<p>I live in a dorm (with a roommate) right now and I am a freshman. Next year, I'd like to live in an apartment, but my parents are really paranoid about this. Apartments are also alot cheaper here in Tallahassee. They think it's extremely dangerous. I don't see how. I don't hear about anything horrible happening to the many students (at Tallahassee Community COllege, Florida State University ((my school)) and Florida A&M University) who live there. Could you all think of some pro's and con's about living in an apartment, as opposed to living in a dorm with a roommate? Thanks!</p>
<p>Apartment:
PRO or CON: You cook your own meals.
PRO: Freedom to do whatever you want (vs. restrictions placed by RA's)
PRO: Costs less than dorming
CON: You have to clean your bathrooms... and are held a lot more responsible for things like monthly bills, etcetc
CON: It might not be as convenient to get to your classes than if you were dorming
CON: harder to make friends </p>
<p>Dorm:
PRO or CON: Meal plans provided by the college/university
PRO: floormates... easy to socialize
PRO: near college... on-campus housing +++
CON: costs $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ </p>
<p>...and more................</p>
<p>Heh, I'm surprised my parents didn't pull the "but it's too daaaangerrouusss" line with me when I said I wanted an apartment. Although I live in an area where it actually could be considered somewhat dangerous...most college students don't.</p>
<p>In addition to the above, apartments are usually much bigger and much more home-like than dorms, much nicer for having people over, you probably will get your own room, and they don't close like the dorms do so you can stick around over breaks and in the summer and such, and if you stay in the same one for a while you don't have to keep moving all your stuff. On the other hand, if you don't want to be there in the summer, you'll have to find a subletter or something. You can also point out that the increased responsibility is good practice for later in life, when you graduate and get a job and really start living on your own, since you will have some experience with it already, rental history, credit history, etc. Gets cheaper the more people you live with, although I wouldn't recommend living with more than 4.</p>
<p>The thing about being "cheaper" is that you have to factor in the rent, utilities, and extra food that you'd have to buy since you won't be on a meal plan. In my case, it still works out to being cheaper but for some reason, freshman year my parents considered 'college costs' to be tuition, room & board and everything else (books, extra food, shopping, whatever) to be "extra", and NOW they consider only tuition to be a 'college cost' and rent and food and utilities and so on are all 'extra' expenses, so they constantly moan about how expensive it is. I've even worked it out and shown them that it's over $300 cheaper per month to live in an apartment, but they still bemoan the fact that it is "expensive".</p>
<p>apartments too dangerous? hadn't heard that before.. the only thing I can possibly think of that makes them "more dangerous" than dorms are the lack of campus security personnel and most dorms have some policy where only residents can get in, or let guests in - in apartments anyone can be walking around.</p>
<p>I've lived in an apartment for 4 years now, nothing bad has happened to me. For the past 2 years I've had an apartment to myself. I quite enjoy it, I get to eat, watch tv, sleep, etc when I want - far better than the dorms.</p>
<p>Well, Pearlin, I don't think the "the only thing I can possibly think of that makes them more dangerous than dorms are the lack of campus security..." is always the case.</p>
<p>The apartment complex I stayed at had their own officers; yes, they were actual police officers employed by the apartment complex and were always on duty. Not the rent-a-cops, but ones with all the authority regular officers had.</p>
<p>Honestly, if you stay in an apartment complex close to school, the "not able to make as many friends" argument isn't necessarily true either. Because a LOT of kids live off-campus in apartments close to school, and you can actually go to apartment parties where you can meet even more people. Not too many times do you hear about a huge party at so and so's dorm room.</p>
<p>Apartment > Dorm.</p>
<p>The "more dangerous" depends on where your school is, as well. If you go to some rural school out in the middle of nowhere with airport-size parking lots and you're gonna be driving to class, then yeah, it doesn't make any difference. If you go to a more urban school and you walk everywhere, there can be a big difference, depending on where your apartment is.</p>
<p>There's also, of course, the "danger" of your fool of a property owner never bothering to check the oil levels on the boiler, resulting in your heat suddenly turning off in the middle of the evening when it's about 15 degrees out, but that's an entirely different matter. ;)</p>
<p>Living off-campus means a 12-month contract, in most cases, and if you did not plan on spending the summer there, you would be responsible for making the payment or finding a sub-lease. Or if a roomie ditched you, or did a study-abroad for a semester, you would be scrambling for that part of the $$</p>