I have lived in Gainesville my entire life, right up the street from midtown and it’s only a 5 minute walk to campus. I wanted to go OOS so badly, but can’t afford it, so I’m staying at UF. Throughout the whole college app process I told my parents that if I go to UF then I want to live in an apartment, and they went along with it, until just this week I mentioned about looking for a place to rent and all of sudden they want me to live in a dorm (staying at home is out of the question). I think the only good parts about dorms are that they are good for meeting new people in college and it puts you close to your classes. My problem is that 1) I am staying in my hometown and tons of my friends already attend UF or will be joining me in the fall and 2) I currently take classes at UF as a dual enrollment student and have no problem commuting from my house to the classes either on skateboard or bicycle. My parents are being pretty adamant about the dorm just because everybody does it their first few semesters. What is there that I can tell them to let me live off campus? UF isn’t exactly known for having nice dorms, and often, if you rent out with 3 or more people, apartments are cheaper. I just don’t know how to get them to listen to me.
Perhaps assuring your parents that you will join several clubs and maybe even get a job on campus. If they feel you will be involved, maybe it will put them at ease about the off campus living. Good luck!
Part of the point of college is to meet people you don’t know, not just hang out with HS friends. Also, it is easier to settle into freshman year with a meal plan so you don’t have to cook for yourself. I also suspect they’d like you to have a year to ease toward the “adulting” required when you live in an apartment. I personally think they are right.
If your parents are so insistent, and are willing to pay, I’d try the dorms for a semester. At the very least, you’ll be able to assemble a stronger argument for off-campus living if this issue comes up again.
I actually already have a job on campus working in a bioinformatics lab, and I plan to continue working there through my college experience. UF also has off-campus meal plans that I would use.
Live in the dorm for 1 year, it is not gonna kill you. What is your argument for wanting to be in an apartment vs the dorm?
As scary (not saying you are, but many find it uncomfortable) as living in a dorm with a bunch of people you don’t know may seem, it is often considered one of the most important and enjoyable aspects of college. Meeting and living with new people tests your comfort zone and expand your horizons. Many , many, MANY people reflect on that first semester and first year as a great time in their life. They meet some of their future best friends and share a bond that is hard to replace with anything you can imagine because they are all thrown in to a new experience and have to learn to deal with it. 2am conversations with hall mates, grabbing a group and heading to the dining hall, crashing on the floor of a buddy’s room after too many adult beverages, etc. is a significant part of the college maturing process. It’s not just about going to classes. It’s about expanding your horizons. Use this time to expand your thinking and you’ll have a great experience. Sometimes parents no best. (what a crazy thought)
Seems like your parents want you to make new friends.
I agree with your parents. Spend a year inthe dorms. Make NEW friends you didn’t go to HS with. Get involved in the dorm government activities (used to crack me up when the members of the Broward Rawlings Association wore their t-shirts with the acronym written across it).You can always move into an apt at a future date. Many, if not most, freshmen live in dorms. Its an experience you should have.
^^^^right on!
@gatorwithdreams Ditto to all of the above. What’s the rush? You have your whole life to be responsible and act like an adult in your off campus pad. I guarantee you will have a richer personal experience if you live on campus as a freshman.
Do the dorm Fall/Spring with agreement they’ll pay for apartment afterwards (they could just say live at home, it’s pricy to pay for either when not essential). Chalk it up to an experience one should have and when you need a break from dorm life can go home for weekend, raid the fridge and knock out laundry.
I am a parent and one consideration for my son was to go to the local university. Had he, I would have wanted him to live in the dorms (not at home) because I would want him to have the full college experience. I realize your alternative is still not “at home”. We don’t know your situation. It seems with dorm living you do get part of your desires - not at home. You have compromised. You can do anything - as long as it is temporary. Perhaps show your parents you are mature enough to compromise and then ask for the opportunity to revisit after a semester. This is adulting - creating win-wins.
I vote for dorm too. The good news is that - if it’s awful for some reason - home is not far away.
Just mailed my freshman year roommate (different school) a birthday card, 30+ years later.
It’s a once in a lifetime season; give it a chance!
I vote for off campus apartment. Tell your parents that you want a better study environment as well as some privacy.