WHY do colleges require that you live on campus?!!?! RIDICULOUS!

College Life
21

<p>FindTheDerivativ,</p>

<p>There are many colleges that do not require you to live on campus. Obviously, I do not know where you have been applying, but I do know if this is such a conern and you are an intelligent, hardworking student, there are many options at most schools. I would also think that references from your doctors concerning these health issues would speak for themselves regarding your health issues. Have you spoken with your doctors about your concerns? </p>

<p>Many schools encourage on-campus living for freshmen, especially, just because it is harder to make friends with your peers and get involved in collegiate activities if you don’t. However, I had several friends (most of them a little older) who graduated with me and who lived in their own apartments and commuted. They did have a harder time getting involved in the campus activities, though, and had to make more of an effort to fit in and find their own niche than did the campus-dwellers.</p>

<p>Once again, seek the advice of your own personal physicians and ask them to work with the schools you are seeking admittance to. Perhaps it won’t be as difficult as you think.</p>

22

<p>Um, if you really have the health conditions you say you do, all you have to do is get a doctors note and talk with the school civily. It’s also possible for you to have a single, in a room with tile, with its own bathroom. And most campuses don’t allow dogs/animals/anything that can’t be kept in a bowl. If your top choice allows smoking in some dorms, it’s easy to request a wellness hallway where everyone has made the decision not to smoke.</p>

<p>I think, because you have medical excuses, you are fine by requesting special housing. The way you posted about it here, however, is what is causing the negative reaction. You act angry and indignant as if you’ve already had your request denied, when most colleges would do anything for people with special health conditions.</p>

<p>And…erm, of course people here are ‘ignorant’ of your medical condition. We aren’t doctors. Even if we were, it’s not like you posted a full medical history. You sort of invited ‘ignorant’ people to give their opinions when you posted online. You wanted our opinions, and we have very limited knowledge about you, that doesn’t make anyone a fool. </p>

<p>So… erm, chillax. Doctors note + Reasonable chat with dean/Residential Life = special conditions so you can attend college with whatever conditions you have.</p>

23

<p>Accordingly, have you never heard of obsessive compulsive disorder (I have not been officially diagnosed, but I’m sure that I do have it, as well as numerous other people)? Should psychological conditions that cause severe anxiety as the direct result of living on campus be ignored? Should those individuals be made fun of?</p>

<p>“How about a person with a fear of heights living in a glass room 5,000 feet in the air? Maybe a person with a fear of snakes should live with a roommate that keeps pet snakes in their room.”</p>

<p>Actually yes and yes, or at least something along those lines. The most effective treatments for phobias are exposure and response prevention. Avoidance of the feared object is considered counter productive.</p>

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<p>That’s great! So colleges are not offering forced psychological treatment for their students, when these phobias cause no harm to anyone? WOW!! The days of simply providing an education and social networking are over my friends!!!</p>

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<p>The sarcasm is making you a little hard to follow; I’m just letting folks know that avoidance is not in the best interest of someone with a phobia, and while society does not generally force treatment when no one is being hurt, the fact that natural consequences are in place helps society stay a little healthier. Phobias tend to be short lived when the feared object can’t be avoided. Best wishes to you; I am sure you can find a way to remain isolated.</p>

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<ol>
<li><p>I know people with OCD, and if you do have it (I am not saying you dont) you should get it diagnosed. Modern medicine has done wonderful things.</p></li>
<li><p>If you do appeal to the universities, you need to calm down, use less sarcasm, and be tactful about how you handle things. I have worked in Residence Life for a few years, as an RA and as an Assistant Hall Director. I can promise that if you go into a meeting being sarcastic and threatening a lawsuit, you will get nothing except for a smirk and a chuckle. Universities do not have to accept you, its your privilege to attend their institution. You dont like it, you can find somewhere else.</p></li>
</ol>

27

<p>What about choosing a good school near your home and just continuing to live there and commute to schoo? Most schools do not require students to live in a dorm if they live within 30-35 miles of school. You probably would be happpiest that way . You don’t sound like the most flexible person and the stress of living in an environment unfamiliar to you would probably be too much stress for you.</p>

28

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<p>Good point. It’s called the World Wide Web because the whole world can read what is posted here.</p>

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<p>someones a little insecure</p>

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<p>Maybe you should participate in an on-line university.
You would never have to leave your own pristine home environment. No exposure to people with dogs, people wearing perfume, you won’t have to worry about all of the dirty people using the public bathrooms and showers , or fear getting an STD from them ( ? ) The best part would be that you wouldn’t have to waste court time with a lawsuit making colleges conform to your issues.</p>

<p>You sound like a very,very angry young man. That isn’t good for your health and well being either.
Do you have friends ?</p>

