A boatload of students come to college excited to be on their own for the first time and expect to bask in independence. Then they quickly realize they have a roommate. As much as colleges and universities are supposed to be spots where students socialize and create memories together, privacy is equally important. Therefore, GW should offer more single rooms to foster the independent environment that so many students yearn for in college. 

By and large, many students hope that universities will prepare them for adulthood. After all, right after university, we are meant to go into the workforce and into a life we will likely lead by ourselves. Not to mention that it is commonly known that many GW students are hyper-independent and extremely career-focused, hoping that universities will prepare them to work at Capitol Hill or the White House, which brings many to Washington D.C. in the first place. But at GW, such dreams of independence seem quite unlikely. 

I have lived with my parents since primary school, and I moved out at 15 years old to attend boarding school, though I went back home and lived with my parents on the weekends. I was looking forward to having my own personal space at GW since I had three roommates at boarding school. Part of the college experience is learning to grow up and have frequent self-reflection and having a personal space can indeed help tremendously with those goals.

The options of single rooms are rather limited for upperclassmen like myself. Residential halls that offer single rooms are International House, with single dorms making up of 6 percent of rooms, JBKO Hall with 3 percent of rooms being singles, Mitchell Hall with 83 percent — but a catch of communal bathrooms — 1959 E St with 5 percent, the Dakota with 9 percent and all of South Hall has single rooms. There are about 11,000 undergraduate students at GW, and single room options are particularly important since many want to be more independent and productive. Students can focus on their schoolwork without facing any interruptions or distractions from their roommates in a single room.

With the scant amount of resources available, offering single rooms seems to be much more urgent. 

Universities are supposed to teach students a range of subjects and skills. While socialization and collaboration are crucial life skills, the limited number of single rooms end up forcing a good chunk of students to fall behind in independent life skills. For instance, if you intend to save money and prefer cooking on your own and your roommate is a splendid cook, you might heavily depend on them to cook for you. Hence, you might lose a great opportunity to learn to cook on your own.

The tuition fees for private universities in America are scandalously exorbitant compared to universities in countries like the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Germany, where some public universities are free or mostly free. The majority of, if not all, universities in the United Kingdom and Germany are funded by the central government, some of which offer single rooms as standard for their students.   

In sharp contrast, students pay around $80,000 to attend GW, yet we have significantly less opportunities to have our own spaces. We spend so much money to attend this university to have such limited options to develop our desired life skills before we are thrown out into the world. With such costly fees, GW should indeed offer more single rooms for students to help them better integrate into college life.

In no way am I saying that GW should never offer shared dorms or suites. Living in a three-, four-, five- or six-person room can sometimes be quite enjoyable and beneficial if you and your roommates share similar interests and get along well with each other. I have had roommates before, and I unquestionably spent some fun moments with them.

But as a senior who is about to graduate soon, I hope that I am able to make our school a better place for the next generation. And as far as I am concerned, it is indisputable that offering single rooms should be readily available for students who want it. 

Bryant Li, a senior majoring in international affairs and political science, is an opinions writer.