I recently watched a documentary on “The College Conspiracy.” The interviewers in it placed the sole cause of students going to college on the social issues that press them to get a degree. However, they did not once consider that many students continue on with higher education because they want the college experience.

But what is the college experience?

What the college experience entails is up to the individual. Is it simply a matter of the education, the social scene or the freedom of living away from home? Or is it also a matter of where you choose to live?

I live on campus. Weck Hall is the place I call home. To me, living in a dormitory is part of that college experience. In these halls, you meet people that you may have never chosen to live around, eventually calling these people your suitemates, neighbors and sometimes even friends. Living in a dormitory building means you have a community. A community that you don’t always get to decide, but a community nonetheless. The bond that forms between suitemates, floor-mates, and sometimes even building-mates is a wonderful thing.

I met my best friend (now roommate), our closest friends and my boyfriend on the Honors Floor of Dolson Hall last year. Being a mix of majors and minors, I seldom have more than two courses with any one person. So being able to live on a floor with a diverse set of majors, interests and hobbies was one of the most beneficial experiences I could imagine.

And with the bills I owe each month, room and board being covered by my scholarships, grants and loans certainly doesn’t upset me at all.

However, off-campus housing does come with its perks as well. No RAs. Less restrictions. More freedom. Your own room. A full size fridge. And best of all, no floor meetings.

The lack of floor meetings on its own is almost a decent enough incentive to live off campus…

But regardless of this incentive, my heart lies with my roommate and friends in Weck hall. Until, of course, the time comes that we find a better opportunity off-campus. That option shouldn’t be put out of mind entirely.