Living Arrangements

[Algophiliac]

So, I'm just curious about how pre-med students, med students, and residents choose to live. Please mention why and if you like your current living arrangement.

EDIT: Spouse does count as a roommate, but mention that in the comments.

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[schrizto]

Pre-med in a single.

 

[Tots]

What is the purpose of this thread!?

Anyways, I have 3 apartment-mates. Including one who won't talk to me and went on a freak out because I asked him to do the dishes

I would be so bored if I couldn't torment my roommates....

 

[Algophiliac]

What is the purpose of this thread!?

Anyways, I have 3 apartment-mates. Including one who won't talk to me and went on a freak out because I asked him to do the dishes

I would be so bored if I couldn't torment my roommates....

Haha, I'm honestly just very curious and wondering what to do about next year. I also have a hypothesis for this experiment. But I'll see how that goes.

Your living arrangement sounds stellar.

 

[Global Warming]

What is the purpose of this thread!?

Anyways, I have 3 apartment-mates. Including one who won't talk to me and went on a freak out because I asked him to do the dishes

I would be so bored if I couldn't torment my roommates....

That is the sort of reason that I will refuse to live with strangers. Now although you may be placed with a great roommate that ends up being your best friend for years to come, you also might have a roommate that will not do the dishes. Although I am not a "neat freak", I do like to live in a clean civilized home. My other problem is noise; I do not mind the loudness of the world, but like to have peace and quiet when I retire at night. In addition, the quiet serves as a great place to study.

Maybe I am impossible to live with?

 

[randombetch]

Didn't expect so many to be in singles..

 

[broken tibula]

Fresham in a double--I love my roomie! We get along really well. I may want a single in a few years, but honestly, living with another person really is great for the time being. Plus, it's cheaper!

 

[argonaute]

i've lived alone for a short period, and i must say it really sucks being alone in your apartment and not having people to easily interact with on a regular basis. life just becomes much more boring and empty. that being said, i definitely would be able to get more work done that way.

 

[JediZero]

i've lived alone for a short period, and i must say it really sucks being alone in your apartment and not having people to easily interact with on a regular basis. life just becomes much more boring and empty. that being said, i definitely would be able to get more work done that way.

Agreed. I live with two other guys, and it's hard enough for me that they both live on the third floor of our townhome and I'm on the ground floor- I just don't interact with them as much.

I'm kind of an introvert, but I try to limit my loner tendencies and be more sociable. So I know that living alone would just be a bad idea for me.

 

[silverhorse84]

I don't like living alone. I'm not hugely social, so I don't go out much with my classmates, so it's nice to have someone at home to talk to/watch tv with. I found in undergrad that I can't live with women though, so I live with a guy now - not a husband/bf, just a male roommate (I'm female).

 

[ButImLETired]

Wow lots of people hate living alone?

I LOVE living alone. There are no words to express how much I love it. I love it so much I've lived on triscuits for the past 2 weeks cause it's so expensive to pay for everything myself, and I'm perfectly willing to live on triscuits forever more just to never have a roommate again.

Don't get me wrong, I've had ok roommates, good roommates, and great roommates. I definitely prefer living with guys than girls (I'm a girl) and prefer living with someone who isn't doing exactly what I'm doing. Either way though, I like being able to come home from school and shutting down entirely. I have no stressors at home- no one to tell me to clean up (or alternately no one messier than me to leave dirty dishes around), no one to watch tv shows I hate or to judge me for watching what I like, no one with loud music or vacuum cleaners or blow driers or showers at 3 am, no one who has more/less of a social life than I do and with whom there's tension, no one who has loud sex.

It's glorious. So, so glorious.

 

[Pills Of Soap]

live with people. its more fun. you get to meet more people, (through friends of friends etc) and always have someone to talk to and yell at.

 

[ButImLETired]

live with people. its more fun. you get to meet more people, (through friends of friends etc) and always have someone to talk to and yell at.

Well, for the record, this doesn't apply quite as much in med school as it does in college. For one thing, you see your class all day every day regardless so you don't really miss out on the social experience there. It's probably LESS fun in a lot of ways cause it freaks you out when your roommates are studying and you're not. And if you're living with a classmate, chances are you both see the same people all the time so you probably won't meet too many friends of friends through them.

