Call Ricky Martin, I’m livin’ la vida sola

William Manolarakis

  “You could live in Corr, Austin or St. Rita’s next year. All of the rooms are singles.”

Living in one of the 237 forced triples last year, such a concept seemed foreign to me. 

A room all to myself? No roommates? Hilarious! Next thing you know, someone would be walking up to me saying that the Mets were running away with the NL East and Donald Trump was a serious contender for the 2016 presidential election. 

In all seriousness though, this year I decided to try my hand at the single life in Corr Hall, located next to the Bookstore. If early returns are any indication, living in a single is really all it’s cracked up to be, with a few caveats, of course.

As alluded to above, living in a single dorm room means just that–you are the only one in charge of the room. A tremendous amount of control and freedom is provided to one in such a position, as you can essentially do whatever you want with the approximately 10-feet-by-eight-feet of space you are provided (within reason, of course). 

You’re a Yankee fan that used to live with a diehard Red Sox fan? Feel free to display your Bronx pride over every inch of your room. Couldn’t stand your roommate’s reclining plush chair that consumed the bulk of free floor space? Poof! It has magically disappeared. Always wanted to hang up multi-colored lights that your roommate disapproved of? Here’s your free pass. 

Additionally, you no longer need to consider your roommate’s schedule in your everyday activities. Whether you return to the room at 2 p.m. or 2 a.m., you can always feel free to turn on the lights without worrying about waking up your roommate. Nor will his or her 8 a.m. alarm wake you up even though your first class starts at 11:30—enjoy your well-deserved sleep. You can invite friends over whenever you would like, while if you would prefer to be alone, you can enjoy the privacy afforded to you by living in a single. 

However, as a wise man once said, with great power comes great responsibility. 

As the resident of a single, you become your own personal manager. Since it is your room, you are in charge of all the maintenance duties, meaning that the tasks of disposing garbage, vacuuming and even refilling the Brita filter all fall on your shoulders. They may not seem like much, but it is imperative that you keep up-to-date in completing them, as the alternative of overflowing trash, a dirty floor, and unnecessary dehydration is not appealing in the slightest. 

Furthermore, living in a single makes it all the more difficult to balance the academic and social components of college life. Theoretically, you could stay in your room with your door closed for the entire day doing homework, watching Netflix and playing FIFA. However, that’s probably not the best approach to the “college experience,” as by doing so, you are secluding yourself from your fellow dorm-mates and other members of the ’Nova Nation, effectively eliminating the possibility of meeting new people and fostering friendships in the process. Thus, branching out and being actively involved in the Villanova community becomes key. 

From the abundance of clubs offered on campus to events such as Day of Service and the Night Under the Stars recently hosted by the Villanova Astronomical Society, if you venture outside your comfort zone, which can understandably be tough to do, I can assure you that you will find at least one activity you will enjoy. If you don’t, feel free to shoot me an email. Maybe we can work something out.

Another critical point to consider with regard to life in a single at Villanova, specifically Corr Hall and Austin Hall, is the location of the dorms. Corr essentially is right at the heart of Main Campus, a mere minute walk to the Oreo, the Connelly Center and Falvey Memorial Library. Austin offers the same convenience in terms of location, as while it is slightly further away from the library, Dougherty Hall is simply footsteps away. The close proximity of the dorms to such campus destinations is extremely convenient, and it has even almost made up for arguably the largest downside to living in a single-room dorm on Main Campus.

In Corr, Austin and St. Rita’s, there is no air conditioning. With summer taking its final stand and temperatures in the mid-80s for the past several weeks, the dorms have transformed into lovely saunas for the time being. In light of this, a fan—or three—has become a necessity. 

If you have air-conditioning, please take a moment to appreciate what you have, for as I have learned the hard way this semester, you don’t know what you got ‘til it’s gone. For anyone living in one of the three AC-less single dorms, stay strong, fall is coming. 

To summarize, with a single you are provided with a plethora of opportunities that are not necessarily available to those living with a roommate. However, you alone are responsible for the condition of your room, and it is likely in your best interest to head out and test the waters of what Villanova has to offer.

Over these past several weeks, I have truly come to enjoy the single life, a lot more than I ever could have imagined. Just please don’t tell my girlfriend that.