Keep on moving

I know you were hoping for another article about the Corvette, but we have a more urgent issue to discuss. Have you started looking for a place to live for next year? No? Well, while you're wasting time with your quest to solve the Biggie and Tupac murders, your tenacious classmates are already snatching up all of the hot spots near campus. \nIf you haven't even thought about what type of housing you would like to live in (i.e. dorm, Greek house, apartment, your professor's hotel room), allow me to assist you. In my opinion, you should live in all of the above. Each location provides you with unique experiences, good and bad, and shapes you into a more well-rounded individual.\nThe University's decision to make it mandatory for freshmen to live in the dorms was its best move since recruiting A.J. Moye. Dorm life eases you into the college experience while providing you with a surplus of resources to support your education. And meeting people is as easy as running up the score on IU's football team. \nBut you'll be ecstatic to pack up and move on to the next location once your roommate becomes more annoying than Carrot Top. In addition, the constant sound of Dave Matthews in your ear and taste of Ramen Noodles in your mouth eventually drives you mad. However, the tight quarters is what challenges students the most. \n"My dorm room was more cramped and uncomfortable than being stuck in an airline bathroom with a sweaty Rosie O'Donnell," said senior Justin Laub.\nHopefully, you get the opportunity to become a member of the greek system. Who wouldn't want to live in a house with 100 of their closest friends? The parties are a blast for the 30 minutes they aren't shut down. Having pledges at your beck and call gives you a nice sneak preview of parenthood. Having someone to cook for you gives you more time to decipher the charges on your cell phone statement, as well as more time to devote to your online gambling addiction. However, you'll want to move on once you realize your life expectancy has been reduced by 40 years, compliments of the extreme filth and various diseases circulating the premises. \nIn your later college years, it is in your best interest to live in a house or apartment. This finally gives you the privacy of your own room, which allows guys to watch "Designing Women" without ridicule. However, not being spoon fed anymore is upsetting, as well as constantly having to write checks for utilities and rent. Dealing with an insane landlord who seems to always be lurking in the bushes is also trying on one's patience. \nBut, as sure as I am that Dane Fife has become a full blown "townie," I am sure that living in a variety of places at IU will make you a more complete individual. It allows you to meet different breeds of people and teaches you to deal with various scenarios. It's the best way to gradually prepare you for life after college (which will be no picnic).