Having a roommate is what some may consider as part of “the college experience,” yet not everyone chooses to live the co-occupant life. There are pros and cons to living alone versus having a roommate.
Upon moving away from home, living on or off campus is the first decision to be made, then living with or without roommates must be considered. For most of those living on a university campus, the dorm life does not allow for independent living, but for upperclassmen at California Baptist University, there are single-living options such as studio apartments in The Village.
Jacklin O’Rear, senior liberal studies major, has lived on campus with roommates for the past three years, but this year she chose to live alone.
A full schedule was one of the reasons for living alone O’Rear said.
“I had a heavy workload and being alone took a lot of stress away,” O’Rear said she prefers living alone and the freedom it gives her.
“You get to play music and be louder than you would if you had a roommate,” O’Rear said. “You also do not have to share a bathroom, no waiting for showers or doing your hair. There’s overall privacy.”
Privacy and alone time are two of the greatest pros when it comes to skipping on having a roommate. Living alone gives the entire experience of moving out of the childhood home and going through life independently.
Crystal Peterson, senior psychology major and resident advisor in The Village, has always lived with roommates and said while she sees the benefits of living alone, she prefers living with others.
“I love being able to come home and having someone there to talk to and hang out with,” Peterson said.
Roommates are not only people to hang out and have fun with as they are also there to teach about life as well. Rachel Hom, CBU alumna, lived with roommates on campus during her time at CBU and still lives with a roommate off campus.
“Having roommates forces you to learn how to work with someone different than you and how to manage conflict,” Hom said.
She said having a roommate helps her during this new season of life.
“We’re able to learn how to ‘adult’ together; side by side in our small victories and challenges,” Hom said.
