Can you imagine something better than a movie night in your dorm room?
You’ll invite your best friends over; you’ll order pizza and you’ll watch the latest blockbusters. It’s a great way to spend a weekend.
But here’s the thing: torrenting in a college dorm room is not the best idea.
I know; I know. You know an awesome torrent site that still works. You plan to download the movie for free, since you don’t want to spend any money on it. Netflix is expensive, and it doesn’t feature all the movies that you want to see. Plus, torrenting gives you access to games, too. Netflix doesn’t.
We won’t discuss the moral issues of torrenting. You’re just a student who wants to save money, and copyright is the last thing on your mind right now. But let’s keep things safe. We’ll discuss why your college dorm room is not the best place for you to download torrents.
Why Students Shouldn’t Torrent on Campus
- Your College Imposes Internet Restrictions
- Torrent Sites Consume Tons of Bandwidth
- If You Get Caught, You’ll Be in Trouble
- No One Will Listen to Your Excuses
1. Your College Imposes Internet Restrictions
As a student, you have to respect the policies of your school. Most colleges forbid access to torrenting sites. You might trick them by using proxies or VPNs. However, you won’t be able to do that if the network has built-in measures that prevent them.
If you can use a VPN, you might be safe.
Why do campuses impose such restrictions? Well; they are only being realistic. They know that students are searching for free ways to access the content they need. They know all about your use of essay services by Writix and dissertations for your needs. They just haven’t found a way to block all those websites that help with writing a thesis. However, they have found a way to prevent students from downloading torrents.
Torrenting is not a legal activity. It’s not related to learning in any way. By blocking these activities, colleges are not jeopardizing a student’s education or wellbeing. That’s why they do it, and you don’t have a say.
2. Torrent Sites Consume Tons of Bandwidth
Can you imagine every student in every dorm room torrenting?
If this was allowed on campuses, you could expect everyone to use the opportunity to get free stuff off the web.
This would slow down everyone’s connection. Someone who needs to use Google Drive and various online resources would be facing nerve-wracking interruptions.
If you use a VPN, you may be able to start torrenting. However, you will be slowing down the network. If your university has a system that shows who’s going overboard with their Internet traffic, you’ll become suspicious. No one will be able to say for sure that you’re dealing with torrents. However, they might start an investigation. In the best-case scenario, you’ll end up with a warning message about the traffic volume.
3. If You Get Caught, You’ll Be in Trouble
Copyright infringement is a serious issue. If you’re not careful and you get caught torrenting, you’ll face disciplinary measures, which won’t be pleasant.
Take a look at Stanford’s famous rule of “three strikes.” After your first incident, your device will be disconnected from the network. To restore it, you’ll have to pass a quiz that proves your understanding of law-abiding practices and your intention not to repeat them. If you repeat the incident, the university will block your device for four calendar days. You’ll have to pass another quiz. There’s no forgiveness after the third incident. You’ll be prevented from accessing the network for at least one academic quarter.
Let’s be real: no one would gladly go through such a procedure. You have other things to worry about. What if you’re working on a Masters dissertation and you’re left with no Internet? Think about that.
4. No One Will Listen to Your Excuses
The university gives you access to a Wi-Fi network because everyone knows that you need the Internet for studying. You’ll use it to complete projects, write a doctoral dissertation, run great apps for education, and take online courses as much as your time permits.
If the administration catches you doing something that’s forbidden, they won’t listen to your excuses. No one cares that you’re trying to save money. No one cares that you just wanted to spend a pleasant movie night. Unfortunately, you’ll have to face the restrictions, no matter how strict they seem.
Is There a Solution?
You understand: you should avoid torrenting in your dorm room.
But is there a solution to access free or cheap content?
You can try sharing a Netflix account with some of your friends. You’ll pay only a portion of the monthly fee, so you won’t feel the expense. You can do the same thing with an Apple Music and a Spotify account.
But if you’re determined to stick to torrents, don’t use the university’s network for such practices. Go to a friend’s apartment, download the content and enjoy it together. Your dorm room is not a safe space for torrents.