Hey everyone,

Ahh, my last post in my Back to School series! I hope you have enjoyed this process and have learned a little something from this series. In our last piece I'm going to compare the differences between your first dorm versus your first apartment. 

Size: Your first dorm is going to be small. Everyone says it, and you better believe it. Looking back, I can't believe how I lived in such a small place with a roommate. Naturally, the things you buy can make your dorm feel cramped, but rest assured that the space in your first apartment will help spread out all of your belongings. While I'm not making any promises, your first apartment will be bigger but not necessarily nicer. Big difference there. My apartment was rather large but the furnishings were old and pretty dated. To help this, my roommates threw sheets over the couches and put tapestries over what they could. They also took advantage of a lot of the dead space on the walls and even put up a movie projector! 

Look: Decorating your dorm is fun but can cause some challenges. Do you and your roommate want to match or do you want your side of the room to contrast their side? These are important things to think about when planning your room. For my first roommate we had similar taste, so our room looked really cohesive! My second roommate ended up having a different style and our room ended up a little less put together. When it comes to your apartment, however, you might have a double room (what I had) or a single room. A double room mimics the dorm style but is a little bit bigger, and there is typically another bedroom in the apartment for another double. A single could range from one room to four rooms. 

Where: Where you live, if you're lucky, can be of your choosing. During my freshmen year I picked to live in the honors dorms instead of a regular floor. To be honest, I'm not sure if I would do that again because of the overall feel of that floor (very quiet, unsociable, etc). However, I know that Manoa offers other floors from: culture, LGBTQ+, major (environment, oceanography, etc), and hobby (hiking, outdoor). I will say that I was only aware of one of these options. Never had I met someone who lived on a "hiking" floor and I never met someone who lived on the Japanese culture floor. Take with that what you will. Apartments are also something you can pick, as you may not be tied to the on-campus location anymore. I opted for an on-campus apartment because of the convenience but going forward I plan to live off campus due to the price. Obviously the differences here are price, location, and quality of dorm. My school hasn't updated the apartments since they were  built in the 70s, and as such the quality is poor. Your school may be different, though! 

What have you learned living on campus? Let me know in the comments before and how you felt about moving to an apartment!