As students walk to their on-campus dorms, they often miss the smell of home and long to see their families. However, some students get the best of both worlds — living out the dorm experience while keeping an apartment only a few minutes away.

These students often find themselves returning home for quick, daily activities like cooking, picking up forgotten items and the inevitable, occasional party, says Alex Shoup Herrera, a first-year who dorms in Rubin Residence hall but has an apartment nearby.

“I usually go back to my apartment to pick up stuff that I forgot to bring or just to hang out there,” she explained.

These students have the luxury of extra storage space, and the comforts of home, virtually whenever they want.

“My favorite thing is that I can leave stuff there,” said first-year Zayira Ray, who dorms in University Residence Hall. “I left all my winter clothes there, and I can go back for home-cooked meals from my mom — that’s my favorite part.”

Conveniently, Ray is able to store her and friends’ things in her apartment until they’re needed. She is also able to have get-togethers when her parents are out. There is also the convenience of being able to stay at her apartment if it gets too late to walk back to her dorm.

Obviously, there are many benefits of having a home so close to campus. However, both Ray and Herrera chose to live in the dorms to be able to have different experiences than they would if they commuted from home.

Herrera decided to live in the dorms instead of in his apartment because he wanted to build that sense of community and live the college dorm lifestyle.

“One of the main reasons why I chose the dorm is because I knew that most of my friends would be from the dorm,” Herrera said.

Similarly, Ray was looking for a lifestyle change and therefore chose UHall for its close proximity to campus.

“I really wanted a change of environment, that’s why I chose University Hall, I love dorming,” Ray said.

The best part of the dorm and apartment life is being able to easily transition from one to the other. Herrera also uses his apartment as a getaway for privacy if needed.

“I mean it’s just like having a bunch of options for where you want to be, no one else has access to that, it feels nice I guess,” Herrera said.

Ray’s apartment has views of the New York City skyline that she visits more frequently than she thought she would.

“I am definitely at my dorm more, but I’ve gone to my apartment more often than I thought I would,” Ray said.

Dorm life has been a change for both students as they began their first year here at NYU. They enjoy the distance from home but are thankful for being able to go back when needed.

“There’s some distance, but I’m also close to home, so there’s a good balance,” Ray said.

Email Melanie Eszter at [email protected].