Are getting dorms even worth it?

[jaaaayciee]

Some schools I've been looking into will have specific dorm halls set for only graduate students, whereas others don't specify. The dorms seem very expensive, but I don't know how I would like being completely on my own in my own apartment. Plus, for those schools where there are not separate graduate dorms, I don't know if I'm going to like all the drinking, partying, smoking, etc. that I assume undergraduates do in the dorms (I could be wrong about this, but I'm just basing what goes on in the dorms based off stories I've heard at my current school). 

Also, there's also the pet issue. I have a cat that I'm definitely taking with me when I go to school, whether it's allowed or not. I think I'd like the (possible) companionship of a roommate in a dorm, but they might seem like m ore trouble than they're worth. 

[eternallyephemeral]

I would compare the cost of the dorms (and how much of your kitchen/living room space is shared) with getting a roommate. Usually roommates will bring your cost down, often below the cost of the dorms.

I'm definitely not moving near the undergraduate-heavy areas when I go to grad school this fall, as the school I'm going to is quite a party school. I also sleep relatively early, and all the noise would be irritating as I will get up early in the mornings as well.

Dorms may or may not allow pets (probably more often they won't, but separate graduate apartments may allow them), but some landlords also don't allow pets. So there's no clear winner in that aspect.

There are a lot of options if you don't want to be completely alone, and dorms are just one of them. You may find that the dorm lifestyle doesn't work for you as a graduate student, so you don't want to get tied down to it for a long time. Many people at my current school choose not to live in the grad dorms as they're quite expensive, and not very private (I think you share the main spaces with a few people).

[fernandes]

I am entering graduate school in the fall and I have also been looking into housing options. In the school I am going to study at there are separate dorms for graduate students called Graduate Student Apartments (GSA). At the GSA there are several apartment options depending on if you want to live by yourself or with other students, and, of course, it's cheaper if you share your apartment with other students.

I have decided to apply to the GSA for three main reasons:

1. It will allow me to meet other students and create a wide network of professional relationships that could be really valuable in the future;

2. Since the GSA already come with furniture, appliances, internet and water bills paid, it's basically the same price of renting another off-campus apartment;

3. I feel like it is the best way to start graduate school in a more comfortable way, since almost all of the "trouble" of renting and paying bills will be solved. I intend to move to another apartment after my first year though.

I think that you should check with the school you're going to what is included in the rent and if the price is worth it considering how much you'd have to pay to live off campus.