Is it a bad idea to live alone first year of med school?

[GagaOOlala]

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hey guys,
did a search and didn't see a thread into this specific topic. first off I want to preface this by saying that money is not really a concern for me - i'm not trying to brag but it's important to know when considering what my happiest living situation would be. so with that said i'm curious if anyone thinks it's a bad idea socially to live alone first year of med school? i'm not antisocial but I really like having my own space and ive been living alone for 2 years since I graduated from undergrad and i LOVE the freedom of it compared to when I had a bunch of roommates. my fear I guess is that i'll feel socially isolated - especially in the beginning, or that i'll miss out on having some upperclassman "mentor" or whatever. just looking for some opinions into the topic thanks!

 

[NickNaylor]

As long you're willing to try and engage people early on, you'll be fine. I had a similar experience and didn't live with any classmates but didn't have trouble meeting people in my class and hanging out. I had definitely moved on from the roommate phase of living so I understand what you're getting at. Just make sure you put yourself out there early on; if you wait too late people will start to form their cliques and it can be somewhat difficult to find a group after that happens.

 

[as1212559]

So long as you aren't socially inept you will make plenty of friends even if you live alone. If you make good enough friends to live with you can live with them later in med school too if you wanted.

It would be a bigger mistake to try and find a random roommate in your class and end up hating that person. Home needs to be your space, whatever that means to you.

 

[NickNaylor]

So long as you aren't socially inept you will make plenty of friends even if you live alone. If you make good enough friends to live with you can live with them later in med school too if you wanted.

It would be a bigger mistake to try and find a random roommate in your class and end up hating that person. Home needs to be your space, whatever that means to you.

Yeah, I agree - especially if you're already used to having your own space.

 

[shewhobabbles]

Some people need their own space and there is nothing wrong with that. I personally find living with others stressful, and prefer to study by myself. I actually got a medical single in undergrad mainly due to the lack of private individual study spaces on my campus, it was definitely the right choice for me. And on a social note, it's really nice to be able to invite friends over without having to worry about bothering anyone else, so you can certainly make it work to your advantage 🙂

 

[DocVapor]

I think living alone would be the best thing you could ever do regardless of your situation. You have control over everything that way. You can study when you want, listen to what you want, catch cheetos crumbs in your chest hair while watching the oxygen channel, etc without a second thought. If you want to make friends, invite some over when you want, or go hang out with them when you want. Cook what/when you want; go out likewise. You will have to do all the housework, but you'll generally end up doing it all anyway even with a roommate. But you won't have to deal with other people's messes. You will never want to live with someone other than your significant other/kids/pets ever again if you can help it. Even then once you have your SO you will still need YOUR space. So live it up now, you won't regret it, and you won't look back.

tl;dr version: Live alone.

 

[chemsmith]

I've been thinking about this too. I like having my own space to retreat to and not worrying about offending anyone with my domestic eccentricities. On the other hand I really want to 'connect' with like minded people early on and I don't want to miss out on making new friends.

 

[William Hart]

I have the opposite viewpoint. I don't like living alone and am not really looking forward to it. My favorite living arrangement was when I lived with 7 people in a 4 bdrm house (well technically 3 my roommate and I lived on an insulated porch...) I hate cooking for just myself and its pretty fun to always have people around to "do stuff" with.

Ideally I'd live in a 3 bdrm with 2 other roommates.

That said, I had a terrible random roommate my first year of college so I don't want to go the rando route and will probably be alone first year. Also I am not into the whole mass-apartment scene so I will probably end up in a small fourplex or loft somewhere a little ways away from other students.

Ah well, new experiences.

I am also hesitant to get rando roommates because I am non-trad (only by a few years) and am not sure if I could handle a 22 year old who only knows school.


For what its worth the best predictor of who your friends will be is proximity. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=112330125

 

[chemsmith]

I have the opposite viewpoint. I don't like living alone and am not really looking forward to it. My favorite living arrangement was when I lived with 7 people in a 4 bdrm house (well technically 3 my roommate and I lived on an insulated porch...) I hate cooking for just myself and its pretty fun to always have people around to "do stuff" with.

Ideally I'd live in a 3 bdrm with 2 other roommates.

