Having been through dorm life in a decade past, I have to agree, it really is a consumptive experience. Being around a bunch of other 19-and-20-year-olds all da

Having been through dorm life in a decade past, I have to agree, it really is a consumptive experience. Being around a bunch of other 19-and-20-year-olds all day is only insightful in the sense that you get to see how poorly everyone, including yourself, actually tends to function at this age, and without good role models to know what you could do differently. I find an increasingly strong case to be made for going the community-college-then-transfer route since it brings together a bunch of points that affect most students in some fashion: * Cost(obviously) * Transitioning to independent life(less pressure to be a study machine rushing through the degree) * Indecisiveness about career and motivations(easier, less stressful classes) Going to a "tough" or "prestigious" school allows you to tell a certain story about yourself, but it usually doesn't lead to well-roundedness, which sets the stage for that common story of a high-achieving student who gets on the perfect parent-approved career track and then abandons it - whether in the middle of the degree, shortly after the first job, or after a few years of work - due to burnout.