Living in residence was one of my top highlights of my first year at CMU! Being from out of province, I was nervous that I might get a little lost in the craziness of things in my first year, but being in residence gave me the support and care that I needed in order to properly succeed in school as well as successfully transition from moving away from home to being a more independent person.
Living in residence is extremely important to my studies because it increased my academic success. There are always people around that you are able to ask for help. Don’t understand a question? Rather than waiting a few hours for an answer through text, you can walk down the hallway and knock on somebody’s door who is also in that class and have your question answered right away.
Another benefit of living on campus is the convenience and proximity of, well, pretty much everything. You save so much time living on campus due to the easy access of all school services. You do not need to worry about preparing food because it’s ready for you. You can study for as long as you need with no worries about bus schedules or weather conditions. One of the best things, in my opinion, is if the idea of rolling out of bed five minutes before your class appeals to you, then residence is the place for you!
Since I was younger I’ve always heard that you haven’t truly experienced university life until you live in residence and now I understand why! Living on campus allows me to make connections and get to know more people on a deeper level. In many ways, by living on campus and seeing the same people everyday, your friends become your family. But just like you need space from your family sometimes you also have the ability to spend time by yourself in your room when you want some quiet time. In my experience, my friends are always there to support me—in times when I feel stressed, they are there to encourage me and remind me that I can do it.
Not only are they there to lift me up when I am down but there is always fun to be had living on residence. Whether it is playing Mario Go Kart, pool, foosball or a game of Quittitch, I can confidently say that my university experience would not be complete if it was not for this aspect of residence life.
Lastly, one of the most important aspects that residence life helps me with is transition. Residence gives you a stepping-stone to being more independent. It comfortably helps with the transition to living on your own. It gives you a safe place to grow and develop with a good social support network that is ready to struggle with you and help you when you’re not sure what to do. In my second year, I decided to live in an apartment on campus rather than sharing a dorm room. I was ready to move into something more independent and the apartment was perfect for what I was looking for.
Living in residence not only increases my academic success but it also gives me the holistic aspect of university that I was looking for and if these are things that you also might be looking for in your university experience I would highly recommend living in residence.
Emilie Roussis is one of CMU’s Student Ambassadors