West Virginia University - Monticola Yearbook (Morgantown, WV)

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John Hess enjoys playing the piano after dinner and studying. Apartment Lite 29

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WHAT ' S BETTER? While freshmen are required to live in dormitories, upperclassmen are free to live where they please. Most live off-campus, but some choose to remain a dorm resident. It ' s a deci- sion all WVU students have to face at one time or another, and the reasons they live where they do are varied. A commonly voiced opinion is that dorm life is too much like 24 hour school. Noisy floormates and un- cooperative roommates are another complaint. The restrictions of set meal times, quiet hours, open house hours and drug policies disagree with some students. Those living in the dorms agree, however, that there are many conveniences. Not having to clean, prepare meals and run to a laundromat are common praise for the dorm living, as are the closeness to campus and the various planned activities. Another important consid- eration is that of price. Many believe apartment prices are comparable to dorm prices, but students generally agree that in the long run, they are even. Sometimes apartments turn out to be costlier. Apartments offer more freedom, and, to most students, this is the number one reason why they prefer their apartment or rented house. There is a definite separation between school and home, and more opportunity to entertain friends and having a little privacy once in a while. Usually, people living off- campus have chosen their room or house mates, which eliminates living with a total stranger, as many stu- dents must do if they live in a dorm. However, that surely does not mean that living in off-campus housing is all roses. There are many complaints about living in off-campus dwellings. Mary Kay Hess enjoys watching television in her apartment living room. Scott Tompkins likes the easy accessibility of food in his apartment. 28 Apartment Life

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WHAT S BETTER? A few of these complaints include cost, no near-by laundromats, diffi- culty in finding a good place and an increased problem in applying one- self to studies, as students seem to think apartments offer more distrac- tions. However, there are also alterna- tives to living in dorms or apartments that many students forget to con- sider.Some of these options include living in fraternity or sorority houses, living with parents and commuting to school, living in private dormitories, living in private hotel rooms which are rented to students, living in trailers, or living in sleeping rooms which are leased by some Morgantown resi- dents as a cross between dorms and the so-called efficiency apartments. Both dormitories and off-campus living, and even the other forms of living at West Virginia University have their pros and cons, and really no one way is the best way. Lifestyles differ, as they are a highly individualized matter, and the decision of where to live is certainly included in this indi- vidualization. Like they say, Itisupto you! It ' s hard to find a quiet place in a dorm. One convenience the dorms offer is laundry facilities and freshmen Mary Sereno tal es advantage of those in Arnold Hall. 30 Dormitory Life