Whether Living Alone in College or with a roommate is the biggest question every student faces. Look, finding a new hood to reside in and deciding who to live with has never been a simple decision to make, especially for students in their freshman year. But we all can agree that living with a roommate is part of the best college experience.
It’s great to have someone next to you throughout the semester, who knows? The bonds of friendship may make you and your roommate close friends. Or the best business partners ever. But you can also choose to go it alone while in college. However, living alone can make you feel lonely, though there are many benefits to it as well. Note that if you are to live alone while in college, make sure to look for plan B, just in case of sickness or emergencies.
What about student housing insurance?
Whether you live with a roommate or alone in a residence hall, it is necessary to purchase student home insurance. Beyond your busy schedule, you should anticipate the risks and incidents that may occur in your accommodation. A guarantee remains valid for a university residence, a private furnished or unfurnished accommodation put in rent. The same applies to a seasonal rental. You should also know that student home insurance can be optional or mandatory, but as a general rule, it is essential. Moreover, it will protect you from any material or physical damage in the rented accommodation.
What risks are covered by student home insurance?
The extent of insurance depends on the offer you have taken out. If you choose a multi-risk insurance, you are protected against possible damages in the rented accommodation. This basic package is the most suitable to protect the home against theft, fire, flooding or glass breakage. However, don’t hesitate to compare the offers proposed by physical companies or online mutual insurance companies to benefit from a better rate.
In addition to these mentioned situations which the insurer takes in charge, you will also benefit from a guarantee for material damages. In this case, the guarantee covers the damage caused on your furniture, your household appliances or your computer equipment.
What types of insurance are available for my property?
In order to secure your home, there are several insurance packages available according to the requirements of the property. There are offers for furnished or unfurnished accommodation, shared accommodation, etc.
If you are studying abroad, it is possible to purchase this coverage from your native country. Moreover, home insurance for students living abroad is still mandatory, even if you are doing an internship or studying in another country. In this case, it is recommended to be in compliance with your country of residence to avoid problems that could affect your academic career.
In order to figure out whether living alone in college is your thing or not, you may want to know the many pros and cons of going it alone. That is exactly what this article brings you today. Read through to the end and make an informed decision.
Benefits of Living Alone in College
For most of us, the thought of living alone anywhere, let alone college, may be terrifying. But for those who have done it before, the experience can turn out to be enriching and extremely enjoyable. For example,
You’re the Master of Your House
Going it alone means that you’re the only master of your palace all the time. If you want a calm environment, you can make it quiet at your liberty. Yet still, if you want a noisy one, you’re very free to increase the volume of your stereo system to whatever level you want. If you want to dance solo to Justin Bieber’s Sorry, still no problem.
If you decide to wash or not to wash the floor, no one will be on your neck. And then you can sleep as much as you want. Or you can just sit and meditate or read your favorite book peacefully. Pet lovers love this freedom that comes with living alone, not because their feline friends can fix loneliness, but because they can always curl up at their owner’s feet without anyone feeling bad about them.
Generally, living alone creates in your dorm room your desired environment.
You Learn About Yourself Better
There’s no better way to get to know your true self better than avoiding distractions that keep you from building your life. Living alone while in college provides you with an opportunity to think, meditate, and make informed decisions or fix anything you don’t want to deal with. You get to know about your biggest scares and after a while, you get the best image you want of yourself. After that, nothing will seem scary again.
It’s the Best Thing for Introverts
We cannot blame anyone for the shy friends we have around. For an introvert, living alone is certainly a dream come true, because such environments provide them the much-needed peace, and that’s what every one of us wants. It gives them a rare chance to embrace their introvert-ness. This way, they can feel at “home” alone without fear of being judged or being constantly referred to as anti-social. You can get in bed at midday and no one cares. It’s indeed so wonderful
It’s a Dream Come True for Bed Hogs
Living alone means that you don’t have to share not even an inch of your bed with another person. The entire resting space becomes yours and this way, you’ll be able to learn what you really want, what you need, and how to take care of the person you are. Do you get the idea?
