In a dormitory, you will most likely have a roommate. It's one thing to have one in an apartment or house setting, where there is an abundance of space for breathing room, but in a dorm, you two will be in the same room all the time. Even if both of you are polite, the fact remains that you will rarely have time alone for studying, sleeping or watching TV. Plus, a lot of school dormitories have community bathrooms that the entire floor shares.
The cost of living in a dorm is often not included in many scholarships, even if they are of the "full ride" variety. Trouble is, living in a school dormitory isn't cheap. A typical four-year school such as the University of Florida, for example, will charge about $5,300 as of the time of publication to live in the dorms. It's not highway robbery, but you still would ideally like to have a more comfortable living situation given the cost.
Granted, there may be no shortage of choices for dining out on a school campus, but your options for making your own meals are severely limited; you may even be required to be on a campus dining plan. At best, you may be allowed a hotplate or something of the sort, but many residence life guidelines don't even allow those for safety reasons. Plus, there's the issue of refrigerator and pantry space. In essence, to eat well, you either have to go out or go home.
Whenever a lot of young people away from home for the first time are packed tight into a small dormitory, there is bound to be rambunctious behavior. True, there are individual exceptions; not everyone wishes to emulate "Animal House." However, you can count on rarely having any true peace and quiet. Plus, many dormitories were built only to adequately house students; extra creature comforts found in condos and apartments --- such as thicker walls and more space between residents --- just aren't there.