Living in the Dorms

The best living option for new, incoming freshman to Iowa State University is to
spend at least there first two semesters in one of the on campus dorms. Other options
available to these students are to find off campus housing in an apartment or a
fraternity or sorority, to live at home and commute, or to live for one semester in the
dorms and one semester off campus. By examining the alternative options to on
campus residence, it is clear that none of these other living options will give incoming
students the same variety of benefits or experiences as living on campus.
The types of benefits and advantages being compared for these various living options
are those of closeness in proximity to the college campus and classes, cost
effectiveness, availability of easy and nutritious meals, evolvement opportunities and
additional educational benefits to the student.
The first alternative to examine, for new incoming freshman is that of living off
campus (not in the school's dorms) for the first two semesters of college. This could
be through living in an apartment, or living in a sorority or fraternity. This living
option does not have the benefit of closeness in proximity to classes. Some students
who live off campus have to travel tiring distances each morning to get to there
classes, compared to those students who already live on campus. The research
(interviews) I have done has told me that this problem has lead to many students not
wanting to get up, and actually come to class in the past, and it only gets worse in the
winter. In the winter students find that their beds are far more inviting than their cold
commute to school.
The cost of living in an apartment can be really high. Advertisements for local
apartments range from $250-450 per month, not including the cost of utilities, and this
is after sharing the cost with several roommates.
Students choosing to live off campus frequently find themselves having to find a job
to make payments, and will not only have to worry about making the grades they
need, but possibly continuing to pay tuition and also about making enough money to
pay for their utility bills, groceries and rent. Some students would even have to take
out personal loans very early in there college careers, for very large amounts of money
and it may be a long time before they can pay off that debt. Sometimes in the struggle
to maintain a place of residents, grades and goals can suffer.

Students who live on their own in apartments have to either pay to have their food
prepared in fast food restaurants (which can result in really poor eating habits and
nutrition) or take time out of a busy schedule to shop for their own food and prepare
meals for themselves. This can be a big disadvantage.
For students living off campus the academic support is little to none in there living
environment. For many students they find it distracting to live among other people
who may not share their same academic goals. Students who have moved off campus
after one semester or two have said that the sense of community, that is found on
campus, is lost in large apartment buildings. It isnt the same warm and friendly open
environment that is found in many of the dorms. It also can be hard to stay active in
campus activities and clubs, because of the feeling of distance from the campus. Many
students have found that they have no sense of connection to the school if they are not
living on the campus.
Sororities and fraternities are very similar in many ways to living in an apartment.
They are farther from the campus than the dorms and would require a possibly
substantial commute each morning for the student to get to class. Food is provided by
a caterer at many of the campus Greek houses, so the nutrition is being met for these
students, but the fees for this service can be substantial. Additional costs of being in a
Greek house are those of the house and national , and social dues. These amounts vary
but are frequently higher than the cost of paying for a dorm room.
A friend of mine talked to me about her choice to not move into her sorority house as
a freshman. Her reasons were that there would be fewer people with her major, and
little academic support, she like the people who live in the dorm with her, she has
made some very close friendships that she is reluctant to leave. Some other reasons
were that in her house, being able to move would greatly depend on the number of
people already living in her sorority, and if there was room for her to move in. The
added stress of moving again, after getting settled into her dorm is something she
didnt really want to take on at the end of her first semester. Other people I have heard
from have indicated that they didnt want to move into their frat house because of the
amount of partying and drinking that was common place in their house. That type of
environment doesnt really facilitate a good learning situation for many students.
A second option for incoming students is to live at home and commute to school, and
in my opinion they are really missing out on a large part of what college is about.

