College Students and Coed Dorms

Coed dormitories: are they a good idea? Many college students look forward to this living situation, but there are some real problems to consider.

Thinking about moving into a coed dorm? Here's an article that discusses the pros and cons of mixed-sex residence halls:

Coed Dorm Life: Advantages and Disadvantages

Many incoming freshmen assume that mixed-sex dormitories are the best kind of on-campus housing. I know that I did. At age 18, the concept of a same-sex dorm sounded antiquated and ridiculously conservative to me. In retrospect, though, I wonder if a same-sex dorm would have been a much better option for me freshman year.

I spent my first year of college in an all-freshman coed dorm. The experience wasn't terrible, but it wasn't great either. Most of the guys on the floor were very nice, but a few were immature and behaved inappropriately around the female residents. They acted and spoke as if they lived in a big locker room and said sexually inappropriate things to the young women on the floor. In a few cases, I would define this behavior as sexual harassment, as it made me and other girls on the floor very uncomfortable and created a hostile and degrading living environment. At age 18, I didn't understand what sexual harassment was and that that my feelings of discomfort were not my fault or a case of "oversensitivity."

After my freshman year, I moved into the 'funky" dorm and had a much better experience. This dorm was as coed as could be. Bathrooms were officially same-sex, but this rule was generally ignored. Male and female students would frequently crash in each other's rooms and walk around the hallways in various states of undress. The general maturity level in this dorm was relatively high, and sexual harassment was not a problem like it was in the freshman dorm. I felt very comfortable in this coed environment. Nonetheless, I'm sure that some people felt uncomfortable with things like coed bathrooms and that some students chose not to live in this dorm because of this casual attitude.

Coed dorms are fun. However, don't assume that a same-sex dorm isn't a good alternative. Students need a place to live where they feel comfortable and safe, and a coed dorm might not be the best place to provide that.