Living Alone in College: Solitude, Sanity, and the Space to Grow

By Richa Jindal

Photograph by Zoe Fu

For many students, college life is defined by roommates: bunk beds, communal bathrooms, whispered conversations in the dark. But a growing number of students are choosing something different, or finding themselves in it by circumstance, i.e., living alone. In a culture that glorifies constant connection, the solo dorm or apartment can feel both like a luxury and a curse.

At first glance, the perks are obvious. No passive-aggressive sticky notes on the fridge. No clashing sleep schedules. No fighting over thermostat settings. Living alone means the freedom to sprawl across the room, play your own music and walk around in whatever questionable outfit feels right at 2 a.m. For students who are introverted, neurodivergent or simply craving control over their environment, it can feel like wellness by design.

However, the silence comes with its own weight. When you close the door behind you after a long day of classes, no one’s there to ask how it went. Small frustrations like a bad grade, a tough conversation or a missed bus have nowhere to land. Loneliness can creep in quickly, especially on campuses where “normal” still means living in a hive of roommates, teammates and friends piled onto futons.

That duality — freedom and isolation — makes living alone a uniquely collegiate experience. It forces you to reckon with yourself. Students who live alone often describe becoming more self-reliant: cooking for one, learning to fix the Wi-Fi, scheduling their own rhythms without someone else’s noise. These small acts of independence quietly build the resilience that adulthood requires.

Yet it also highlights the importance of intentional community. Living alone doesn’t mean being alone, but it does require a different effort to seek out connection. The student who walks home to an empty apartment might be the same one who organizes weekly study sessions, joins a dance club or learns the art of texting “come over?” at just the right time. Solitude and community stop being opposites and start becoming complementary.

There’s also something radical about a young adult learning to enjoy their own company. In a world that equates busyness with worth, choosing to sit in your room with a book, make yourself dinner or simply be is a quiet rebellion. Living alone teaches students that solitude isn’t something to fear; it’s a space for creativity, self-reflection, growth and even a different kind of fun.

Of course, not every student who lives alone does so by choice — for some, it’s financial necessity, study abroad housing or the fallout of a bad roommate match. But even then, the experience can be transformative. It gives college students an early glimpse of what post-grad life might look like: the mix of independence and responsibility, the need to create joy and meaning outside the structures of roommates and dorms.

Maybe that’s the paradox of living alone in college. It can feel isolating in moments, but it also sharpens you. It asks you to step outside for connection, to turn inward for strength and to discover that being alone is not the same as being lonely. In a chapter of life defined by noise, roommates and constant social pressure, solitude can be the most underrated teacher of all.