The Difficulties of College Residence Life:

Parties, Distractions, and Unhealthy Eating

Do you like to party, and eat un-healthy food? If so residence may be just the place for you, or may be a place you’re better off staying out of. With a party every night of the week, and a mandatory meal plan, partying and eating junk can be done with ease. Parties, constant distractions, and unhealthy foods may seem like a lot of fun, and can be, but they will have a negative effect on your grades if you aren’t responsible about it, and being responsible sadly isn’t practiced by many young students of our generation.

Partying habitually is a normal thing for most young college students, and if you know when to draw the line then you will have no problem enjoying both good times and good grades. Living in residence you are always surrounded by friends, most of whom will have different schedules than you, therefore there will always be someone that doesn’t have classes early the next morning or at all the next day. Because these friends have no early classes they are likely to have a party, and they are going to get you to party with them. You may be reading this thinking “if I had a big test the next day I wouldn’t party”, which may be true, however if you are like most young students that probably isn’t the case. The thought of being drunk and having fun with friends is much more appealing than the thought of writing a big test, and the test (at that moment in time) will seem unimportant in comparison to fun. Drinking alcohol and partying on a regular basis will have a direct toll not only on your body, but your grades as well.

 It seems as though every time you attempt to pick up your books and get to work, someone’s knocking at your door, or calling you on the phone. Because you are living in a building with a thousand other students, you will know a lot of people. The more people you know, the more likely you are to receive phone calls and knocks at your door from friends. When you’re writing a paper or studying for a big test your full attention and focus are essential, but will be easily jeopardized by a five minute phone conversation with a friend, or a friend coming over to quickly borrow something, and it can be very difficult to get back into focus after something as simple as that happens. The fact that you are living in a building full of young students is also the reasoning behind all the noise. Loud shouts and screams throughout the halls, and music blaring through your walls from the rooms around you can prove to be very distracting. You’re trying to stay focused but the sound of people having fun is distracting and yes annoying, however it is also a very tempting sound, relating back to our first problem, partying too much. These types of distractions are sure to haunt you and make it difficult for you to maintain that ninety percent average your parents are expecting of you. Distractions, like partying can be linked directly to poor grades.

Having a meal plan is convenient, but unfortunately that’s the only good thing I have to say about it. The food is pre-made and kept hot under heat lamps. There are little or no healthy choices, and no variety; the same meals are served every week. Burgers and fries, pizza, hot dogs, and things of that nature are what you can expect to be eating on a regular basis.

Because you have no money left for groceries, you will be left with no choice but to use your meal card and eat these unhealthy foods. Use of the meal card is easy, you simply get the food you want and go to the cashier, they scan the card and you’re done. The only good thing I have to say about the meal plan, convenience, is also the worst thing about the meal card. Because it is so easy, making unhealthy choices is also very easy. Perhaps you don’t care too much about your health and feel that eating fast food everyday is just fine, and that’s ok, but for most that is not the case, it’s simply much easier to grab a quick meal then cook especially with the busy schedule most students have between school, work and partying. While eating healthy may not pay a direct toll on your grades it is believed by some that a proper diet relates not only to proper bodily function but proper brain function as well, in turn affecting your grades as well as your overall health.

               Saying “No” to parties, avoiding distractions, and eating healthy food are a few prime examples of the difficulties encountered in residence life. These points were not meant to deter you, the prospecting student, from choosing residence, they are simply to inform you of the issues that may cause problems for you. If you can be responsible for your school work and are fairly strong willed you should have no problem achieving both good grades and having a good time while living in residence. Just keep in mind that being responsible and strong willed does get difficult at times and if you think that you may have a problem with that, residence may not be the wisest choice.