 

[DrYoda]

You don't need to have a roommate to meet new people. If you go out with friends your going to meet friends of friends. These are largely best case scenarios anyways, what happens if your roommate has douchebag friends?

To each their own, but I personally wouldn't get a roommate for the purpose of meeting people.


I'm living alone right now and I'll probably keep it that way for the rest of med school. I mainly use my apartment for studying and sleeping, which is easier without anyone else around. Plus, with 0 roomates you have a 0% chance of drama going on at home.

 

[ronakp10]

You don't need to have a roommate to meet new people. If you go out with friends your going to meet friends of friends. These are largely best case scenarios anyways, what happens if your roommate has douchebag friends?

To each their own, but I personally wouldn't get a roommate for the purpose of meeting people.


I'm living alone right now and I'll probably keep it that way for the rest of med school. I mainly use my apartment for studying and sleeping, which is easier without anyone else around. Plus, with 0 roomates you have a 0% chance of drama going on at home.

Couldn't of said it better myself...

 

[amberisma]

I live with four other girls in our house on campus. Yes, we have a house and I absolutely freaking love it! We're mostly studying different things (1 premed, 1 bio/pharm, 1 poli sci, 2 engineers) so we always have stuff to talk about, and we all share the chores. My roommates for the last three years before this have all sucked majorly, so this was a pleasant surprise for me. Now granted I do have the single bedroom in the house, but I'm hardly ever in it other than sleeping.

Did I mention our house is the perfect place to have parties during the weekend? Well, it definitely is

 

[J ROD]

my own house by my damn self....finally....

 

[FloatOn]

Haha residents either
a) don't wander on the pre-allo forum enough
b) are too cool to answer
c) a and b

 

[Poliscidoc]

Frat House

 

[Algophiliac]

I'm kind of an introvert, but I try to limit my loner tendencies and be more sociable. So I know that living alone would just be a bad idea for me.

I'm exactly this way, JediZero. Living alone would give me an excuse to isolate and be even more antisocial than usual, but I know that's NOT a good idea. Therefore studying in the library and coming home to a friendly face is always a good thing...but again, that's just the best case scenario. There are times I wish my roommate would leave so I could just have my space.

J DUB, wow! You bought a house just for one person? I couldn't even imagine that, lol...what with all the maintenance and upkeep that goes into it.

Well, for the record, this doesn't apply quite as much in med school as it does in college.

ButImLETired, this is why I feel as though medical students may prefer to live alone, but the statistics don't agree with me. It seems as though medical school has less of a "meeting people and exploring yourself" focus, and more of a "study hard and keep to yourself" focus. Plus, I can definitely see me needing every minute of drama-free, noiseless sleep I can get during third and fourth years. But why do so many medical students still opt to have roommates?

And there apparently aren't that many residents on here.

 

[ButImLETired]

I'm exactly this way, JediZero. Living alone would give me an excuse to isolate and be even more antisocial than usual, but I know that's NOT a good idea. Therefore studying in the library and coming home to a friendly face is always a good thing...but again, that's just the best case scenario. There are times I wish my roommate would leave so I could just have my space.

J DUB, wow! You bought a house just for one person? I couldn't even imagine that, lol...what with all the maintenance and upkeep that goes into it.



ButImLETired, this is why I feel as though medical students may prefer to live alone, but the statistics don't agree with me. It seems as though medical school has less of a "meeting people and exploring yourself" focus, and more of a "study hard and keep to yourself" focus. Plus, I can definitely see me needing every minute of drama-free, noiseless sleep I can get during third and fourth years. But why do so many medical students still opt to have roommates?

And there apparently aren't that many residents on here.

Well, fwiw, the data so far is extremely skewed toward premeds as far as the n value, just cause this is the premed forum. There are tons of people in my class who live alone.
One thing is that most of us are living on loans, so the people who chose to live alone either chose to give up other stuff or are getting a lot of help from parents- we don't have the option of having a part-time job to make up for things. Also, people who live in school-owned dorms are usually living either with roommates or with a SO because there are no single-person apartments.

