I went to a school where virtually everyone lived in dorms all four years (Denison) and I think it is generally a pro, but make no mistake...there is still drama and jockeying to find roommates, what hall do we want to go for, etc.

Haverford, Vassar, St. John’s college

Notre Dame is well known for its residence life. Generally it's a pro - sort of the benefits of Greek life without the drama of pledging and hazing and whatever.

I believe Middlebury is like this.

I can't believe spending 4 years in the dorms is a deal breaker for some people, but whatever.

I went to a NY State university (>15,000 students) and spent 4 years in the dorms (the last 2 in suite style) and was fine with it. Very few lived off campus.

Princeton. My dd loved it.

Amherst does this.

Pro: Campus community - everyone lives on campus and can be involved in activities/easy access to friends, classrooms, etc., housing registration is pretty easy, furniture provided by the college

Cons: As a senior, it might feel a bit stifling to be subject to dorm rules but at least you're still with all of your friends; a lot of rooms at Amherst are doubles (more singles at Williams), so if you like having your own room, it could be kinda tough to not have any other options. No full kitchens, no private bathrooms (as far as I know)

My niece is at Amherst but my own daughter is at Oberlin, which is mostly residential (juniors & seniors can live in on-campus apartments, some seniors can live off-campus), and it seems like there are a few more options that are agreeable.

Pro: the off campus apartment in many college towns are disgusting, even more disgusting than dorms.

My college was like this.

Pro: Extremely easy. Everything is all designed for you and you just show up. No need to cook, cleaning is partially outsourced as well. Depending on the location, can be cheaper. Parties and such are on site.

Con: Often more expensive, but you pay up front. You leave college not knowing basic survival skills like how to set up a water bill or deal with an ISP (or, in many cases, cook -- I went to grad school with a kid who couldn't boil an egg and I'm not exaggerating). Dorms can be noisy with little recourse to get people to be quiet. You have no real choice over who is next to you.

Kenyon. But apart from the first roommate assignment, subsequent roommate assignments are engineered by the students.

My SLAC. But we still had to scramble for the right number of roommates or suite mates, so the drama existed too. You were just guaranteed a room on campus.

Focus on something else to worry about.

This was the case at my SLAC, and I loved it. A small percentage of students got apartments senior year, and I had no interest. I knew I'd be heading out into the world soon enough and would have plenty of time to deal with a landlord and do my own grocery shopping and cooking!

That said, while roommates were assigned freshman year, I still had two years of navigating the social terrain of choosing a roommate. (Senior year I had a single.) I'm sure that was easier than the logistics of going off campus.

I think it is a pro, because like your son, there are all kinds of kids who want a variety of experiences. I noticed in the search that many Catholic colleges and the smaller liberal arts colleges tend to have 4-year options. Also, some kids choose to be Resident Advisors in the upper years and so get to stay in the dorms as a job (though that may not be a great fit for your son).

Keep in mind that a hs junior has a big jump forward between now and the spring of freshman college year. Where he is now won't be where he is in two years.

Does anyone have experience with schools like this and feedback on whether it was a pro or con. I have a high school junior who has social skill issues and I feel like the jockeying my older kids have done with getting a group together to live off campus and then finding a place for 2 or 3 years might be more than he can navigate.