First, dorms are certainly more convenient when it comes to getting to and from classes. Therefore, it would appear that dorms are a more convenient alternative for students. However, getting to and from class is only one concern for the average college student. College students living at home will probably be able to eat home-cooked meals without leaving their residences to do so, have access to private washers and driers, and easier parking access. Therefore, depending on the length of a commute, living at a home may actually be more convenient and provide a student with more free-time than living at a dorm. Once again, one must consider a particular scenario to determine convenience for a student. The final factor to consider is privacy; dorm rooms offer students more privacy from their families, while living at home may permit students more privacy in their bedrooms. For many students, the move to college marks the beginning of adult life, and living in a dorm room is an important step towards independence from the family unit. Living in a dorm room certainly provides a student with a greater sense of privacy from the family. However,...

For a student that has come from a background of having his or her own bedroom, this sharing space can feel like a tremendous invasion of personal privacy. Moreover, an invasive roommate can hamper privacy much more than a permissive family. Therefore, one must look at a particular home scenario and a proposed roommate to determine which scenario would be more advantageous for student privacy.
As one can see, the decision whether to live at home or in a dorm room is a complex one, and the three main differences in living at home or living in a dorm are expense, convenience, and privacy. There is no easy formula to determine which particular scenario is best for an individual student. Instead, one must consider the individual factors of each proposed living scenario to determine which one is best for the individual. Looking at cost, convenience, and privacy, one can make an honest determination which scenario is best in each category. Then, the student must determine which of those factors is most important for the student, and make a decision about the living situation.