College dorms have their upsides and downsides. Sometimes, they are simply a necessary evil. At other times, they are a great place for socialization. No matter what your current view is on dorms, these five tips will help you to make it out of them alive.
1. Get to know your roommate ahead of time.
I cannot stress the importance of this tip enough. Get to know who your roommate is, and what their hobbies are. Find out if they stay up all night or study all day. If possible, hang out with them. If you cannot hang out, try to video chat a few times. If you two decide that you do not have much in common, you can usually request to room with someone else. Also, look into single rooms if you are introverted. That might be a better option if they are available.
2. Get a good alarm clock.
Alarm clocks are another necessary evil. Trust me, you do not want to sleep through your alarm. Find an alarm clock that wakes you up every morning, and make sure that you set it before you fall asleep. Waking up on time is essential for anyone who wants to do well in their classes.
3. Learn how to deal with noise.
When a lot of people are staying in one building, things are going to be noisy. Your roommate might be binge-watching Netflix with the volume on high, or the girl next door might be screaming the lyrics to a new Beyonce song. Sometimes, you cannot get them to stop. When this happens, noise canceling headphones are a great option. You might even need to go to a quiet place on campus to study or to watch that new episode of your favorite show.
4. Consider others.
Even if you are in a single room, remember that people can hear you. Think about how your actions will affect others. For example, it might not be a great idea to blast metal music and do Insanity workouts, especially if you are living upstairs. If you want to exercise, it is better to go to the gym. If you want to listen to music, wear headphones. Control the volume on your tv and make sure that it is not loud enough to disturb others. These small things will help you get along better with the people in your dorm.
5. Learn how to tolerate other people.
Everyone has their own quirks. The best tip for dorm life is learning how to tolerate those quirks. You do not have to like everything that everyone does. Just learn how to work around it. If people hog the washing machines in your hall all day, learn what hall you can go to where you can get your laundry done quickly. If someone is too loud or is harassing you, talk to them about it. If it continues, tell the RA. If the RA will not do anything, just cope with it until next semester. Everything will not always work out perfectly, especially in a dorm.
