Most colleges require freshmen and sophomores to live on-campus. Unfortunately, that "on-campus" equals the dorms/residential buildings. UCM, however, has an exception: you can live in the on-campus apartments if you have 30 credit hours (aka sophomore status). My most recent roommate, Bri, and I lived in the building called FosterKnox and it was so much better than the dorms. Here is a multitude of reasons to pick an apartment over a dorm.

No Drama

Yes, you meet hundreds of people while living in the dorm, but think about it. Freshmen are just out of high school, which are the most dramatic teenage years of your life. Freshmen haven't grown up yet and aren't adults, and the dorms feed off of negative energy and girl fights happen in the hall. At UCM, there are two sets of roommates that share one bathroom, so four girls in one living space. Uh oh. If that isn't enough, I don't know if you'd understand the stress and mini arguments that go on. You may think you and your roommate may be BFF's, but that's super rare. Most people can't stand each other after the first year and end up distancing.

Apartments, on the other hand, are carefree and you either live alone or have just one roommate. Luckily for me, Bri was just like me and we never fought. We could chill and only had to deal with the foreign kids slamming their bedroom doors throughout the day. Now that, I can handle by screaming at them; the dorms are crazy battlefields that no one wants to be in. If you're worried about living in an apartment and not having many people to socialize with, just make sure you have a great friend support system and get out more! Life is what you make it and living in an apartment is not depressing; just have people come over. I swear the whole floor won't glare at you when you walk by after you did something wrong.

The freedom.

I could walk around in a shower wrap and feel safe. I could watch TV and not feel like I was going to get written up by the CA/RA (community advisor or resident advisor depending on your college) for noise. I could dump things into the trashcans placed in the middle of the hallway and not get yelled at or feel bad for the janitors. I could walk around with no makeup on and not feel scrutinized. Apartments are so freeing.

Apartments come furnished.

I didn't have to make the four flight of stairs journey to bring a mini fridge or a couch! The apartment came with those. Lugging a futon is not my ideal move-in day; I like to do the bare minimum since I live on fourth floor.

You get a kitchen.

That's right, you get your very own kitchen either to yourself or sharing with one roommate. Some dorms have ground floors with communal kitchens, but who feels safe leaving their milk and eggs on a communal floor where there could be thieves? I don't. This kitchen has a stove, an oven, a lot of cabinets and a full-size fridge with it where you can cook at any time of day and in the comfort of your pajamas. I could have dinner ready for my boyfriend or bake cookies with my roomie while watching "Cutthroat Kitchen" on Netflix.

Most of my good memories from the apartment were centered around cooking, including the time when my boyfriend Bob burnt an egg (just one lone egg) and set the fire alarm off... Bri and I did nothing but die laughing.The kitchen was a glorious plus and although I still had to bring a microwave, I didn't have to survive off of only Ramen noodles in the microwave like some freshmen. I could make tacos with real beef or stir fry on the stove. Much healthier than mac & cheese bowls or frozen burritos. Ick.

They are more spacious.

The dorm is technically one suite split by the bathroom. Like I said earlier, there are two residents on the left and the other two residents on the right side. The room is 11 by 17 feet for two people (or 22 by 34 feet for all four people). Apartments, like Nickerson & FosterKnox, are 22 by 34 feet for two people. Below is a comparison, Seems like a no-brainer, right? Plus, the apartments separate into a living room side and a bedroom side with a door divider. If my roommate wanted to sleep, I could go into the living room, shut the door so the light didn't bother her, and sit on the couch to stay up late to do homework if I needed to. There's no such thing as a get-a-way in the dorms. Another perk to the apartments is there's more room for guests! One side of the dorm can hold five comfortably, but I had no problem throwing a party for 12 in my apartment! Apartments have more room and they're so much better.

Apartments are better for independent people.

Being the strong, independent woman I am, I like to have my space for a bit. I love being an extrovert, but I need 'me time' for myself once in a while. I go upstairs, throw my backpack down and chill. There's barely any noise in other apartments, no one is constantly knocking on my door and I can leave whenever I want.

Apartments are cheaper.

The resident halls at UCM cost $5,288 for the whole school year plus the required $1,515 for the meal plan: totaling to a whopping $6,803. If you live in an apartment, you aren't required to have a meal plan! You just buy groceries for you to cook with on your own! The total cost of the school year for apartment living is $600 per month, with a total of $6,000 a year. BUT, if you have a roommate, you split the $600 per month into $300 per month per person, totaling the cost for the first roommate $3,000 and the second roommate a separate $3,000 (which the $3,000 includes water, electricity, cable, internet and appliances)! Looking at the numbers on your college's website may give you the same insight I had.

Source:www.ucmo.edu/housing/pricing

If you're debating the pros and cons of apartments vs. dorms, always go with the apartment. There's less bull**** to deal with, you can get comfortable, there's more space, and everything is basically provided all at a lower cost! If you have the option to get an apartment, I'd 100 percent recommend it.