<p>I am in a LLC for community service at my current school, and I have friends at other colleges that are too. It has mostly been a great experience, but I think it's important for people to understand the negatives too before they jump into something like this. </p>
<p>First of all, make sure you're joining for the right reasons (and realize there might be some people in it who aren't). For example, my LLC is in the nicest dorm on campus (brand new, your own bathroom, etc). People who were assigned to the worst dorms on campus applied like crazy, not necessarily because they wanted to do community service, but because they wanted the better dorm. </p>
<p>People in LLCs can have a very different college experience than their peers. We moved in a week before school began, so it was pretty much just an empty campus -- and us. It forced us to get to know each other and begin building friendships, which was great once school began, but it wasn't really the traditional freshman "move-in" experience with the events, hustle and bustle, and tons of new people to meet. It felt like a weirdly silent summer camp for awhile. </p>
<p>The LLC is much closer than the other floors of our dorm. It's rare to find a floor where everyone knows each other and spends so much time together on a regular basis. It's great to have friends right across the hall, but there's drawbacks to that too. Everybody knows everyone's business: who's sleeping in whose room, where you went last night, etc etc. It can be feel clique-y and high-school-y at times when people aren't getting along because it's easy for gossip to travel in this kind of setting. It's like a reality show because living in such close quarters, working together, and meeting on a weekly basis can really bring out the worst/best of people. </p>
<p>So advice:
*Have friends outside the LLC. Don't spend all your time with one group of friends.
*Be extra-careful with what you say and do. Some people enjoy the anonymity of college dorm life, but in the LLC (or mine at least), there isn't much that goes on "behind closed doors" without everyone knowing.
*Make sure it's a subject you really enjoy and that you're really prepared to follow through with it. We're required to reach a certain quota of community service hours each semester, and while I enjoy it, it's been burdensome for others. However, if they wanted to leave the LLC, they would have had to leave the dorm, and nobody wants to move halfway through the year.
* If you're not sure if you're prepared to be in an LLC, consider just joining a club that participates in that activity instead. Less commitment, same subject.</p>
<p>That's my two cents. Being in an LLC is both rewarding and challenging. I realize it's probably different for other LLCs, but that's what I've experienced and what I've heard from friends. :)</p>