That said, I had a terrible random roommate my first year of college so I don't want to go the rando route and will probably be alone first year. Also I am not into the whole mass-apartment scene so I will probably end up in a small fourplex or loft somewhere a little ways away from other students.

Ah well, new experiences.

I am also hesitant to get rando roommates because I am non-trad (only by a few years) and am not sure if I could handle a 22 year old who only knows school.


For what its worth the best predictor of who your friends will be is proximity. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=112330125

I guarantee you that my freshman year roommate was worse. He was the most resentful person I have ever met. So I too, have rando-roommate PTSD

 

[def1]

I too have been wondering this as well.

I actually live in the same city as the medical school I've been accepted to, so I'm debating if I should even bother moving out.

I kind of want that independence but it would be great to save a lot of money.

However I've been thinking of getting an apartment with a roommate or at least within an area close to other 1st years so I could easily socialize with people.

I'm not as worried about it since I have friends already in this city, but it would be nice to join a good group of 1st years.

 

[typicalindian]

I would love to live alone first year. Friends are fine for hanging out with, but I need peace and quiet when I am home. Just make sure you spend enough time socializing with your classmates so you don't become an outsider and you'll be fine.

 

[TheShaker]

I know this is somewhat of a personal decision but at what point does living alone become financially impossible? Two of the schools I'm considering have ~2000/month rates and that just seems impossible. Is the school even willing to allow you borrow that much money and, if so, is the subsequent debt worth the freedom of living alone?

Sorry if any part of this post seems uninformed, I don't have a very good understanding of financial management. 😳

 

[1289]

I know this is somewhat of a personal decision but at what point does living alone become financially impossible? Two of the schools I'm considering have ~2000/month rates and that just seems impossible. Is the school even willing to allow you borrow that much money and, if so, is the subsequent debt worth the freedom of living alone?

Sorry if any part of this post seems uninformed, I don't have a very good understanding of financial management. 😳

Wow idk what schools those are but the two schools I'm personally considering are in areas that have one beds or efficiencies for around $700-800 a month. And idk about where the op is getting financial support from but for me personally i have parental support and a lot of money saved up that I plan to use to help pay rent. Its important for me to live alone too

 

[NickNaylor]

I know this is somewhat of a personal decision but at what point does living alone become financially impossible? Two of the schools I'm considering have ~2000/month rates and that just seems impossible. Is the school even willing to allow you borrow that much money and, if so, is the subsequent debt worth the freedom of living alone?

Sorry if any part of this post seems uninformed, I don't have a very good understanding of financial management. 😳

I'm speaking generally here, but in my experience most schools give you a generous enough budget that you can probably do it. In some cases you will be able to do it more easily than others. Keep in mind that, with only a few exceptions, the money included in your budget (and, thus, disbursed to you) doesn't have to be used for its stated purpose. At my institution, we effectively have ~$2,500/mo to use for living expenses, and this is in a city with relatively high COL. It's no NYC, but it's definitely on the higher side of the scale.

 

[GagaOOlala]

Thanks for the responses guys! And TheShaker I'm not going to be borrowing any extra money to pay for this. I Dont really want to disclose any info about it any more than to say moneys not a concern. And 1289 I believe you and I are considering the same schools at this point! 😉

 

[EmergencyMonkey]

If you can swing living alone I wouldn't think twice about it. One less thing to worry about. There is always drama at some point when you live with someone. You have enough to worry about at school so I recommend minimizing the drama as much as possible.

 

[Member 331305]

I'm speaking generally here, but in my experience most schools give you a generous enough budget that you can probably do it. In some cases you will be able to do it more easily than others. Keep in mind that, with only a few exceptions, the money included in your budget (and, thus, disbursed to you) doesn't have to be used for its stated purpose. At my institution, we effectively have ~$2,500/mo to use for living expenses, and this is in a city with relatively high COL. It's no NYC, but it's definitely on the higher side of the scale.

At your school, is the $2,500 living expenses budget meant to cover rent, bills, food, and transportation expenses? Or is it just for rent and bills?

 

[IniestaDeMiVida]

I prefer living alone. I like to have it be quiet when I want and jam loud music when I want. I think of it as an investment in my education because I know I'll study much better when I don't have to worry about other people!