Commuting can sometimes be a problem. It can be difficult to find transportation to

the campus if a car is not available. Students who live at home dont have the same
sense of freedom and independence as students who move out of their parents house.
Although the cost of going to school would be greatly diminished, because one could
get there meals at home and not have to pay the cost of campus residence, students
who live at home tend to miss out on the sense of community offered by living in a
dorm. Often these students find it harder to get involved in campus activities and dont
have the same connection to the college and college life as those students who
experience it 24 hours a day.
The final option being addressed in this paper is that of living on campus in the
college dorms both semester of the freshman year. It is true that the dorms can be
rough for some people, especially if there are conflicts between roommates. Some of
the residence hall rules are a little restricting at times too. For example, my roommate
has a boyfriend, whom she is engaged to, and the residence halls prohibit
cohabitation, which can sometimes be a strain on their relationship.
Living in the dorms as a freshman seems to be the best option to me, partly because I
am a freshman living in a dorm. I live in an all girls dorm on a quiet floor that is
composed of mostly students with animal science majors, like myself. The reasons I
like it, and view my situation as the best one for incoming students, is because I feel I
am offered such a wide variety of benefits. I don't have to pay an additional monthly
water, heating, electrical or gas bill. It isn't absolutely necessary for me to even have
to have a job to be able to attend school, although I realize there are students who do,
and still are offered many of the same benefits that I recognize. I meet a great variety
of people, and I feel there is more diversity in the dorms than I might find elsewhere.
The quiet hours on my floor can sometime be annoying, but I am guaranteed the
environment necessary to study at almost anytime of the day. I love my roommate,
and I think most of the girls on my hall are great. I feel like my Residence Assistant
(RA) is really looking out for me and my best interests and is there to help me if ever I
need it.
Living in the dorms means that a car isnt necessary there are convenient busses
scheduled to pick students up, almost right outside the door. I know I wont have to
worry about grocery shopping or finding time to make myself a meal because I can
just run down to food service almost anytime and pick something up, if I am in a
hurry. The food is nutritious and there is a variety to choose form. I find motivation to

go to my classes because none are too far away from my dorm, and I have friends who
I live with who are in quite a few of my same classes, so we walk together and give
each other encouragement. I feel that I am encouraged to participate in campus
activities and clubs, and that my dorm has a very good support system for academics
in place.
Overall though, I feel that for incoming freshman, it is clear that the alternative
options would not be as beneficial to their academics and that none of the other
residence options have the same variety of benefits as living in a campus dorm
community. After comparison I believe living in the college dorms is the best option.

Pillows check. Blankets check. Lamps, shelves and slippers check. Emergency
food check. The list goes on... Leaving home and moving into student
accommodation is, for most of us, quite a big deal. While many students are able to
continue living at home, and some take the leap straight to renting privately, a large
number of first-years end up in university accommodation student dorms.
Here are some benefits of living in a student dorm...

1. Lets make friends!

Its easier to make friends when everyone lives within close proximity of each other.
Everyone will be nervous, excited and ready to mingle at the start of the year, so by
living in a student dorm, you can take advantage of the friendly atmosphere and make
some close bonds. Some dorms even comprise of mostly international students, so
thats an added bonus if you want to make friends from all over the world!

2. Convenience
Apart from getting more opportunities to make friends, living in a student dorm can also
be useful when it comes to studying. Still up at 3am and need to speak to someone
about tomorrows exam see who else still has their light on! Need a particular book
that you couldnt find at the library? Post a note on the notice board to see if anyone in
your dorm has a copy.

3. Distance to classes
Living in a student dorm means you can set your alarm later in the mornings, as
university accommodation is usually located very close to the main university campus.
In some cases, you may even have classes and facilities right in the same building or
group of buildings (you should probably still get changed out of your pyjamas though...)
An example of this is the self-contained colleges of Cambridge and Oxford University,
where students live and have classes all within the college site.
Oxbridge Explained: A Guide to Oxford and Cambridge >

4. Increased independence
Living alone or with a roommate is very different from living at home. Many of us,
including myself, grew up not having to do too many household chores, repairs or
paying bills. So if your choice is between staying at home or student dorms, the latter is
a good opportunity to learn how to be less dependent on your family, without being
completely out there on your own!
So, to student dorm or not to student dorm? Thats the question, and it isnt a hard one.
Id strongly recommend that students should experience, at least once in the next three
or so years of their university lives, living in a dorm. Besides the practical perks, its
mainly just a lot of fun!

