My room is bigger than your room.
Actually, let me rephrase that.
My BEDroom is bigger than your DORM room.
And it's all thanks to off-campus living, which is a very rewarding experience if you have the financial means to do it.
Granted, I am still in the honeymoon period, as I just moved into my College Park apartment two weeks ago, but already I am finding out what I had always heard but never quite believed - that an apartment beats the pants off of a dorm.
First of all, there's the obvious price difference. I pay $320 per month, plus utilities, for my 4 bedroom furnished apartment, which works out to roughly $3,100 dollars for a 9-month school year.
By contrast, the cost to live in the ancient structure known as LaFollette and have a room about the size of my kitchen is $6,898 for a school year, according to the Ball State University Housing Web site.
Live in nicer complexes like Noyer or Studebaker West and the cost rises to as high as $7,332.
There are, of course, caveats to paying a little more than half the dorm's cost, if you factor in utilities and other expenses, to live in an apartment.
One slight turn-off, at least in my case, is the lease, which runs from August to August. If you do not plan to stay in Muncie in the summer (which I don't), you must find a sub-leaser to live there for you once the school year is over.
Another thing you might just have to learn how to do is cook. Then again, you can always take the easy way out of that like me and buy frozen pizzas, hot dogs and canned food to fill your stomach.
However, the benefits are enormous. It's already clear that the space, the privacy of your own room and the added value of independence are pluses to apartment life.
Also, there's nothing to stop you from holding a party if you are so inclined, whereas such a thing might be, let's just say, frowned upon in a dorm.
You can park your car directly next to where you live - a big plus for residents who weren't lucky enough to score premium spots at Studebaker, Noyer or LaFollette.
If you're like me, though, and don't have a car, you can still get just about anywhere in the area using the MITS bus, which, as you have heard or will hear about a billion times before you leave this place, stops about every 15 minutes on each route on weekdays.
There's nothing quite like those midday emergency runs to Wal-Mart because you forgot something you desperately need or want.
This is not to say, though, that freshmen should not live in the dorms, because the crammed-in space, while uncomfortable on occasion, is probably the easiest way you will ever find to meet people you might not have otherwise.
It's also not to say that the dorm life isn't for anyone, since there are those that enjoy the dorms and all the quirks that come with them.
But if you're about ready to save some money, get a lot more space and be more independent, apartments are the place for you.
If you want to live in a house, well, you're on your own, pal.
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