Many college students welcome the opportunity to meet new people, and living with other people is one of the ways to accomplish a healthy social life. A co-ed dorm will have a variety of people living on the same floor. This provides more opportunities to meet new friends and become socially involved with them. These connections could prove to be lifelong friends.
Dorms with opposite sex living arrangements are not entirely private. Many of these dorms have community bathrooms. While male and female students will not be showering next to each other, there is a chance that they may meet each other in the hallway on the way to the facilities. If you are a modest student, you may not be comfortable with the idea of walking down a hallway in a towel or seeing your peers less than fully clothed. You may not also enjoy seeing other people walk around in underwear, bathrobes and boxer shorts.
Many co-ed dorms offer the chance for more variety in housing options. For example, some college housing only features a limited number of same-sex residence halls. If the dorms were available to both male and female students, then assignment could be based on other factors, like major, interests or campus activities. Also, if there is an odd number of students, the residence hall can pair up the students with anyone on the list, instead of going by same-sex housing units.
When men and women live close together, the temptation is often present to try and get to know each other on a more intimate level. You may even meet a potential boyfriend or girlfriend but it is important to proceed with caution. Co-ed dorm dating can be either a pro or a con; it all depends on how the relationship works out. Some may meet their life partners. However, if the relationship does not work out, you still have to live in close proximity to each other.