If you don’t live in the area or commute to school, dorm life takes up a large part of your college experience. At Nazareth, it’s required that you stay on campus your first two years if you’re not from Rochester, but it comes with a lot of perks. Here are just a few of the reasons I think living on campus is so great!
You have a space to decorate and make your own. One of the most exciting things for me when I first moved on campus was the fact that I had my own space to decorate and make my own. Even though I shared a space with a roommate, I still had the chance to find small items that transformed the once empty white walls into a place that felt like home. It’s a great bonding experience to decorate your room with your roommate if you want to have matching spaces, or you can learn about each other through how you express yourself on the walls. Some easy ways to transform your space include getting small, fireproof tapestries, hanging string lights, or taping pictures and posters to your wall. Personalizing your dorm room is a great way to feel at home when you’re away from home.
Late night events are easy to attend. College life picks up on the weekends and during the evening, and if you live on campus, you can easily get to these events without planning much travel time. Also, when pop up events like apparel giveaways occur, you won’t miss out. Although these events are open to commuters as well, living on-campus makes going to grocery bingo or seeing a comedian or hypnotist at 9 p.m. on a Friday easier than driving to and from campus multiple times a day, or hanging out in a lounge for hours.
Getting to class is quick and easy. When you live on campus, especially because Nazareth is relatively small, you can wake up and get to class in 10 minutes if you need to, or if you forget something you need for class, you can run back instead of driving to campus, finding a parking spot, and booking it to class to get there on time. Most dorms are connected to the tunnels so when it’s cold or rainy out, you can easily avoid the weather and get to your class underground.
Easy access to a gym, study spaces, the health center, and the library. Living on campus means you’re always a short walk away from working out in the fitness center, getting checked out at the health center if you’re sick, and having free printing and access to thousands of books, videos, and other resources at the library. There are tons of spaces where students can spread out and study or relax and hang out during the busy day as well. Again, living on campus makes accessing these services quicker, but they are still available to everyone.
Movie or game nights are comfy and cozy. Speaking of relaxing, Nazareth has many areas that make hanging out with friends comfortable and easily accessible. With lounges in most dorms and throughout Shults Community Center, you can kick back with friends and play games, watch movies on the large televisions, or play video games and pool in the Nest without having to leave campus. Each lounge area has couches and chairs to comfortably relax on while catching up with your friends. These are all also accessible if you commute, but if you live on campus you can easily throw on some slippers and not have to leave your dorm building to feel like you’re at home in your living room.
Cooking is an option, but only if you want it to be. When you live on campus, you have the option to cook in the dorm kitchens, or head to the dining hall when you want something to eat. Residents are required to have a meal plan and there are tons of options for food on campus, catering to different tastes. Sorelle’s has Italian and Mexican specialties, while the Golden Flyer Grill and Deli (known as the Cab) has deli and grill type foods, as well as sushi and salads. The dining hall has dozens of options such as a smoothie bar, salad bar, and burgers, as well as other options that change each day. Living on campus means you don’t have to cook or shop for food, and you have tons of options to choose from each day.
You easily make close friendships. Living on campus allows you, and sometimes forces you, to step outside of your comfort zone and interact with others that you may not have the chance to if you commute. Many freshmen live in Kearney, which is a large dorm that often has a lot going on, including floor programs like Fondue nights, or holiday themed events, like Halloween costume contests. A pro-dorm-living tip is to leave your door open when you live on campus, and likely you’ll meet tons of people and form bonds with them as you go through college together. Having a roommate can open your world to new experiences and give you the courage to be more outgoing on campus. Without living on campus, I would have missed many opportunities to travel with my roommates over breaks, met fewer people, and developed less experience living on my own.
Living away from home can be scary, but living on campus opens your world to more opportunities to be involved on campus and allows you to develop your own identity living with other college students. Living on campus makes doing more activities at Nazareth easier to attend, as well as gives you chances to meet a ton of different people, making your Nazareth experience more rewarding.