Apartment

My first year in school I stayed in a dorm with another roommate and while we got along well, I simply found it hard to do much when I was there. It was alright I guess to just pay a flat rate and not have to worry about factoring electricity or utilities in but you sacrifice personal space in a very large way. I almost always went to the library to study since I felt like I wasn't going to be as productive when I was in my dorm room. That being said, I do prefer being alone at times so having my own room was a bit better for what I wanted in a place to live. It has been a bit more difficult to study because to get to the campus library I would have to drive and take a short walk, but I'm slowly working on developing the discipline to focus on what tasks I need to accomplish without getting distracted

If you can find an apartment with a roommate that allows for separate rooms (this is what I'm living in currently), then that may be your best option. The more roommates that you're splitting a place with, the cheaper your monthly costs are likely to be. Also, you may be able to meet others and go to things that you wouldn't have gotten to go to if you didn't have those connections. My specific trade off is that one of my roommates that has a lot of connections also smokes a lot (because of him I've gotten to despise the smell of cigs and weed) and doesn't seem to understand the idea that our living room isn't his second domain. But overall, I'm relatively happy with where I am.

TLDR options 2 or 3

2nd or 3rd option for sure. Sharing a dorm with someone is fucking shit. Yeah I get what you're saying about it might make you not be able to maintain the relationships that you want if you are on your own in your own apartment but you can actually think of it as a reason to go for the relationships that you want. Invite friends over to chill or it could even encourage you to go outside and socialise more as you don't want to be sat on your own inside.
Human interaction is of course a good thing but when it gets to the stage when you are trying to study and the guy you are sharing with is a complete idiot and disturbs you constantly from your work then its just the absolute worst.

Option 2.

1 will drive you insane if you like your space and 3 will leave you isolated which is probably enough of a problem anyway as a TF2 nerd.

I agree with option two. Not having to commute changed my life during my semester in a dorm.

I lived in a dorm years 1 & 2, then I was an RA (with my own room) year 3, and offcampus apartment with 3 roommates year 4.

I have to say for earlier years (especially freshman year) you do NOT want to overly isolate yourself by living in your own apartment. These are the years to get to know people, make friend groups, do those dorky events on campus just to get out of your room and talking to others.

I was lucky in that both of my roommates year 1 went home for 4-5 days a week EVERY week, so I had a ton of alone time even while having a roommate. If you can find that, it's ideal.

Option 2 is probably the best, but it's also usually expensive so that's really up to you to determine if you can afford that choice.

these shouldn't be the reason for making an important life choice imo.
Also why did you stop smoking weed?
Edit: can't you try the first two and see if you like it without having to commit to them?

I'd recommend option 2. You're in close proximity to get to know people more naturally, while you can always just go in your room and close the door if you need some space to yourself. I chose a single person dorm room in first year of university and loved it.

This isn't the sort of thing that just happens, people won't just instantly try to hang out and go over to your place. Most people wouldn't even find out about it, and most people aren't going to ask you to hang out at your place unless you're extremely outgoing with that or have been doing it regularly with them already.

It can be great for running a game of d&d or something, and generally is nice when you do know that you'll be inviting people over a lot, but you need to be the one on top of that.

So, I've had the experience both of staying in a dorm by myself (just for one term) and attending a commuter college (that is, one with no provided housing). This will probably vary some, but in my experience, things like student housing and meal programs are usually a fair bit more expensive than living on your own and buying your own food. Schools get away with ripping you off because dorms and dining halls are more convenient when you don't know how to do shit on your own. I would do the research on your school and the surrounding area before you make assumptions about what will be cheaper.

There's also another option you haven't mentioned--rooming with other students off campus. A lot of upperclassmen tend to rent big houses together, splitting costs. You could still have your own room and a bit more flexibility in choosing your roommates. It doesn't necessarily have to be far, either. I live like a ten-minute walk away from the main campus. If you're worried about getting distracted by other people, get used to going to the library. That's the most distraction-free place regardless of your living situation. Study groups are a good idea, but you should typically form them with people you meet in your classes, not people you live with. If you get involved with campus activities, you don't have to live there to develop a social life, and you can always go over to other people's dorm rooms. Also, I might be underestimating the naivete of freshman/sophomore girls, but I think you'll have a hard time getting laid no matter what if you actively try to go for "mysteriousness," especially as an 18-year-old kid. This reads as contrived and creepy almost all the time. Just try to be a human. dw, you'll learn.

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Oh yeah, you mentioned cooking. Most schools won't let you keep so much as a hot plate or even a candle in dorms. Microwave's the best you'll get. Even if you get a solo dorm room, you'd have to use a common cooking area in the basement or something, if the school provides one at all.

I would seriously consider option 2 for at least your first year. A dorm is a great way to build up a social circle in college, which is very important as it's super easy to find yourself pretty isolated if you're living on your own.

I just noticed this part after Differ posted - girls will NOT be more attracted to you because you have your own place. I only dated one dude through all of college, but I can say with 100% certainty it did not matter to me where he lived, and it did not inhibit us from banging. It was going to happen if it was going to happen.

Also, friends/people in general will usually go for convenience of location rather than the most cushy option - if a bunch of people live near X and you can drink there, you'll go to X. My friends and I when we lived in dorms would just sit in hallways and chat, or near a 24/7 cafe, or just someone's dorm that happened to have two cool people living in it. I think that saying is true where it doesn't matter where you are, just who you're with.

ah, it is finally US that is teaching panky istead of the oter way aroun :DD

holy shit that was a mess of a post

Do a house/apartment share with people your age, good way to make friends.
Normally you can find individual rooms for rent in those kinds of situations.

Dorms are a scam and I feel bad for anyone who wastes money on that kind of housing.

Single person dorms? In my uni (and perhaps lots of others in Russia) they put at least 3 people in a room. Sounds bad, but on the other hand it's dirt cheap compared to renting an apartment or even a room.

if you get a dorm your gonna enjoy your roommates for about a year or two, after that you're gonna be craving a lot more space and privacy. i suggest solo dorm for max funtimes, apt if you can afford it and you hate dorm rules. plus something to keep wether ur in schol or not. my dorm had 4 ppl to a room and boi was it rowdy