Hey Aska!
I?ll be moving back to Toronto this summer and my house is about?30 minutes away from downtown so getting around isn’t really that much of a?problem. My question is simple but it?s eating my brain away ? should I apply?for residence? A friend of mine who?s studying at?*ahem*?another university,?said very strictly that I wouldn’t make any friends. To be honest, I’m not a ?social?butterfly? and I?m not very good at introductions, so will living at residence?sort of, kind of make this whole friendship process easier? Or does it really?not matter? My parents find it ridiculous that I’m even blabbing on about?residence all the time and they?re saying that I?ll be running home every other?day because it?ll be so darn close. I really want to go but at the same time I?really don?t; I want to try living on my own, learn to be independent and stuff?but I don?t think I?ll be able to?share?bathrooms (I?m sorry, this is really obnoxious but I have this horrible reflex?problem), or clean them, frankly speaking. That?s not all of course, I?m just?afraid that my parents will pay all that money just for me to be lounging back?at home every weekend. Oh and if it makes a difference, I got admitted to Innis?college so (I guess) will be applying for residence there. Do you think you can?help me out a bit? How important is staying at residence in first year?
Thanks!
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hey there,
wow, there’s a lot of stuff here. but i’m glad you’ve been thinking about this as seriously as you have, because deciding to live in residence is a big choice. it’s also an expensive one.
honestly, if you have the ability to live at home and save over 10k a year, that’s what i’d personally recommend. i mean i’m more pragmatic than most people, so take my opinion with a grain of salt, but if you can live so close to campus, you’re in a very fortunate position.
also, residence is not the only place you can make friends. you can meet people in class, through mutual friends, at parties, etc. honestly, i’m a bit of a misanthropic humbug. most of the time i go out of my way to avoid people. and yet i still haven’t managed to avoid picking up some great friends at school along the way. a lot of them i even met – cliche as it is – through student clubs. don’t discount that option.
bearing in mind that my experience is not reflective of everyone’s (but that i’m also a bit of a social wallflower like you), let’s use me as a guinea pig: in first year, i made about 4 friends in residence, 2 great friends at frosh week, and about 5 friends from various extra-curriculars (one of whom i knew peripherally from high school). so residence isn’t the only place where social bonds can be built.
obviously, i can’t deny that living in residence is an unforgettable experience. it lets you grow as a person. it teaches you not to mind sharing wash-rooms so much. to relax a little bit. it gives you a taste of living on your own, allowing you to have control over your own space, and it starts teaching you how to manage a home. living in residence is a great stepping-stone between your parents’ house and your first adult place.
but, you know. graduating debt-free is an unforgettable experience too, ya feel me?
i hope that gave you a little something more to think about. good luck with your decision,
aska