Do universities still let students live off campus?

[CoreySamson]

I think I talked to my RA twice the entire time I lived in the dorm. I do agree the dorms help with making friends.

That's crazy to me. I talk to my RA nearly every single day (it helps that my room is right across the hall from his, but whatever). I do agree that the dorms are great for friends. In my case, though, I'm finding some of my best friends are those in my major who I'm taking classes with.

[kkt]

I think I talked to my RA twice the entire time I lived in the dorm. I do agree the dorms help with making friends.

That's crazy to me. I talk to my RA nearly every single day (it helps that my room is right across the hall from his, but whatever). I do agree that the dorms are great for friends. In my case, though, I'm finding some of my best friends are those in my major who I'm taking classes with.

That's good, but it's common in some schools for lots of freshman not to know what they want to major in.

[Rothman]

I think I talked to my RA twice the entire time I lived in the dorm. I do agree the dorms help with making friends.

That's crazy to me. I talk to my RA nearly every single day.

Why?

[chrisdiaz]

I go to Coastal Carolina, and here's the policy: "Therefore, all degree-seeking, full-time, first and second-year students who graduated from high school within two calendar years prior to enrolling in Coastal Carolina University are required to live in residential communities operated by University Housing and to purchase a meal plan."

One common exemption is living within 50 miles of campus with a guardian.

The full policy can be read here: https://www.coastal.edu/uploads/policies/pdf/stud-336-february2021.pdf

[JoePCool14]

I think I talked to my RA twice the entire time I lived in the dorm. I do agree the dorms help with making friends.

That's crazy to me. I talk to my RA nearly every single day.

Why?

Maybe the RA is actually a decently nice guy and not just a power-hungry enforcer. One of my friends from college is still an RA (he's a couple years behind me).

[CoreySamson]

I think I talked to my RA twice the entire time I lived in the dorm. I do agree the dorms help with making friends.

That's crazy to me. I talk to my RA nearly every single day.

Why?

Maybe the RA is actually a decently nice guy and not just a power-hungry enforcer. One of my friends from college is still an RA (he's a couple years behind me).

Yep, exactly.

[bandit957]

I go to Coastal Carolina, and here's the policy: "Therefore, all degree-seeking, full-time, first and second-year students who graduated from high school within two calendar years prior to enrolling in Coastal Carolina University are required to live in residential communities operated by University Housing and to purchase a meal plan."

I've noticed that "therefore" is never a good word when it comes from bureaucrats, because it usually precedes something bad.

[triplemultiplex]

I had an RA ambush me with his proselytizing for some religious bullcrap.  "Hey can I talk to you for a little bit?"  Next thing I know, I'm trapped in a conversation I don't want to be a part of.  20 minutes of my life I'll never get back since I wasn't a confident enough person to be like, "Let me stop you right there; I'm good where I'm at so move along with this bible shit, bro."

[abefroman329]

I had an RA ambush me with his proselytizing for some religious bullcrap.  "Hey can I talk to you for a little bit?"  Next thing I know, I'm trapped in a conversation I don't want to be a part of.  20 minutes of my life I'll never get back since I wasn't a confident enough person to be like, "Let me stop you right there; I'm good where I'm at so move along with this bible shit, bro."

The student body at my school was predominantly turbo-Christians, which meant nearly all of the RAs were as well, so I was pretty much constantly (and politely) turning down invitations to Bible study/church services/what have you.

We had this one RA who was a Tim Tebow-type (his name was also Tim and everything!) who would write you up, clearly enjoying every minute of it, and then act like he was your best friend.  One time, I was hanging out in the dorm room of a friend of mine, and after this RA walked past his open door and went "Hey, guys!" with a big smile on his face, my friend mumbled "I'd like to kick his ass just once..." [bonus points to anyone who knows which movie that's from].

[ET21]

Did dorm life freshman/sophomore years, then had an apartment for 3 years a few blocks from campus.

[hbelkins]

I actually became friends with most of my RAs. In my freshman dorm, the RA was a graduate student and I didn't really interact with him very much, but the other times, the RAs were undergrad students. My junior year, the RA had a full-sized floor model color television in his room. We all watched the "Dream Game" NCAA basketball tournament game -- UK vs. Louisville in Knoxville, the first meeting between the teams since Louisville became a national power -- in his room.

All the men's dorms were double occupancy with communal bathrooms. I think the freshman girls' dorms were the same. The upperclass girls' dorms were four-person suites. You had a sitting area, a bedroom, and a bathroom. Co-ed dorms weren't a thing back then.

