The Living Habits of College Students


1207147238I only spent only one year of my college career in a dorm, and in that time I had three roommates. The first was a friend of mine from high school who liked to lock me out of the room when her boyfriend stopped by. The second liked to hook up with her guy friend when I was still in the room. The third spent all of her time in her boyfriend’s single. She was my favorite.

But never during those nine months of tumult did I ever wish I lived with a guy.

The Globe reports that some local colleges allow students to share a room with members of the opposite sex.

Students say that although administrators and parents may perceive gender-blind housing as essentially sanctioning sex, the vast majority of mixed-gender roommates are platonic. Their living situations are about mutual compatibility, not romance, they say.

As I can testify all too well, having two people of the same gender in a room doesn’t prevent students from having sex. But what’s the use of sharing a room with a guy? Sure, he probably has an XBox, but that’s not much consolation when a girl needs to steal a feminine-hygiene product.

There’s also good news for off-campus students. The Cambridge City Council finally made a decision after last week’s back-and-forth vote on whether to allow undergrads to share an apartment. Unlike Boston, Cambridge will allow more than four students to share an apartment. So those of you who live across the river should prepare for an influx of bargain-hunting students.