The Spirit of Capitalism in the dorms

According to Max Weber, the Spirit of Capitalism consists of two elements: making money for the sake of making money and economic activity as involving a work ethic. Making money for the sake of making money means pursuing profit as an end to itself. The work ethic means that work becomes a calling, people are drawn through destiny. The spirit of capitalism also conveys a frenzied activity that people engage in when they are anxious about their predestination. I will argue that the students living in the dormitory serve a perfect example of the spirit of capitalism.
First, students in the dorms demonstrate that they make money for the sake of making money. The dormitory is less comfortable than apartments because they have much less space. Students in the dorms deny their physical comfort of living in the apartments so that they can be in a more educated environment. The dorm is an environment that fosters education because it has study lounges for people to study in groups and tutors to help students with their homework. By being in an educated environment, students are encouraged to work hard. Thus, students sacrifice their physical comfort for diligence in school. They work hard in order to make money. They do not spend money or live lavishly, but rather, they are frugal. They pursue a university degree so that they will have a good high-paying career.
Second, students in the dorms have a moral system that leads to their work ethic. The students’ calling is their work ethic. For example, most students value education and believe that they should study. Students are responsible and focused on working hard in order to make money.
Just like the Calvinists who did not know their predestination, students in the dorms did not know whether they are allowed to stay in the dorms or not. The Calvinists were predestined to be damned or saved but did not know if they were elected (which is saved to go to heaven) or damned (which means they go to hell). As a result, they wanted to look for positive signs that they were saved to alleviate their anxiety. This frenzied activity represents the spirit of capitalism. God is invisible and unverifiable, and as a consequence, people police each other. People observe others to figure out whether others are saved or damned. Likewise, in the dorms, students do not know if their Residential Assistants (RAs) are watching them. If they are caught in trouble, they might be kicked out of the dorms (which is a metaphor for being damned) and if they are seen doing good, they will allowed to stay in the dorms (which is like being saved). Thus, students are so afraid of being kicked out that they always maintain their best behavior. They also observe others to see if others are behaving.
Thus, students live in the dorms so that they can work hard, get a degree, and make money. Students have a calling to live in the dorms – they feel that it is their moral obligation to live in the dorms, because it is an environment that fosters education. Students engage in a frenzy when they want to know if they are allowed to stay in the dorms. All these show parallels between the dorms and Weber’s spirit of capitalism.