You Can Decorate Your Living Space as Much as You Want
Some of us want to love alone while in college because it provides us with a perfect opportunity to decorate our living areas to our exact specifications. For example, you may want to paint the most gorgeous colors- mint, blue, orange, pink- and decorating with your favorite prints and photos, and such jokes. But if you’re two people in the room, you may end up in conflicts because of individual tastes and preferences for décor.
It Gives Extroverts Alone Time
We’ve already talked about introverts a few seconds ago, and now it’s time to talk about what extroverts can draw from living alone in college<span style=”font-weight: 400;”>. Well, as an extrovert, you get your energy from people, and it may be difficult to try to live alone. But you’ll definitely love it. Maybe it will provide you a good chance to keep meditating while giving yourself your alone time.
You’ll Discover Your Capabilities
Honestly, everyone should spend a few years living alone- no friends, no roommates, no friends. Just themselves alone in a room. Learn the consequences of overspending, pay their bills, experience some flu and fever, etc., with no one around to take care of you. Living alone builds you into your best character. That’s what it takes to make your transition from college to the outside life the smoothest.
You Meet Everything the Way You Left It
Living alone means that you’ll never have to worry about someone messing around with your MP3 player in your absence. It also means that no one will use your stuff without your permission. You set up things, clean, and leave for classes. When you return in the evening or when you’re done with classes, you meet everything as you left it. You leave your food in the fridge and meet it the way you left it.
You Don’t Have to Negotiate About Guests and Sleepovers
When you’ve a roommate, you may find that you’ve divergent views about who to welcome for sleepovers, and when to do that. But living alone means that you can handle everything about parties, guests, and sleepovers without having to coordinate with anyone.
That being said…
Disadvantages of Living Alone
As there are many pros of living alone in college, similarly there are many disadvantages of living alone in college. Let’s look at some, can we?
Loneliness
It’s pretty obvious that when you’re living alone in college, you’re probably the loneliest student around. Yeah, you could be enjoying living alone, but truth be told, you won’t enjoy it all the time. Living alone means that you won’t be doing things with others, but there are times you will be feeling that you’re lacking company.
Boredom
Loneliness leads to boredom, right? You see, when you’re living alone, there are chances that you’ll feel bored with your daily routine at some point. Living in one place can make you bored most of the time, which may cause you to suffer mental issues such as stress, depression, anxiety, etc.
Safety is Not a Guarantee
They say that there’s strength in unity. Suppose a thief breaks into your house while you’re asleep? Yes, when there’s no one to help you counter the thief? Well, how about your safety in case of sickness or emergency? When a person decides to live alone while in college, they need to first of all think about their safety in the place they have chosen. Look, lack of safety can create greater issues.
You Need to be On Top of Things
When you’re living alone in college, you’re always responsible for everything that happens around you, or everything pertaining to your dorm room. For example, you can’t forget about bills anymore expecting your roommate to foot for you. If you forget to pay water bills, the water company won’t even remind you about it but shut off supply to your room. It’s all on you when you’re living alone.
It’s Very Expensive
Living alone in college can be very expensive especially if you don’t keep track of your finances. In simpler terms, even though you’ve the freedom of throwing parties as you wish, you probably shouldn’t be doing that every weekend.
It Complicates Socialization
Making friends becomes easier if you’re able to meet new faces every day. Unfortunately, living alone confines you to your shell of comfort, which effectively complicates their socialization with other people. This can also ruin their college experience, bearing in mind that college is all about making new friends, future business partners, hanging out, and strengthening their connections and networks. In real terms, college is all about socialization. But living alone can make that even harder.
Should You Consider Living Alone in College or Should You Not?
Both living alone and living with a roommate while in college have their pros and cons. What this means is that you should set aside ample time to think about what you really want your college experience to feel like. Know what you want and leave everything to the gods. If you want peace, go it alone. If you want company, get a roommate. You get the idea, right?
Moving away for college? Read the 20 things nobody tells you here!