Sometimes when you live far away from your school, desperate times call for desperate measures. Other times, you just need to feel that surge of independence and make your own home away from home. If you think this describes you, then doing is great! What better place to experience that then at Farmingdale State College.

I commute to school by car but I made many friends in the dorms here. So I spent quite a lot of time there. Out of all the buildings we have for dorming, I’ve spent most of my time in Orchard. This building is the largest dormitory we have on campus, the second being Dewey.

Since there are only four floors to this building, I got to see all of the floor’s Resident Assistants, or RAs. They do nightly runs to check on the students and their rooms. Their job is primarily to keep the students safe.

The dorm rooms are really spacious and comfortable. I have been in other dormitories before and I have to say the ones at FSC are the best. One of my friends living at FSC describes it as her home away from home. She’s met way more friends here than she has in her own town. Just visiting the dorms has helped me make more friends. So I could only imagine that you would have the same social success if you dormed. I imagine that living here at FSC feels like having one really big family living in the same room. Not like an institution where I’m forced to live with them.

There is also an event for all the students to attend in the dorms. Whether you’re a commuter or on-campus student; anyone is welcome. Another great thing about dorming is that you can worry less about parking, which is always a plus. Also, if you ever get tired of campus food every day, you can head down to Maine Street, or take a 5-minute walk to the Target across from our school. Orchard Hall has a kitchen where you can cook your own food. There is a lot of on-campus jobs, too, so you don’t have to go far for a job. Everyone here is generally really friendly so choosing a roommate is no issue.

I thought a lot more students would feel homesick about leaving home, but it turns out this was the freedom they were looking for. Many of them see it as a small beginning step to leaving the nest and feel a little more independent. What better way to take that step than to put some distance between your family without going too far. I think it’s a great way to show that you are able to take care of yourself. Honestly, dorming at any school is an experience different from the college itself. It’s a great one, particularly at Farmingdale.