College life can be rough. You spend half your days inside the classroom and often the other half working or studying. It can lead to a repetitive lifestyle and many students wish for the warm and furry embrace of a pet to help combat the sterile and stressful environment of college. But pets are expensive, and they are a lot of work. And usually colleges don’t even give students the option of owning a pet on campus. What then is a college student to do when they have been denied a loving pet? My answer is to buy a plant. Growing a plant is the college student’s solution to a pet. Here are 5 reasons why growing a plant is better than having a pet in college.

Stress Free. When you have a pet it is easy to lose all control of the situation. It is also easy to become quickly overwhelmed by the situation of caring for another living creature. Sometimes it is hard remembering to feed yourself let alone trying to care for another dependent animal. When you buy a plant you have none of these issues and none of the stress. You are truly in charge of your plant. You decide if you want to pick out a high maintenance one or a simple houseplant. You know what it is going to look like and how it’s going to act. When buying a plant you never have to feel out of control unless you decide to buy a mandrake.

Low Pressure. By the time you pick out and name your plant you of course will feel attached to your purchase. This plant is the answer to owning a pet and you are excited to take it home and love it. But what happens when midterms are coming up? Or you just got an internship and you are never home? This is the beauty of having a plant as a pet because it doesn’t need a lot of your time. Of course professional gardeners would probably disagree with me about the level of maintenance for a house plant but truly you just need to find a sunny window for your plant. You should water it at least once a day and use good fertilizer or dirt in order to make sure the plant gets all the nutrients but that’s it. Your plant does not need constant attention which means you don’t have to feel any pressure. Unless of course you are given a love fern…those things are a lot of pressure.

It Livens Up the Place. Owning plant is like having your own nature oasis in your dorm or apartment. Next time you write a paper look at your new plant and you will instantly channel the transcendentalists like Thoreau or Emerson. It also brings color into the prison like dorm rooms. It is easy to get sick of grey cement walls and dull paint which means having a vibrant green plant acts like a decoration, bringing life to the room. Not only is it an instant decoration but it also smells amazing. The next time your roommate’s boyfriend is over and his cologne is overwhelming, or its finals week so no one has decided to shower, all you have to do is smell your plant to have immediate relief. Also smelling plants is a more socially acceptable way to avoid smelling something gross. It beats huddling under your covers or actually having to tell someone they smell.

Good Listener. A plant is the perfect confidant. It craves your conversations. The more you complain or compose your brilliant political or school related rant the happier your plant is. Plants need the carbon that is released when you talk, so talking to your plants is good for them. Plants are even great secret keepers and will never interrupt your conversations with their own problems. Your plant is your own perfect support group and will never get tired of listening to you

Plants Are Fun. You can be totally yourself with a plant. You can take your plants on vacation because they won’t get sick in the car, and they are perfect travel size. You can buckle your plant in the passenger seat and just go. You can write poetry about your plant and your plant will love it. You can watch movies with your plant and not worry about it falling asleep. You can have dance parties with your plant and they might even dance with you. Plants are the least judgmental creatures on the planet which means you can be whoever you want with your plant.

Every college student wants a pet or something to take care of and brighten their boring college routine. But pets are a lot of work on top of an already busy life. Plants are the perfect solution. They provide easy dorm room decor and liven up dreary spaces. They are the supportive and fun. There will be time for furry pets but for college students, plants are the best kind of pet.