31

<p>I agree with the OP. If you do not want to live in the dorms, you should truly not have to. I think it is not the best thing to do. I do understnad your point 100%. I know that some colleges do make exceptions for medical, emotional reasons.</p>

<p>However, you have to know that by living off of campus, you are risking your college life.</p>

32

<p>Get over it. I’m sorry if that sounds rude, but you need to hear it.</p>

<p>If you’re THAT worried about germs from toilets and showers, maybe you should talk to a nurse - or a psychiatrist. You can’t get an STD from them. Do you seriously avoid all public restrooms? And you can use toilet seat covers - those are provided, you know. Your body doesn’t normally touch the shower stall. Just having common sense protects you against that stuff, and you’re going to have a tough time in life if you’re that worried all the time.</p>

<p>Get a single room in a wellness hall. Problem solved. Dogs aren’t allowed in dorms, and if you have a single, the chances of running into someone who’s been with a dog are about the same as if you lived at home. Do you get allergy shots or something? You can do basically the same thing to your single dorm room as you do at home. The immune system thing is a legit concern, but taking care of YOURSELF is a truly remarkable thing. Don’t worry so much about everyone else.</p>

<p>If the health issues are truly this huge of a concern for you, get a doctor’s note and talk to the school. They do want to keep you happy - it’s just that most people don’t have these concerns.</p>

33

<p>If you have half the medical conditions you’re complaining about, you really are immunocompromised, and you do have such terrible allergies and asthma that require repeated hospitalizations (you do carry an epipen with you at all times don’t you?), then </p>

<p>1) you should probably not go away to college. Living at home with your parents where your environment is more controlled is a good thing for your health. Having doctors around who know your history and co-morbidities is also to your benefit. (It’s going to be hard to give your past medical history if you go into anaphylaxis or are in respiratory distress).
2) You’ll be able to get an exemption due to health reasons for living on campus - but again, it’d best for you to live at home. </p>

<p>Now, as a current medical student (third year), I have a little bit more insight into disease than most others on this board, and let me say that you’re giving out a lot of misinformation. Your STD’s from toilets - exposure to bodily fluids is part of the risk, but unless you have open sores it’s HIGHLY unlikely. Further, there’s a big difference between colonization and disease. No one ever tests for herpes 1 or 2 in patients because close to 90% of those tests will come back positive…and yet only about 15% of the population ever gets the disease. Same thing with MRSA - there are a lot of people who, if cultured, will grow out MRSA, but don’t have any manifestations of infection - believe me, the VA hospital where I’ve been working the last 6 weeks is testing all the vets for MRSA when they’re admitted regardless of medical condition and about 30% are being put in contact isolation even though less than 2% are being treated for an MRSA infection. </p>

<p>As for the actual college living environment, there are studies out there that show that communal restrooms are actually cleaner than the ones in private suites b/c they’re cleaned everyday by janitorial staff. </p>

<p>Colleges require living on campus because it improves student experience. Most only require freshmen to live on campus. </p>

<p>In the end though, as I said previously, if you have such special medical conditions that these things really are issues for you, stay at home and go close by, your health is important.</p>

34

<p>FIND - you need to relax and take a very deep breath - and then do some research on the schools that you have/are applying to and their housing requirements - and exceptions.</p>

<p>Just about every school has housing plans for students with all types of special needs - even such as yours - and with the proper/correct documentation and communication of your special circumstances - can provide appropriate housing on campus that will meet your needs.</p>

<p>One word of advice tho - get that chip off of your shoulder and calm down. Part of the community aspect of college is living on campus and is perceived - by many colleges - as being one of the best ways to be able to do that - to become a part of the living and breathing community that the college is.</p>

<p>If you approach this correctly - and calmly - you may be surprised at what may be available for you ON campus - as living in isolation can certainly be un-nerving as well. Consider this - at least if you are on campus - and you become ill - there is someone there to at least keep an eye on you - while living alone - off campus - negates that safety aspect.</p>

<p>There are many college students who live in special singles - with their own bathrooms :slight_smile: that survive quite nicely.</p>

<p>So - take a look at what may be available that would allow you to be a normal college student even tho you may need special consideration for your living space - in order to do so - good luck</p>

35

<p>I agree with JeepMom. </p>

<p>Calm. Down. </p>

<p>Your asthma is significantly worse than mine is. I respect that. Now calm down, and find a reasonable solution. I’m sure if you just talk to the head of the housing office, they will find a solution that will not kill you. No one wants a dead student, or a student who must be rushed to the hospital. And honestly, I can’t see too many people wanting to live with you either. And the fact that you just might have OCD does not surprise me. </p>

<p>Good luck. Calm down. Please, please, please calm down.</p>

36

<p>I think the original poster needs to get a grip and a reality check. Although everyone has to adjust to dorm life during their first year, the OP has grossly overexagerated the health concequences of living in a dorm. I mean please, dorms aren’t some sort of third world disease infested Bedlam. </p>

