The Horrors of Dorm and Apartment Living

UF students share their struggles and challenging encounters with living in dorms and apartments.

For many students, a significant shift in coming to college is living on their own in a dorm or an apartment off campus. Living in a dorm can be seen by some students as a rite of passage for those entering college for their first year. However, not everyone lives in a dorm during their first year of college. As the years progress, some residents of the dorms decide to live in an apartment to have their own space, while others choose to continue their time in a dorm for all four years of college.

Dorm living can be convenient, as you are living directly on campus, making it easier to travel to classes. While this is a perk to dorm living, sometimes the amenities that make dorms stand out as a better pick for students may not always be as functional as perceived.

Image from UF Housing & Residence Website

Beaty Towers is one example of a dorm that has several perks in theory but can become difficult to live in. This dorm is known for being apartment-style with 13 floors and a functional elevator, although ‘functional’ can sometimes be a stretch.

"I live in Beaty West on the 8th floor," said second-year student Nicole Irmak. I was injured and had a boot on for six weeks, and because the Beaty elevators are super unreliable, both of them were broken and I had to climb up 8 floors dragging my boot along."

Unexpected occurrences when living on campus can cause confusion and inconveniences to students' everyday routines. Cleanliness and convenient access points to dorm buildings are both factors that affect general student perspectives on dorm living.

Image from UF Housing & Residence Website

"I live at Keys Complex and one night I entered my dorm without a problem," said second-year student Kevin Orbegoso. "The very next morning, I see that the front door to my building is completely shattered and we could only walk through the grassy, sandy area of the back door to my building."

While living in an apartment may seem like a better choice for some, many uncertainties may exist. Just like dorm living, having random roommates in an apartment can potentially make for an uncomfortable situation.

"I moved to Gainesville my sophomore year. Around January, [my roommate and I] started to get into some conflict. The next day I went back to the apartment and noticed something oily on my doorknob and figured my roommate was just being immature, but soon realized it was much worse. The oily substance was not just over my doorknob, but the knobs to all my kitchen cabinets. The same oily coating was on every single item in the kitchen that I owned – pots, pans, silverware, bowls, plates, cups, and cleaning supplies. I left my apartment shocked but couldn't figure out what the oil was. The next day I was trying to place what the oil was and after ruling out every other type of kitchen oil, I remembered the can of Raid under the sink and went to the store to buy the same can. I tested it on an old plate I had and sure enough, it was the same oil," said third-year student Sean McNeil.

While not all college students encounter conflicts during their time living in a dorm or an apartment, the one thing that Irmak, Orbegoso and McNeil took away from their experience was the — slight horror — stories to tell.