Student Life
Harvard University has around 20,000 students across the College, graduate, and professional schools
located in Cambridge and Boston. When people refer to Harvard students, often they mean the subset of
roughly 6,400 students who attend Harvard College. Students arrive every year in late August.

Harvard Colleges diverse student population makes it hard to describe the typical student and even
harder to describe the quintessential Harvard student experience. Students come from all 50 states and
from over 80 countries; from cities, suburbs, small towns and farms; from public, private and parochial
schools; from every ethnic and religious background; and from across the economic spectrum. Based on

longstanding tradition and an extensive financial aid program, Harvard is committed to making
educational opportunity accessible to all, with over 60% of the undergraduate population receiving
financial aid.

With over 400 official student organizations including extra-curriculars, co-curricular and athletic
opportunities in addition to academics, Harvard students are active around and beyond campus. Whether
in Harvard Stadium playing on the field or cheering on The Harvard Crimson, volunteering through
organizations like PBHA, fostering entrepreneurial activities in the Harvard innovation lab, writing or
editing at The Harvard Crimson or The Harvard Lampoon, or researching in one of the many labs,
Harvard students are continuously learning and constantly busy!
Demographics for the class of 2016:

17% are from New England

22% are from the Mid Atlantic

19% are from the South

10% are from the Midwest

21% are from the Western and Mountain states

11% are international or from U.S. territories

Harvard College is committed to making a college education affordable for all admitted students. Learn
more about Harvard College financial aid programs.

THE HOUSE SYSTEM

The housing system at Harvard is designed to create a full collegiate experience for all four years of
undergraduate education. As freshmen, students live in one of the dormitories in Harvard Yard, a prime
location, and eat in the historic and picturesque Annenberg dining hall.

After their first year at Harvard, students are placed into one of the 12 houses on campus and continue to
live there for the remainder of their residential life at Harvard. Over ninety-seven percent of Harvard
undergrads choose to live on campus for all four years, creating a strong campus community and
undergraduate experience.

Each house has a resident master and a staff of tutors, and includes a dining hall, common areas, and
recreational and cultural spaces that help give them each a distinct character. Many even field their own

intramural sports teams or theater ensembles. The houses themselves also have unique histories and
traditions that bring the students together and help to foster the close and long-lasting ties amongst the
residents of each house.
The Faculty of Arts and Sciences and Harvard College announced plans to launch the systemwide
effort to renew the Universitys 12 undergraduate Houses. The announcement provides the first details
about this ambitious initiative, unveiling the first full House to be renewed, the location of swing housing,
and the pacing for the rest of the project.

http://www.harvard.edu/student-life
1. Introduction
The study of student peer effects has become a prominent issue in the
economics of
education. Most studies of peer effects look at whether having peers with
higher measured
academic aptitude (such as higher SAT scores or other admission
credentials) leads to
improved performance. For reasons of econometric identification, the most
common category
of college peers to be examined is roommates, although most studies of
primary and
secondary students (and a few in higher education) have looked for
classmate peer effects.
1
Classmate peers may influence classroom environment; roommate peers
may affect study
habits and environment. But does it matter whether those living in proximity
are studying or
have studied the same subjects? This paper examines whether freshmens
grades in
introductory economics are affected by having classmates (or upper-level
students who have

taken the class) living in the same dormitory unit (dorm-mates). It looks at
nine years of
data for students in the introductory economics course at Reed College. To
assess the
robustness of the results within the Reed environment, it also examines
parallel information
for introductory courses Reed in biology, physics, and psychology