When choosing a college it is also important to consider living arrangements. Some schools require students to live on campus for at least their first two years while other schools have more students who commute from home than who live on campus. Some schools require first year students to live in dormitories while other schools allow for students to live in off-campus apartments. Some schools only provide housing for single adults while other schools provide housing for married couples and families.

Then there is tremendous variation in on-campus options. Some dormitory buildings have a kitchen and dining room in the building. Most have separate buildings for dining. Some have cooking facility within the building, others allow some cooking in the rooms while some require that all cooking occur in separate buildings. Some dormitory rooms house one student, some house two, some house three or four or more. Some are single sex as a whole building, others are single sex by floor and others are mixed on a floor. Some rooms have their own bathroom, some share a bathroom between two rooms and some share a bathroom for a full floor.

Then there is the Greek system. Sororities and fraternities vary so much in housing, study, storage and dining space that it is important to visit each one under consideration.

There is also extreme variation in architecture, layout and age of buildings. Sometimes within a single campus it is possible to choose from a neo-gothic castle-like dorm to a modern cement structure to an on-campus cottage that can be shared with people who have common worldviews or lifestyles.

When choosing a college it is helpful to list your top priorities and then to contact students who are at the schools you are considering. Most colleges have students who are happy to respond by email to questions from prospective students. Then when you learn of a school that has housing options that meet most of your top priorities, it is very helpful to go visit the school to check out the facilities for yourself.

Once you are accepted to a school, you can then list your housing preferences. You are not guaranteed of getting your first choice, but doing your homework and knowing your reasons for your housing preferences will help you get closer to what you want than if you don’t consider these things.