I'm currently at Oregon State University majoring in Chemistry with a focus on Material Sciences. I'm living in a dorm this year, and I honestly don't like it. It's not so much the noise of the dorms, but more my roommate. The first term, I had a roommate that I at least had a little bit in common with. He moved out after a month, and I had my dorm for the rest of the term. This term, however, I got a new roommate who's from Kuwait and still learning english. So if you are able to get a roommate that you're friendly with, dorm life wouldn't be too bad.
As for paying, my dad had mutual funds set up which should pay for two years at most. For the rest, I'll need to apply for loans and scholarships, which I haven't yet.