It has its benefits, but it also has its downsides. Below are some of the cons when sharing your room with friends:
The Pros and Cons of Living Off-Campus
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Less time for yourself
It is indeed an exciting experience to hang out with friends as much as you can. One bad thing there is that it might pressure you to hang out with them more often, leaving you with less time for yourself. There is no problem when you want ‘me’ time. It is a good way to de-stress from everything.
But you should note that not everyone likes spending time solo. This can cause conflict and clashes between roommates. Worse, you might feel guilty when you do things outside of the house that does not involve your friends.
Time will revolve with roommate friends more often than your other friends and even yourself. If you see this as an issue, give it some serious thinking. Consider what seems like a small thing like this that can be a big problem soon.
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Money issues can put friendships in conflict
Money is a touchy subject in most shared households. From the time of taking a bath, saving electricity, to whose turn it is to buy a toilet roll. Issues in finances put more weight on friendships than on strangers. Think about this when deciding if you want to live with friends, expecting the worst thing that could happen.
Things get complicated when it comes to money stuff, whether you pay bills individually or designate someone as the bill-payer. It is either easy or difficult to confront someone about the overdue money your friend owes you.
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You could lose some of your things
This is a common problem for a lot of roommates. Borrowing causes trouble, from not asking to not taking care of that item. Are you fine with sharing, or are you someone who gets mad when someone uses your mug?
If this is an issue for you, it may be hard to live with your mates.
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You might spend too much time in the house
It may be ironic, but living with your friend might make you a little antisocial. Since you like hanging out with your friends, chances are you won’t have much time to focus on other things like improving yourself and experiencing college outside of the dorm. You might have less time and chances to build relationships with other social bubbles other than your mates.
Also, if you and your friends are prone to procrastination, it might not be best to live with them.
The flipside of this is that you could end up leaving the house too much. If your friends are partygoers and enjoy outdoor activities, you will be easily persuaded to join them. It is a risky and costly scenario.
Remember that your priority is your studies and not parties. Learn how you can all motivate each other to focus on studying.
Prospective college students need to be equipped for their amazing years ahead. Learn more about college and university life by reading our articles at MSM Unify overseas education consultancy.