That being said, more than a "I need to study and be alone" thing, for me living alone is more of a "I need to decompress and not think about school" thing. No drama, no worries, and no med students around to remind me of how much work I have to do. Home is my sanctuary.

 

[casillas]

Where is the option for "live at home" i feel like i would be giving the wrong impression if i chose one of the available options.

i moved back home due to a number of reasons for this school year. but before i lived with one roomate in near my college.

 

[Macaiah1005]

Wow lots of people hate living alone?

I LOVE living alone. There are no words to express how much I love it. I love it so much I've lived on triscuits for the past 2 weeks cause it's so expensive to pay for everything myself, and I'm perfectly willing to live on triscuits forever more just to never have a roommate again.

Don't get me wrong, I've had ok roommates, good roommates, and great roommates. I definitely prefer living with guys than girls (I'm a girl) and prefer living with someone who isn't doing exactly what I'm doing. Either way though, I like being able to come home from school and shutting down entirely. I have no stressors at home- no one to tell me to clean up (or alternately no one messier than me to leave dirty dishes around), no one to watch tv shows I hate or to judge me for watching what I like, no one with loud music or vacuum cleaners or blow driers or showers at 3 am, no one who has more/less of a social life than I do and with whom there's tension, no one who has loud sex.

It's glorious. So, so glorious.

 

[Algophiliac]

Well, fwiw, the data so far is extremely skewed toward premeds as far as the n value, just cause this is the premed forum. There are tons of people in my class who live alone.
One thing is that most of us are living on loans, so the people who chose to live alone either chose to give up other stuff or are getting a lot of help from parents- we don't have the option of having a part-time job to make up for things. Also, people who live in school-owned dorms are usually living either with roommates or with a SO because there are no single-person apartments.

That being said, more than a "I need to study and be alone" thing, for me living alone is more of a "I need to decompress and not think about school" thing. No drama, no worries, and no med students around to remind me of how much work I have to do. Home is my sanctuary.

Hmmm, I did forget to consider that studio apartments are way more expensive in overall cost. But I am assuming the students in medical school who do have roommates at least have their own separate rooms, right? Sharing a bedroom during medical school would be absolutely unthinkable for me.

There are no single rooms in dorms for any medical school? I find that a bit odd, seeing as there are plenty of single room options in university dorms.

So you do not actually study at home, but merely return there to relax after a long day? In that case, I would prefer having roommates (but not sharing a single room) just to relieve the loneliness. Yet if I were to spend time in my room studying and focused, I would rather be living alone, because other people's schedules tend to get in my way quite often.

 

[MilkmanAl]

I lived in the dorms last year and with 2 dudes from my floor this year. I study at home, but they go to restaurants or coffee shops or something. We have quite different schedules, so it's almost like living alone except when I have free time. Perfect.

 

[AnnaBananax]

I live alone and love it.

But then again, I am pretty particular about ambient noise and personal space.

Also, I've kind of become accustomed to not wearing pants at home. A roommate might be bothered by that.

 

[ButImLETired]

Hmmm, I did forget to consider that studio apartments are way more expensive in overall cost. But I am assuming the students in medical school who do have roommates at least have their own separate rooms, right? Sharing a bedroom during medical school would be absolutely unthinkable for me.

There are no single rooms in dorms for any medical school? I find that a bit odd, seeing as there are plenty of single room options in university dorms.

So you do not actually study at home, but merely return there to relax after a long day? In that case, I would prefer having roommates (but not sharing a single room) just to relieve the loneliness. Yet if I were to spend time in my room studying and focused, I would rather be living alone, because other people's schedules tend to get in my way quite often.

Oh I didn't mean that dorms don't have single rooms, just that they generally don't have single-room apartments (meaning one person to each apartment). Usually they have apartments with a few single rooms, a kitchen, little living room, and a bathroom or 2 (unless you go to NYU, then you live in the equivalent of the crappiest dorm on your undergrad campus). Single-sex, and all that good stuff. Schools often also have married people housing, but usually you can't get an apartment all by yourself.

As for me, I usually do some of the basic studying at home (like, pre-reading for lecture, daily stuff) but do the major studying in the library at school so I have no distractions. When I'm studying in the library, I see people all the time, so by the time I get home I don't get lonely at all. When I'm studying at home, I work best without noise from roommates. Win, win.

