Living in a dorm is one of the best parts of going to Notre Dame.
Despite the desperate GroupMe messages begging the users of “Washer 8” and “Dryer 14” to move their clothes and the unexpected surprises inherent in sharing a living space with 200 other people, in my experience, living in a dorm at Notre Dame, has overall been pretty great.
Dorm life is not for everybody. Some people, especially those who enjoy cooking, love off-campus life. As a person who enjoys sleeping in, I love being on campus, and not just because of its proximity to my classes and therefore, maximum sleeping time.
When deciding where to live my senior year of college, I weighed my options. I will most likely live in an apartment post-graduation and living in a dorm allows for serendipitous e-lounge chats, dining hall dinners and card game sessions. Not many people get to live on the Notre Dame campus and experience the community of dorm life.
While Pasquerilla East is not the most updated dorm on campus and therefore doesn’t have all of the amenities of Hotel J-Fam, it does have an awesome community to engage with if you so wish. I have chosen to engage with the community of my dorm and have met great friends and people by doing so!
There are great perks to off campus life, like having your own bathroom where you don't have to wear shower shoes or not having to follow the rules of residential life on campus.
But there are also perks to living on campus:
1. Community
Living on campus senior year gives you the chance to stay a part of your dorm community and connect with the traditions and people of your dorm! For seniors who had a COVID year during freshman year or transferred from another school or dorm, this is especially valuable.
2. Location
Eddy Street is known to be the best off-campus location for apartments because of its proximity to campus. The only way to get closer is to live on the campus itself!
3. Comedy
If you have a sense of humor, dorm life can be amazing and hilarious. There is so much comedic material to work with when 200 people are living under one roof and seemingly 100 of them do not know how to do the laundry. I personally find dorm happenings to be extremely amusing.
4. Free food
Section events each week are not only a good place to catch up with friends, but also a place to grab some unexpected study snacks. Grapes and bagels and mocktails, oh my!
5. Walking community
For seniors without a car, living on campus is the most convenient option in terms of getting to and from class or to events around campus. There are not many other opportunities to live in a walking community aside from a college with groceries and sports and classes within walking distance.
6. Room picks
As a senior, you finally get first dibs on room picks and can finally get that single or super double you’ve been eyeing since freshman year!
7. Impromptu walks and late night snacks
Living in a dorm leaves the possibility of running into somebody on their way to Taco Bell at 2 AM or on a walk around the lakes to watch the sunset looking for a buddy to go with them.
8. Friends!
In my experience, living in a dorm has been one of the best parts of Notre Dame because of the community and people I met through interhall sports, e-lounge hang-outs and study room sessions. Pasquerilla East has been a nice home under the dome from where I’m sitting (Go pyros!). Living off campus with your own kitchen is great but living in a dorm where there is always something going on and the campus is right outside your window is also great.
The difference between each dorms’ amenities and quality and that of off campus and on campus facilities differs from building to building and is definitely a factor to consider, in addition to price.
But in terms of community, I’d argue dorm life is the way to go.
Erin Drumm is a senior at Notre Dame studying American Studies, journalism and history. She is from Philadelphia and spends her summers (and every weekend possible) at the shore in Cape May County, New Jersey. Outside of The Observer, Erin can be found cheering on the Fighting Irish and the Phillies, reading and talking about pop culture and history. She can be reached at edrumm@nd.edu.
