COLLEGE life is never easy. From the constant studying to the stress of having to deal with the morning commute, a student’s worries almost always seem to be never-ending. 

It’s no wonder why so many students rush to find dormitory rooms during the start of the school year, no matter how expensive doing so may be, so that they would at least have one less thing to worry about when they start attending classes. 

But for many students–especially those who plan on leaving home for the first time–dorm room life is terrifying, uncharted territory. There are so many questions to be asked: “How do you find a dorm?” “what should your monthly allowance be?” “What do you need to do first?”

To help them get rid of those nerves, we talked to a few students who’ve been staying at dorms for almost the entire school year to get some tips on how they did it. 

Get your money ready

Dorm rooms in Manila and Quezon City can get expensive, so be sure to start looking in advance for the nicest place with the most affordable price. Based on our interviews, the lowest one had to spend on their dorms (with utilities included) was P5,600 pesos monthly. The highest, on the other hand, was around P23,500 per month. 

Here are the monthly estimates for the students we interviewed:

• Leanne Moleño, 21, 3rd Year CIIT Student: P5,600
• Aleeza Paras, 21, 3rd Year UST Student: P6,500
• KC Turtem, 20, 3rd Year UST Student: P16,500
• Gwen Patam, 21, 1st Year FEU Student: P23,750

Patam said that it had been a struggle for her to find a dorm room right away since many schools were shifting back to face-to-face settings. 

It took me almost three weeks to look for a dorm. Thankfully, I was able to find one through Facebook and I was able to immediately secure the contract for the place,”

Gwen Patam

Take note that these numbers don’t yet cover the cost of other expenses, such as groceries and eating out. The budget for these can range from P3,000 to P6,000 per week. 

Prepare to spend for food 

Patam estimates that she spends another P3,500 weekly for groceries and other dining expenses. 

I usually spend a lot on food, since it’s hard to find cheap options around Manila that aren’t fast food,”

Gwen Patam

While her grocery items include a lot of canned meat and instant foods to help her save time and effort, she opts for healthier options like fresh vegetables when eating out. 

Moleño, on the other hand, said she saves money by eating at karinderyas instead of fancy restaurants. Her daily allowance is P400. 

Location is key

The number one reason why students rush to find dorms is because of how close these are to the students’ respective schools.

After all, this can be a very big advantage for them. 

All of the students we interviewed said it takes them less than 10 minutes to get to their unis from their dorms. 

“I love how everything is so accessible,” said Paras. “Groceries, malls, and stores are nearby compared to where I live in the province, where almost everything is a long commute away.”

She also noted that her travel time from the province to school is about two to three hours. She can’t imagine traveling for that length of time every day just to attend her classes.

Turtem shares the same sentiments. She is happy that she doesn’t have to spend such long hours commuting every day, she said.

I don’t have to worry about traveling from UST to Pampanga every day, and I get to spend more time with my friends in Manila whenever I want to,”

KC Turtem

Those who have the means to afford to stay in a dorm and don’t want to deal with the stress of commuting every day should start scouting for the perfect place as early as they can.

However, it’s also important to remember that dorm life isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. 

Learn to adjust to other people

One of the biggest hardships in living in a dorm is that if the students are not staying in a place alone, they would have to get used to being in such a small space with such a large number of people. 

Paras, for example, shares her space with three other people. 

You should know how to get along with your roommates because we all have different lifestyles,”

Aleeza Paras

They won’t always get along with each other, so some adjustments are necessary, she said.

“It sometimes gets triggering if they have done something that you are not used to doing, or it is something out of your comfort zone. But just try to communicate well and you’ll get along,” she said. 

Spend wisely 

Another thing that students need to prepare for before moving into a dorm is budgeting their finances well.

“I’ve been stressed and cried multiple times due to budgeting,” Moleño shared.

My mom, as an accountant, is very strict with the liquidation of my money spent. She is very keen on receipts and she always has to keep the change. I don’t keep the change for myself.”

Leanne Moleño

While she handles a bigger amount of money for her daily allowance compared to others, she has to keep track of every cent she spends, she said. 

“It has been a habit of mine to keep receipts and I am aware of how much I spend every day, if I am spending over the budget, or if I have extra savings,” she said.

She stressed that budgeting is an extremely important part of living in a dorm, and students must learn to do this ASAP so that they won’t have to rely on others to handle their finances for them.  

“You would be used to keeping receipts, tracking your allowance and separating your budget for food and savings,” she said. 

This would also help them prepare for the future, she said.

It would help you to be aware of how much it would cost when you move out from your parents, so that you could have the idea of what should be your minimum wage for your job in the future,”  

Leanne Moleño

Being more responsible

Patam, on the other hand, said that being alone most of the time has helped her learn how to be more responsible. 

“After spending time at home during the pandemic, I realized that the trash doesn’t just take out itself. More than that, you suffer from the consequences if you choose to do—or even not to do—something,” she said.

She would recommend that students try living in a dorm, if they are prepared financially and mentally for the responsibilities it would entail. 

“You will be picking up after yourself all the time, so it will be really difficult when your finals week are coming up and you’re trying to cram but the plates keep piling up, too. So, I guess, you just have to guard yourself whether you are prepared to be independent—to an extent,” she said. 

A chance for independence 

Dorm life could be an introduction to adulting, said Paras.

Dorm life is actually a good start to experiencing adult things. Most especially if you’re in your 3rd or 4th year of college, graduation awaits and it means you’ll get to live more independently after. So you’ll already have an idea of what life really is like,”

Aleeza Paras

Moleño said it would be best to treat living in a dorm as a trial period before stepping into adulthood. 

It could help students practice self-discipline, she said. 

“Learning how to do things for yourself would be hard. Since you have more freedom, it would be easy for you to have less worries when it comes to going out with friends and having fun,” she said. 

However, if you are aware and responsible enough, it could help you practice your discipline to balance school, socializing and personal responsibilities,”

Leanne Moleño

Take everything into consideration

Like everything else, moving to a dorm definitely has both pros and cons, which students should all take into account before making such a big, expensive decision. 

With things like budgeting, travel time, and their own mental health to be considered, students should ask themselves: is this the right choice for them?