<p>Also, presumibly if you don’t want to live in a dorm you want to live in some sort of rented accomidation (and juding from the posts, you’re likely wanting a private one-person apartment)… in addition the the fact that this will be much much more expensive than dorm living or living with a bunch of folks in a shared apartment, do you really think that apartments in a college town are any cleaner than the dorms? From experience, I can most certianly tell you that they won’t be! If anything, I’d say the dorms are much cleaner. </p>

<p>Obviously if you have an actual medical condition then the school will do what they can to make any necessary accomidations, but I can only agree with JeepMom in saying that you really really need to get that chip off your sholder. I would also certinaly agree that if at all possible you should live on campus (at least for your first year). It’s simply not possible to be fully integrated into the college experience unless you live on campus first year… most of my non-academic life in college revolved around the group of friends I formed during that first year in the dorm (even after many had moved elsewhere in later years).</p>

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<p>FindTheDerivativ,</p>

<p>Don’t worry! The university had made arrangements so you can have your own little palace.</p>

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<p>jsut to keep us CORRECTLY informed:</p>

<p>[Facing</a> the FAQs: Can I Get an STD from a Toilet Seat?](<a href=“http://www.oprah.com/health/yourbody/slide/slide_yourbody_embarrassing_112.jhtml]Facing”>http://www.oprah.com/health/yourbody/slide/slide_yourbody_embarrassing_112.jhtml)</p>

<p>Can I get an STD from a toilet seat or a hot tub?</p>

<p>One of the most enduring urban legends concerns getting a sexually transmitted disease from a toilet seat or a hot tub. But can that really happen? “Do not worry about the toilet seat,” Dr. Oz says. “No one catches STDs on toilet seats.”</p>

<p>So what could you get from a toilet seat? “You can theoretically catch some bacteria that can bother your skin,” Dr. Oz says, “but toilet seats are a relatively safe place because they’re inert, they’re just a plastic covering. Here’s what the reality is: We’re living with bacteria; we’re alive because of bacteria; we ought to get comfortable with the fact that we live in a dangerous world and what we really want to do is make sure that our immune systems are ready to do battle. As long as you’re able to protect yourself, then you’re okay sitting on any toilet seat you want.”</p>

<p>Catching something in a hot tub is “more possible…because often the hot tubs aren’t kept clean,” Dr. Oz says. “People have bodily secretions that they’re sweating or leaving in the hot tub and you’re hopping right into it. That’s a place that I don’t like to hang out too much.”</p>

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<p>and to the OP-</p>

<p>If you have NEVER had a cold, or flu or anything but indeed have a compromised immune system, that sounds just strange to me…what am I missing</p>

<p>How have you avoided even the most mundane of contagious diseases with your condition</p>

<p>Do you want to live in an apartment or at your parent’s home while in school? I can almost bet you that if you went in with your complaints and concerns, and potential threat of lawsuits, the schools would HAPPILY let you live off campus, to avoid a huge headache</p>

<p>And if you are living in ANYTHING that is “public” apartments, condo, where you can’t control everything around you…what then?</p>

<p>What if you are working and you office mate smokes, not in the officee, but outside…or they have a pet, I have 4 dogs, what would you do?</p>

<p>You admit you most likely have OCD…well, most people with OCD wnat to get rid of it, and most don’t expect others to cater, or shouldn’t expect others to cater to it</p>

<p>from what I have read and seen, catering to it doesn’t to the sufferer any good</p>

<p>and if you have a fear of heights, and your school has classes on the top floor of a tall building, do you expect them to move the class to cater to your phobia?</p>

<p>Phobias are not the same as other illnesses, sorry to say, nor should they be</p>

<p>Phobias- well, you ain’t born with them, many who have them change and get over them, and those who don’t , don’t expect the world to change for them</p>

40

<p>Derivativ - </p>

<p>As you enter college and desire to have these accommodations, you should be aware of how you come across. Your original post was so angry and riled up that you automatically drew out strong visceral reactions from people for whose opinions you asked. When they disagreed, you lashed out even harder.</p>

<p>If you approach a university like this, you’re going to be layering toilet seats with a lot of toilet paper for a long time. </p>

<ol>
<li><p>Whether right or wrong, understand that your demands are generally perceived as unreasonable - to the public and to a university. </p></li>
<li><p>Exposure to germs is well known to be the best way to build an immunity against them. If your body functions differently, do not blame others.</p></li>
<li><p>Understand that you probably do have a psychological disorder and work hard to help people understand this rather than expect them to support your disorder. Perhaps getting an official diagnosis is the first step to working with the university rather than ranting against their policies.</p></li>
</ol>