As my sophomore year winds down, I find myself feeling quite nostalgic. Another semester has ended. Some professors are retiring. Beloved seniors are graduating.
I am officially an upperclassman, and in this past week, I moved out of the dorms for good. Next year I will be living in an off-campus apartment, and while there is a short list of things I will miss about living in the dorms, such as the being so close to all of my friends and not having to worry about parking in the morning, I find that there is an even longer list of things that I will not miss about on-campus living.
1. Laundry facilities that always smell weird.
No matter how many fabric softener sheets I put in the dryer, my clothes always came out smelling funny and slightly burnt even on the coolest setting.
2. The people who lived above me.
The lack of carpet in dorm rooms means that if someone fails to bring a rug you can hear every move they make when living above you. Especially if they are bouncing a basketball.
3. “Mandatory” floor events.
To some degree, I feel bad for the RAs because they actually have really awesome ideas. I would have loved to plant succulents if it hadn't been scheduled for such an inconvenient time, as per usual.
4. Having zero privacy.
I lived in a shoe box connected by a tiny bathroom to another shoe box. I had to go to the hallway to answer phone calls. It was terrible.
5. Disgusting stairwells and elevators.
Is there anything worse than the gut-wrenching smell of beer that hangs in the air on Sunday morning?
6. Literally climbing into bed.
When I was little, I desperately wanted a bunk bed. I honestly don't know what I was thinking. There were nights where sleeping on the floor seemed like a better idea than climbing the ladder.
7. Checking non-residents in after 9 p.m.
We just wanted to eat pizza and watch Netflix.
8. Inadequate water pressure.
How is someone with long hair expected to live in with these conditions?
9. Listening to the neighbor’s music.
The walls may be made of cement and brick, but I could still hear her country music and I wasn't a fan.
10. Never living in one place for very long.
Moving every 4 to 9 months is ridiculously inconvenient. Packing up to leave for a month at Christmas was a pain. But moving out of the dorms for the summer after freshman year, knowing you would move back in 3 months, was even worse.
11. Wearing flip flops in the shower.
12. Fire drills and late night false alarms.
It got to the point where every time the alarm went off, I considered just staying in the building.
I mean, seriously. Who forgets to put water in Easy Mac? Come on, people.
