I lived on campus at university for four years, three at UCLA and one at York.  Though at times I felt a little old, I never regretted it and I’m really glad that I had the foresight to do so.  After all, apartment life is plentiful after graduating, but dorm life is limited to those few years.  Or should I say, residential life?  The Office of Residential life was always very picky about what words they used to describe things: residence hall, rather than dormitory; learning center, rather than computer lab; dining halls or boutique eateries, rather than cafeterias or restaurants.  It’s true enough, the words you use do carry a certain connotation, so residential life it is.  Sounds more homey, doesn’t it?  Exactly the point.

So anyway, I loved the residential life experience mainly because of its openness.  Where else can you keep your door open whenever you’re in, say hi to your neighbors for no good reason without getting weird looks, and hang out in the hallways and lounges for fun?  Everyone is free to be wherever they want, whenever they want and they’re not judged for it.  Imagine laying around in the hallway of an apartment complex.  It just feels wrong.  Yet doing so in the middle of the night in the res halls was perfectly normal (and could even make you some new friends).

People feel safer and are more trusting in an environment where everyone is the same.  We’re all just students, barely adults, all new to the place and finding our way in life.  It’s great to have the freedom to sleep whenever we want, eat (nearly) whatever we want whenever we want, and socialize however we want.  It also helps that we have food available to us from about 7 AM to 2 AM every day!  We don’t have to worry about cooking our own food and a delicious meal is but a card swipe away.  That also makes it much more conducive for people to socialize over shared food.  I really do think there is no better uniter than a good meal.  In fact, I do most of my socializing with some sort of nourishment, whether it’s a meal, dessert run, or just a drink.

Besides all of that, being in college in general is just great.  Thousands of students of (generally) similar caliber are alongside you, everyone learning amazing things in their respective majors.  Most have no idea what they’re going to accomplish in their lives and have a world of possibilities ahead of them.  For many, it’s the first time they’ve lived away from home and get to experience the freedom to schedule their lives however they like.  There’s a great energy in the air in residential halls, which are bustling with life anywhere from 8 AM to 2 AM.  And there certainly is no other place like it on earth.  Especially none quite like UCLA on-campus living!

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