[CoreySamson]

Man, it sounds like everyone else's college experiences are really bad compared to mine. I haven't found anyone (professor, student, peer, anyone) on campus that I don't get along with.

[kalvado]

Man, it sounds like everyone else's college experiences are really bad compared to mine. I haven't found anyone (professor, student, peer, anyone) on campus that I don't get along with.

Given that you write "class of '26 "... Add one word to your reply
... yet.

[Rothman]

Did dorm life freshman/sophomore years, then had an apartment for 3 years a few blocks from campus.

I lived off campus the whole time I was in college.  Of course, I got married between my sophomore and junior years as well.

First year, I lived in a large apartment with five other guys.  Second year, another decent-sized apartment with three other guys.

Lived way off campus with my wife for junior and senior years.

[JoePCool14]

Man, it sounds like everyone else's college experiences are really bad compared to mine. I haven't found anyone (professor, student, peer, anyone) on campus that I don't get along with.

You're probably too early to have experienced much of anything. But hey, there's nothing wrong with trying to avoid beef with people for no reason. You're never gonna like everyone, everyone's not gonna like you. But when you do meet someone you don't like, hopefully you can just avoid them.

[Takumi]

My college didn't have dorms at the time I attended.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

I lived off-campus for one year, my fourth full year (returned to the dorm for my one additional final semester); I lived with a previous dorm mate who I have subsequently fallen out with over various transgressions I chose to no longer ignore, along with his sister who attended a different college in the area.

I think in retrospect I appreciated the convenience of being on campus and having a meal plan, even if it carried the cons of dorm life BS. Obviously some people will see it totally differently and preferred to GTFO at first chance, and that's fine, I get that.

[Rothman]

Meal plans were always way overpriced at my colleges.

[hotdogPi]

Meal plans were always way overpriced at my colleges.

At UMass Lowell, this was true for the unlimited meal plans, but the cash prices of restaurants that weren't chains (so not Starbucks) were slightly cheaper than where you would find something similar at an off-campus restaurant, and that's not even considering the "River Hawk Bucks" where you can spend $300 to get $375 (I misspoke before when I said $400).

[triplemultiplex]

Dorm life wasn't all bad, though.
It was enjoyable to run ethernet cables between rooms to wire several Xbox's together so like 10 people could all duke it out in Halo.  This was before there was any XBox Live or Playstation Network, so if you wanted to play against more than three other people, this is what we did for multiplayer.

Then everyone had one of those little white boards on their door for like messages or personalized art.  I recall doing my best sketch of Stan, Kyle, Cartman and Kenny for my door the week of a season premiere of South Park.

It also wasn't bad on those first really nice days in spring and there'd always be a few coeds catching some rays on the grass. The first really warm day of the year is an important event on campuses across the northern tier.

[US 89]

It also wasn't bad on those first really nice days in spring and there'd always be a few coeds catching some rays on the grass. The first really warm day of the year is an important event on campuses across the northern tier.

I remember experiencing something like that even in Georgia. My freshman year, it was cloudy and rained for basically three whole weeks nonstop. The sun finally came out on one Sunday afternoon and tons of people were just laying down on the grass soaking it in. Never mind that the grass was wet from the weeks of rain, or that it was only 40 degrees outside.

[Rothman]

It also wasn't bad on those first really nice days in spring and there'd always be a few coeds catching some rays on the grass. The first really warm day of the year is an important event on campuses across the northern tier.

I remember experiencing something like that even in Georgia. My freshman year, it was cloudy and rained for basically three whole weeks nonstop. The sun finally came out on one Sunday afternoon and tons of people were just laying down on the grass soaking it in. Never mind that the grass was wet from the weeks of rain, or that it was only 40 degrees outside.

Heh.  Nothing like New Englanders coming out on the first 50-degree day in the early spring.

[Road Hog]

When I was in college, the university had a rule "requiring" everyone under 21 to live on-campus if lot living with a guardian, but of course it was unenforceable because the age of majority is 18.

[kkt]

The dorms at my college had the gall to defend their food prices, by comparing them to restaurants.  Restaurants where you got table service, real metal tableware, and vastly better food.

[DandyDan]

When I attended Northern Illinois University in the 90s, freshmen had to live in the dorms unless they were married or over 21. Afterward, you could move out, but I knew plenty who lived in dorms right up til graduation,  including my first freshman roommate. (Actually, he was second, but the actual first was gone before the first week was over, so I mostly don't count him.)