Why You Should (and Shouldn’t) Live Alone in College

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Going Solo

Being responsible only for yourself is both a pro and con.

By Valarie Kiel, Texas State University

There might be an option you never considered when attending college—living by yourself.

One of the most common dilemmas students will experience in college is having a roommate. Most people want nothing more than the perfect roommate who will remain a friend until the end. However, there are some students who prefer to live by themselves and have an independent lifestyle in college.

The pros of living alone can range from having your own leftovers and wearing minimal clothing to only having to clean up after yourself. Many millennials believe that their lives would be easier if they lived alone, because any messes would be their own, there would be no one keeping them up late because of disruptive behavior and every day, they would be able to come home to a peaceful house to unwind.

Staying alone may lead people to discover new things about themselves and find their passions. Learning to be independent is easier to do when you stay alone. It can mean freedom to try new things without judgment from anyone else. You do not have to be mindful of how late you come home or your noise level when having guests over. Also, being able to have people over as late as you want is great.

Another positive aspect of living alone is the possibility that it can keep people out of altercations that you can’t avoid when having roommates, thereby keeping drama out of your life and making it is easier to keep a peaceful home. The dirty dishes that have stayed in the sink overnight do not bother you as much, because you know you are the one that didn’t wash them. Same thing with the trash.

Things that normally bother roommates will not bother you as much because you have no one else to blame for the mess but yourself. You have no one to be mad at for any bad habits that you might have, along with not having to argue with someone else living with those bad habits. You have complete privacy when living alone, which makes things simple when you do not want to be bothered by anyone.

Like every major decision, the negatives are something to consider as well. A few cons of living alone are having to cover rent by yourself, be responsible for any bugs, critters or even burglars, and no one can call you out on how bad your habits really are.

A one-bedroom apartment can be pretty pricey, which is why most students resort to having roommates. Living alone can be scary especially at night, with paranoia that maybe you hear something in another room, but there is no one else there to provide you with safety, security or assurance.

Living alone can also get extremely lonely. There will be no one to come home and talk to, ride to the store with or hang out without having to leave the house. The little things that people do not notice are the things they end up missing the most: running out of toilet paper and not being able to borrow any from your roommate, not being able to borrow a shirt or having no one to share the load of housework with. People need human interaction, and when living alone, there may be days when you won’t talk to anyone.

It’s incredibly likely that you won’t have the perfect roommate every time, although I hope you do. To avoid this possibility entirely, living alone might be the answer.