whether you decide you’d prefer to live at home or you want to have roommates, you can find the perfect apartment at 1Eleven. Our uOttawa off-campus housing has one-bedroom apartments as well as suites for two and four people. If you choose to live alone, you’ll still have plenty of opportunities to make friends in places like our games lounge, gym, and yoga studio. Apply now for the floor plan you want before all the units are taken.