[aephi alum]

My chapter didn't have a house while I was an undergrad, so I never had to make that choice. I lived in the dorms all 4 years of undergrad, then moved into married-student housing with my then-fiancé for my graduate year.

The dorms weren't actually all that different from apartment living. We had to vacuum our own rooms and dump our trash, although physical plant staff cleaned our bathrooms, kitchens, lounges, and hallways. The on-campus dining options were vomitrocious, so if you wanted halfway decent food, you had to cook for yourself - and that meant not just cooking but also doing dishes. (Fortunately, I'm a good cook, and my dorm had full kitchen facilities in every suite.)

Plus, I could keep a bottle of brandy or gin in my room and have the occasional drink, which I could not have done if I'd lived in a chapter house (no boozahol allowed in AEPhi houses even if you're of legal drinking age). And I could crash at the fiancé's place or have him crash at my place repercussion-free.

Given the choice, I don't think I would have chosen to live in-house.