Dorm life is obviously not the most glamorous, but as a freshman in college we all have to do it. Although there are many perks to living on campus (everything you need is right in front of you!), here are some lovely things to look forward to during your dormitory stay that might not be things you remember in a positive light.
1. Costs.
What is there to say? Paying for a place to live is expensive. With the costs of room and board, meal plans and excessive charges for a place you'll most likely only be sleeping in, the conditions sometimes get a little exhausting. Better be prepared to grab up the work study opportunities when they come.
2. Cafeteria food.
Typically the dining hall has something for everyone, but sometimes eating on campus can get a little monotonous... And expensive. Make sure to stock up on groceries or toward the end of the semester; you might as well be participating in a hunger strike.
3. Roommates.
Although they're not all bad, the dreaded roommate horror stories will come and scare you out of ever wanting to live with a stranger. There will be party roommates. And early rising roommates. And smelly roommates. And sexual roommates. You will see all the sides of a stranger that you might not have ever seen before, or even in the people you think you know the best.
4. Lack of Space.
You will wonder how in your life you have ever accumulated so much stuff, and even more so wonder how you fit all your stuff in one tiny room. You'll associate your dorm room as more of a closet you live in as supposed to an actual bedroom.
5. No sleep. Ever.
With living on campus, there are two types of people--those who love to stay busy all hours of the night and those who need to go to bed before they fly off the handle and kill someone. You will find out which one you are, with either never getting enough sleep from a Thirsty Thursday or laying in bed listening to noisy neighbors until 3 a.m. Both suck.
6. Shared Bathrooms.
Whether you have been blessed with suite mates or have to suffer with hall bathrooms, you will miss the feeling of being able to take a shower whenever you want. You will learn the definition of personal space from seeing dirty cleaning spaces and having to take your showers at crazy hours in order to fit in the schedules of your equally stressed out hall-mates.
7. Oh, and SHOWER SHOES.
Enough said. No one likes wearing flip flops in the shower. Especially not when it's early and you'll most likely forget to change your shoes before you go to your first class of the morning.
8. Homesickness.
Living on campus can kind of suck when you know you'd much rather be staying with someone else or maybe even just living alone. Embrace what campus life has to offer you, but know this living situation is only temporary...And most likely you'll be able to have guests virtually whenever you want.
9. Parking.
Parking is a pain for everyone, especially freshmen who may have to park off-campus. They do this on purpose. Even though you'll be saving gas, your legs will be crying so honestly what is more important? Use this time to bring out your inner self that always tells you to work out more but then never actually does. The miles will rack up.
10. Rules.
No one likes being told what to do. Many times it's for our safety, but not being able to decorate with certain things or maybe having quiet hours can sometimes be really inconvenient. We're adults, but we're adults with some pretty set in stone rules that might not work with our lifestyles and choices.
11. Laundry.
Having to pay each time you do laundry will make you never want to do it. Although it is so necessary sometimes, you're always going to want to put it off for another week. Or become enraged when someone steals your clothes out of the dryer or maybe throws your clothes out in order to start their load. It's the little things, people.
12. Learning to accept all of these downfalls.
The hardest part of going from living at home to living on your own is figuring out what works for you. There are going to be things that bother everyone, but we have to know how to work ourselves around them. Hang in there, and hope for better living situations later on or even start planning your dream home now.
Overall, there are always pros and cons of living in new situations, and some of these traits will follow you even into your future circumstances. Find the good things about living on campus and try not to focus on how much you might want to write an entire book on all the absolutely horrendous moments you had while struggling through freshman year. This list is just some of the things that can be annoying, but a pro list to this can easily be created to. Remember to always keep a clean perspective.
