[soraya.n]

Hi :)
I'm writing a story which actually happens in a European country... but the problem is that I'm Asian and I don't know their system... I'm 16 years old so I've never been in a college dormitory before even in my country... could you please tell me how people settle down there?I mean when you enter the college dormitory,are you actually supposed to rent a room like when people stay in a hotel? how do people get a room there?! I know that my question is a little ridiculous but I don't really know how to write it in my story... please help.. thanks :)

[Wondergirl]

For the U.S. --

In my heyday, we applied to a college, were accepted, and then were assigned to a dorm. Each class had dorms; there were separate dorms for the men and women of each class.

I lived my freshman year in Lindemann Hall (Room 107). My parents were sent a bill that included tuition as well as room (the dorm) and board (the cafeteria food). My dorm was three stories high and included most of the freshman girls except for local ones who commuted from home. Each floor had a long hallway lined with bedrooms that held two people each and a big bathroom in the middle of each floor. The bathroom had a huge multi-partitioned shower, and a number of sinks and toilets.

My son attended college during the late 1990s. The dorms had alternating floors of women and men. The dorm rooms were more like apartments with a bathroom between two dorm rooms. The college sent me a bill every month to pay for tuition, room, and board for my son. Juniors and seniors could live in apartments off campus and not pay "room" charges to the college (just tuition and board/food).

Some colleges have no dorms, so students must find and rent nearby apartments. I believe dorm living is now an option; many students prefer to live off-campus in apartments.

[soraya.n]

Thank you very much indeed... it was exactly what I wanted :)