 

[DrYoda]

Hmmm, I did forget to consider that studio apartments are way more expensive in overall cost. But I am assuming the students in medical school who do have roommates at least have their own separate rooms, right? Sharing a bedroom during medical school would be absolutely unthinkable for me.

There are no single rooms in dorms for any medical school? I find that a bit odd, seeing as there are plenty of single room options in university dorms.

Most med schools don't have dorms.

 

[Algophiliac]

Oh I didn't mean that dorms don't have single rooms, just that they generally don't have single-room apartments (meaning one person to each apartment). Usually they have apartments with a few single rooms, a kitchen, little living room, and a bathroom or 2 (unless you go to NYU, then you live in the equivalent of the crappiest dorm on your undergrad campus). Single-sex, and all that good stuff. Schools often also have married people housing, but usually you can't get an apartment all by yourself.

Oh, I see! So the dorms are not really similar at all to the single/double rooms lacking kitchens that are offered in undergrad campuses. Although for some reason I was told this was exactly the situation at Havard Medical School, of all places.

I assume that at most schools, dorms are only required/suggested for first year medical students? This is actually the case at my undergrad, as well, so I am merely wondering if the same reasoning applies. And do these dorms typically provide housing for 12 months, or do they kick you out over breaks, like undergrad dorms?

Haha, I'm not planning a move-in to medical school dorms anytime soon, but I am merely curious as to why a medical student would want to live in a dorm!

As for me, I usually do some of the basic studying at home (like, pre-reading for lecture, daily stuff) but do the major studying in the library at school so I have no distractions. When I'm studying in the library, I see people all the time, so by the time I get home I don't get lonely at all. When I'm studying at home, I work best without noise from roommates. Win, win.

I basically follow this same routine in undergrad. Except to be honest, I do my main studying in the library to avoid my roommate. Sometimes the presence of someone else in the room makes it difficult for me to feel entirely at home in my dorm...just a side thing I noticed lately. But coming back to the room after studying and still having someone to talk to is usually nice...unless I still have studying to do after the library closes, in which case I fear I may come off a bit abrupt with my roommate.

Something else I realized is that I would not be able to room with a pre-med, due to the competition that would inevitably result between us. Do you feel as though rooming with a fellow med student would have the same effect?

 

[BlitzSleep]

premed here living in a studio apartment across the street from campus

 

[Algophiliac]

premed here living in a studio apartment across the street from campus

Oh, wow...just wondering, but do you find this living arrangement to be a good one? I'm not sure if you've ever lived in a single or double dorm or an apartment with roommates, though, so it may be hard to draw comparisons.

 

[MilkmanAl]

I assume that at most schools, dorms are only required/suggested for first year medical students? This is actually the case at my undergrad, as well, so I am merely wondering if the same reasoning applies. And do these dorms typically provide housing for 12 months, or do they kick you out over breaks, like undergrad dorms?

I would certainly hope that dorm living isn't required everywhere. Tons of people in med school are married and have families, so living in a 1-room apartment might be a little irksome for them. Everyone in med school is an adult. They don't kick you out because 1) that's a god-awful policy in the first place, and 2) class is year-round for lots of students. Hospitals don't close for the summer and Christmas, you know.

I am merely curious as to why a medical student would want to live in a dorm!

For me, it was convenience. I got my acceptance in mid-May and knew nothing at all about the area. i suppose I could've done some extensive research and taken a chance on living with one of the many students advertising rooms for rent, but I preferred to do the sure thing which also happened to be the easy way out. One phone call and one completed form got me my living space. It turned out to be notably cheaper than living by myself anywhere else would have been, and I didn't have to move in with someone I didn't know and adjust to that at the same time I was adjusting to the deluge of work med school throws at you. Another huge really nice aspect about the dorms here is that they're literally across the street from class. You can wake up 3 minutes before you're supposed to be somewhere and get there on time.

For what it's worth, I made a lot of good friends in the dorms, and I'm living with 2 of them now. It was definitely a hotbed of activity and was a hell of a lot of fun, even though my neighbor was a raging b**ch.

 

[GregoryMD]

Freshman in college. Living in a dorm with a roommate.

