Whenever I tell someone that I live in a quad, they freak out. They can't seem to grasp the idea of living with three other people in a tiny dorm room sharing the same space. While I admit that it seemed scary at first, living in a quad my freshman year is one of the greatest things that has ever happened to me.
There are things that people who experienced living in a quad know to be true:
1. If you lock yourself out of your room, there's a good chance that someone will let you in.
Only on rare occasions will you need to climb through the window because odds are at least one person will be in the room.
2. You will likely find someone else's clothes in your hamper.
You will find someone else's socks with your stuff more often than you'd like, but you learn to shrug it off.
3. There will be hair everywhere.
Gross? Kind of. But you clean it up and move on with your day.
4. You learn to contain your mess to your own corner.
You may have clutter and a disaster, but at least it's only piled on your desk.
5. You wake up to your roommate's alarms.
Just because you don't have a 7:45 AM class doesn't mean you won't wake up in time for one.
6. If you are talking to a boy, they must past the other three's approval.
They must get the official seal of approval.
7. You've seen your quad mates at their worst and at their best, physically and emotionally.
There is no shame in how you look or act one day at this point.
8. You get way too comfortable changing in the open.
Sometimes you even forget to close the door (oops).
9. You learn to step over each other's things.
Your room becomes an obstacle course but it doesn't phase you.
10. Squeezing into the closet is such a struggle.
There is never enough space for four girls' clothes.
11. Face timing one person means face timing the entire room.
You may not have actually met the other person, but you know all about them and you talk to them as if you were close to them too.
12. You learn to sleep through most things
Fire alarms don't wake us up at this point.
13. All or none.
If there's a meeting, all or none of us go. We roll as a group.
14. You get ready much more efficiently.
Four girls getting ready in the morning sounds like chaos, but you learn to do so very quickly.
15. Turning on or off the lights is a democratic decision.
You must get the approval from the other three.
16. Getting water for yourself means getting water for everyone.
If you are going to refill your bottle, that means you are refilling everyone's.
17. Getting food for your entire quad.
You take enough food from the cafeteria for all four of you.
18. You learn to tolerate different personalities.
You learn to become much more open and accepting of different kinds of people.
19. You encourage each other to make not so great decisions.
Roomie 1: "Should I go to class today?"
Roomie 2: "Take a nap instead."
20. You approve each other's outfits and makeup.
You don't leave the room without a thumbs up from the roomies.
21. If someone is watching TV, everyone joins in.
If one is watching The Voice, the rest of the quad sits and watches with them.
22. Late night jam sessions.
Sometimes you just got to jam out to Taylor Swift at 1 AM.
23. You help each other out with classes and scheduling.
You have three advisors now to help you with your school life.
24. When you get mail, it's mail for everyone.
If your mother sends you candy or cookies from home, it is implied that it is for the entire room.
25. You become friends with everyone else's friends.
You may not hang out in the same friend group, but you are still close to them either way.
26. There's no such thing as TMI anymore.
You get a little too close for comfort sometimes.
27. You're roommates become your sisters.
There are ups and there are downs, but you love them no matter what and you wouldn't have it any other way!
