Living alone hardly ever gets lonely. If anything, it’s the best decision I made while in college.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ll admit I have some antisocial tendencies, but I did enjoy staying in a dormitory freshman year. Allen Hall, known for housing some of the most eclectic students on campus, was my first taste of campus.

I met a few friends there that I’ll always associate some memorable nights with, but my personal goal of attending college was to prepare myself for what my most likely situation will be following graduation: working two part-time jobs living in a run-down apartment while pursuing my career.

During my freshman year, when I started thinking about where I was going to live next, I had only been on campus a couple months and didn’t know anyone well enough that was looking for a roommate. It seemed as though everyone was pairing off into roommate bliss either in a dormitory or in a high-rise apartment.

I couldn’t bear the thought of sharing a bathroom with 50 other girls for another year, which led me to play around with the idea of living alone. My two main concerns were ensuring my safety and cutting myself off from friends.

Lucky for me, I’ve never encountered any dangerous situations, and I constantly walk home late from work. My mother still has me check in with her just about every night to make sure I’m home safe, though.

As for my social life, I still stay in contact with everyone I’m close to. Honestly, if I lived with a good friend of mine, I’d probably end up holding myself up in my bedroom a lot more. When I get home from classes or work, the best part of living alone is being able to unwind. I can blast music and belt out the lyrics and take up all of the counter space to prepare dinner without worrying about disturbing a roommate.

I enjoy having my own place because I know my personality. I can’t function without some solitude without growing more and more introspective around other people. I wouldn’t recommend living alone to those who crave social interaction ­­— you have to be able to handle a lot of responsibility and sometimes that requires some time off from hanging out with all of your friends.

Now that I’m in my second year of living alone, I know I’ll be able to handle moving to a new place in a big city with little problem.

_Sam is a junior in Media._