One of the biggest perks of being an incoming student at Drexel University is having a choice of eight different residence halls to live in. Looking to avoid the alleged horrors of traditional-style dorm living, such as communal bathrooms and cramped bedrooms, I decided to choose one of Drexel’s suite-style dorms, Race Hall, to live in during my first year of college.
I didn’t expect the room to be perfect, because let’s face it; dorm life is dorm life. I expected to be shoved in a closet, surrounded only by cement walls and people who are noisier than the city sounds outside.
As it turns out, dorm life for me has been the opposite.
Living suite-style has its advantages, like more space, including roomy bedrooms and a common area, a full-sized refrigerator, a kitchenette and personal bathrooms and showers. All of these amenities almost make the rooms feel like apartments. I personally like having a common area because it provides another room to relax in without having to lay in my bed or be forced to go to a public study area.
I have been very satisfied with my decision to live suite-style, but I understand that it is not the ideal living situation for everybody.
The open-door policy present in traditional-style dorm halls does not exist in Race Hall. Immediately after move-in day, it seems like everybody shut their doors for good to enjoy the privacy of their own suite. I am guilty of doing this; I have everything I could possibly want inside of my room, including three other roommates, so I feel like there is not much of a need to leave to hang out somewhere else.
Of course, it is refreshing to leave your dorm often, but it is difficult to when you don’t even have to leave to go to the bathroom. Although it is not necessarily a terrible thing that suite-style dorms give you more personal space, it definitely could interfere with social life. Many people come to college with the goal to be social, so for those students, traditional-style living would be more appropriate.
Since four people are assigned to each suite-style dorm, it is crucial to make the right choice in roommates. After all, these are the people that will determine how a large portion of your college experience will be. Luckily, I am very good friends with all of my roommates because I took advantage of Drexel’s roommate-matching services and found people with similar interests and habits to me. People could also utilize random roommate-matching, but it is not as accurate and assuring as being able to pick your own roommates. In the end, just don’t be the person who has additional stress in their life because they despise their roommates.
As a whole, suite-style dorm life is pretty sweet. A spacious room and personal bathrooms were enough to grasp my attention, but for any students considering suite-style living, I encourage you to make an informed decision. The suite life is not for everybody, but it will certainly make college feel a little more like home.