Sophomore Year: Dorms or Apartments?

Student Lounge College Life
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<p>Sorry if there's already a thread like this but I have no one to really talk to about this and the summer is almost over so there isn't much time left.</p>

<p>Let me start by saying that I'm really quiet and awkward and have a hard time making friends, and my freshman year I felt very isolated in my dorm because I couldn't relate too well to the others in my dorm for many reasons.</p>

<p>I didn't really make close friends in my college last year so I applied for housing alone and after being on the waiting list, I was placed in an on-campus apartment with three other girls. At first I was excited about it, since I know some people who are living in the same apartment building, but I'm just now realizing that it could be awkward. All the girls in my assigned apartment are older, know each other already, and are close friends, and I'll be left out of that other group of friends anyway since they have each other. So in both cases I would feel sort of uncomfortable.
Since what I really mainly wanted was to make close friends, I was considering switching to a dorm, but I feel like everyone would already know each other there too. But dorms are better at getting to meet people, even if it seems like everyone is rooming with people they know already.</p>

<p>Another thing is that the apartment I'm in is pretty new and nice while the dorms are decades old and kind of ugly. In both cases I would be with random roommates. And I do have to focus a lot more on studying because of my major.</p>

<p>Idk, I just had a really bad freshman year and don't want a repeat of it. Do apartments or dorms seem better considering my situation and personality?</p>

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<p>If you go into it with a negative outlook you’ll likely end up with negative results. Be a little more optimistic! Anyways back to your question, if I was in your shoes I’d try the apartment out. If I read your original post correctly you lived in the dorms last year, so maybe the more close knit style of the apartments would be good for you. Who knows your roommates may turn out to be really friendly and invite you into their group, if they’re even in a group for that matter. Just because they know each other doesn’t necessarily mean they’re friends. And just as a side note, are you even able to change your preference at this point? I know for my school we’re pretty much locked in until the quarter is over. Unless you were originally assigned to the dorms, and were just now given notice of your option to switch to apartments as a spot has opened up, it may already be set in stone.</p>

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<p>I’d go for the apartment, hands down. One of the girls in my apartment one time signed up for housing alone, and we all hung out with her and she ended up becoming really close to one of my friends because they’re schedules lined up really well. You never know what’s going to happen, but the freedom of living in an apartment (your own kitchen, sharing a bathroom with less people, just having your own space in general) is much better than dorm living.</p>

<p>I had a friend who didn’t have the typical “freshmen dorm” experience, so she signed up for a dorm her second year and regretted it. She still hung out with her old friends, didn’t become really close with that many new people, and got tired of the dorm environment very quickly. I’m not saying that living in the dorm would be the same experience for you, but who’s to say living in the dorm this year won’t be the same as last year?</p>

<p>Sometimes it’s easier to meet and get to know people when you’re in a small group vs. a large dorm. Get to know your roommates, and if they’re not your type of people, don’t be disheartened! Hang out with the people you know in the building, and meet their roommates. If you haven’t done so already, try to get more involved in different activities (your apartment building might have events or you could go to the dorm ones, join clubs, get a job at a popular place for students to work, get more involved in internships or other experiences related to your major). Maybe you could plan a dinner and movie night with your roommates, where you guys cook dinner (or go out to dinner) and watch movies or something. That can be a fun way to hang out and meet your roommates. </p>

<p>Be friendly to everyone, even if you feel awkward, and go into situations with an open mind. If you have trouble taking the initiative to meet new people, try to put yourself in a position where you have to be in contact with a lot of other people, like working in a student oriented environment (dining hall, student center, library) or volunteering to plan events or trips that a club does. Do small things like studying in public places, rather than staying in your room, and generally being out and about.</p>

<p>It’ll all work out regardless of where you live next year, and to be honest, most of the people I was friends with in college weren’t people that I met in my dorm. But being in the nice, newer apartment building is definitely much better than being in the shabby, old dorm.</p>