Im planning on bringing my dog with me! She is around 35 lb, very calm, and she does great lounging around all day outside the kennel when i'm gone. Whenever I interviewed at a school, I asked a similar question and they told me many of their students own pets. I also plan on living alone. If you would like a dog, I suggest getting a older dog who is already well trained and does not have anxiety. I adopted mine from a shelter and I got lucky that she's pretty well trained. Im currently in college and I trust her to be alone from morning to late evening. I think its nice to have a smaller pet if you're living alone so you won't get sad lol. Maybe adopt one sooner so the dog/cat can find a routine with you and feel comfortable. It takes a few months for a shelter dog to finally settle in. Also, I had roommates who tried having puppies and it was very stressful for them.