As the school year winds down, students are looking for new living situations. Lots of students tend to room with friends, but older students, especially, tend to value their privacy over living with people they’re comfortable with.
I’ve had the best of both worlds, getting to live both alone and with my best friends in college. Here are the pros and cons of living alone.
Pro No. 1 – Comfortability
Staying comfortable in your own space is one of the best parts of living alone. You no longer have to wait until someone is done watching TV in the living room; you can watch TV as you please. You won’t have any more of those awkward morning interactions with roommates. You can walk into the kitchen with your hair in a knot and be completely at ease! Comfort is a luxury, and I’ve never regretted spending an extra dollar to feel comfortable.
Pro No. 2 – Cleaning your OWN mess
In my opinion, the most convincing part of living alone is having only your mess to clean. Regardless of how much I loved my old roommates, I hated fighting over who would do the dishes next. I hated touching others’ trash, and it irritated me that I cleaned common areas most of the time. When I moved in my own place, I enjoyed having less trash and dishes around the house. My space is cleaner now and easier to handle.
Pro No. 3 – Everything is on you
Ultimately, the whole place is yours. You control the air, the heat, the company, the décor, how the closet is organized, how the bedrooms are furnished, etc. If you don’t want any noise at all because you have a test tomorrow, no problem – no roommates. You don’t have to deal with anyone else’s things or feelings. It is your own safe space, and you control everything in it.
Con No. 1 – Friends aren’t around 24/7
To be frank, Friday nights hit the hardest. Living alone is nice, but I never said it didn’t take some getting used to. When you need to talk, get bored, or have a question, your friends aren’t across the hall anymore. It’s a different type of silence. While you always have the choice of calling a friend over, it’s never the same as living with them.
Con No. 2 – A sense of “growing up”
Personally, living alone has exponentially increased my maturity. You have a lot of time to think about life, make plans for the future, and take care of yourself mentally and physically. However, stepping back from the crowd is sad in a way because you feel your college years slipping away; you feel yourself growing up. This is a con for some and a pro for others.
Con No. 3 – Everything is on you
Ah, we come back to this. Since you have the privilege of controlling everything in the space, that means you also have to keep up with it. Since the only name on the lease is yours, you must come up with the money, handle the maintenance, and make sure nothing is damaged. All of the common items usually bought and shared with roommates, like paper towels, toilet paper, trash cans and soap, are all up to you to cover now. Not rotating who got the milk every week was by far the hardest thing to get used to.
