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So much depends on the dorm. When I was at Berkeley I lived at International House, which was at that time at least 3/4 grad students in mostly single rooms. I lived there 'til I was 26 or 27 IIRC; there were lots of grad students from around the world in their mid to late 20s and quite a few in their 30s. This was not a typical dorm, though!
I will be attending grad school in the near future and I'm unsure what to do about housing.
I will be 22 going on 23 when I enter my program and I'm unsure if I'm too old to dorm. The school I'm attending doesn't have separate graduate housing, but has several housing options to choose from.
Option 1- Traditional Dorms with one roommate and shared space. One of the cheaper options, but also requires buying a meal plan. Mix of freshmen- graduate students.
Option 2- Upperclassmen Dorms. Basically same as the traditional dorms, but with a shared bathroom. Also requires a meal plan and a little more expensive. Mix of sophomore- graduate students.
Option 3- College Apartments. 2-3 roommates with separate bedrooms and either one or two bathrooms. Also comes with living room and kitchen. No meal plan required and costs only slightly more than upperclassmen housing for some reason. Mix of sophomores- graduate students and in quieter part of campus.
Option 4- Off Campus Apartment. Basically whatever I can find available close to campus. Rent in the area ranges from $400- $1000 per person per month from what I've researched. The only issue would be finding roommates to split the rent. There seem to be a good amount of listings in the area, so I don't think it would be too big of a problem.
I apologize if I sound clueless. It's been a long time since I've lived on campus and I'm not sure what's typical/ in the best interest as far as living arrangements for a grad student. If anyone could give me some advice or your own experience I would be very grateful.
No, you're not too old for a dorm. Your school probably has an all-grad student dorm, many do. Such dorms have a much quieter and more studious ambience, and more mature residents. Their purpose is to provide an atmosphere conducive to focussing on study. The rooms are usually single-occupancy. Check it out.
So much depends on the dorm. When I was at Berkeley I lived at International House, which was at that time at least 3/4 grad students in mostly single rooms. I lived there 'til I was 26 or 27 IIRC; there were lots of grad students from around the world in their mid to late 20s and quite a few in their 30s. This was not a typical dorm, though!
Same at UPenn. At I-house, not only were there undergrad/grad students, many visiting scientists also stayed there while doing their research.
I left dorm life after the first year--too much noise and drama for me. I would talk to an RA to get some ideas as to various living arrangements.
Options 3 and 4 are probably the ones that you would consider. There are many upper classmen students who not only take their education seriously, but they also work. Those are the students you would probaby want to live with. Check your school's bulletin boards and see who is looking for roommates. One major advantage of living on campus is not needing to drive to classes. Just my opinion, but at 23, you will want your own bedroom and probably your own bathroom. If you are very neat and clean, you will want roommates who are like you. Make a list of questions to ask and interview just like on a job. It is a long year with the wrong roommates. Believe me, I know.
When I was 22 and in my last year of grad school, I lived in an undergraduate, upperclassmen dorm. My campus was not a dry campus, and since there were no freshmen or sophomores in the dorm, we were allowed to keep alcohol in our room, which was nice.
The only problem was that each unit had its own kitchen, and every time one unit set off the smoke alarm, the entire complex needed to be evacuated. Most of those weren't even the fault of the people cooking; those smoke alarms were way oversensitive. We set them off boiling water more than once...
I'll be living in a College Apartment that houses grad and non traditional students since I'm thankfully considered too old for the dorms now(25); 4 bedrooms, 2 baths, and a common room. Pretty good deal since all utilities except phone service are already included, and the rooms come fully furnished so there's that.
With traditional dorms, I would be wary of that unless your school allows you to pick roommates. The wrong roommate can make life...difficult to say the least.
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