 

[jvesco22]

Nothing beats having a woman that makes you breakfast, packs your lunch, cleans the house, washes your clothes, and satisfies you 9-10x a week!!

I said godamnnnnnnnnn what a rush, Woooooooooooooo!

 

[makeshift123]

how common is it for med students (first-years particularly) to have a roommate who is NOT a med student? i feel like since i will be seeing my classmates all the time and they are who is gonna be around me for the next four years, that i would like to branch out and meet some non-meds through the roommate, his friends, etc?

 

[silverhorse84]

how common is it for med students (first-years particularly) to have a roommate who is NOT a med student? i feel like since i will be seeing my classmates all the time and they are who is gonna be around me for the next four years, that i would like to branch out and meet some non-meds through the roommate, his friends, etc?

There are quite a few at my school that have non-medical roommates - most of them are married to them
But those that have non-romance non-medical roommates are people who are going to a school in an area they've lived in before and have friends in the area. It can just be hard to find a non-medical roommate unless you go to a school with an ugrad or other professional schools, so most of us end up rooming with someone from school.

 

[mmmcdowe]

how common is it for med students (first-years particularly) to have a roommate who is NOT a med student? i feel like since i will be seeing my classmates all the time and they are who is gonna be around me for the next four years, that i would like to branch out and meet some non-meds through the roommate, his friends, etc?

Due to location of my campus, most non-medical student roomates are in other health related fields like nursing, dentistry, and public health (or are residents).

 

[45408]

College - lived at home at first with parents, then moved out with two roommates
Med school - in an apt with my wife
Residency - planning to buy a house

 

[dw2158]

college: dorm first year, then apt with multiple roommates
post-college: apt with 2 roommates
med school: hopefully not a dorm. but we'll see.

 

[ziggyd0c]

college: dorms, then house with many roommates
right now i'm post college pre med school and i live in an apartment with my boyfriend

 

[searun]

I live in an apartment in a high rise with three other med students. We each have our own bedroom and share a kitchen and bathroom. The high rise is owned by the university - the rent is subsidized and well below market rate in the expensive city where I live. I have lived with these guys for two years and it has worked out well. Everyone is super busy and it is quiet for the most part.

 

[Algophiliac]

Those of you who live with roommates in college or medical school, how did you find them?

I have friends who want to room with me, but quite frankly, I can't stand being around close friends for that long!

Not to mention that finances are always a hassle, especially since not everyone plans to stay in the college area over the winter and summer, as well as having to deal with friends who may choose to do a semester abroad. I'm just not sure if subleasing is a very reliable idea, since many students try to sublease their apartments all year long here.

But every time I try to find a nice studio apartment for myself for next year, I get this odd nagging feeling that I probably can't handle living on my own yet. Hmm. Weird.

And quite frankly, I'm surprised so many medical students choose to have roommates. Is it always a cost factor at play, or something else as well?

 

[niblet]

I'm a freshman living in a dorm double. I didn't know my roommate beforehand.

I don't regret it and my roommate's an agreeable guy, but I've learned I'd rather live by myself and I'll be trying to make that happen next year.

 

[Algophiliac]

I'm a freshman living in a dorm double. I didn't know my roommate beforehand.

I don't regret it and my roommate's an agreeable guy, but I've learned I'd rather live by myself and will be trying to make that happen next year.

Living by yourself in a dorm or in an apartment? I'm basically in exactly your position. The only reason I can stand my double dorm living arrangement is because I'm almost never home, lol. And part of that is because I avoid the place like hell in case my roommate is there with friends or something when I need to study.

I would absolutely love to get a single dorm room, but those are rare and twice as expensive as getting some old, cheap studio apartment. Hmmmmm.

 

[niblet]

Living by yourself in a dorm or in an apartment?

I'm not sure. I haven't really looked into it yet.

 

[Algophiliac]

I'm not sure. I haven't really looked into it yet.

Well, let me know. I can't make up my mind on whether I should go solo in a studio apartment or just go with random roommates...it really all depends on my mood. Some days coming back to an empty room is like heaven...other days I'd feel too alone.

And I'm still wondering if there are any advantages to having roommates in medical school aside from the lower cost.