When people look back on college, the topic of dorms always comes up again and again. Whether you lived in suite-style or those dreaded community bathrooms dorms, everyone who lived in an all-girls dorm knows these facts to be true:
1. It's always loud.
Quiet hours are more of just a suggestion. When you live in an all girls dorm with thin walls that were built in the 70s, you hear everything, whether you want to or not. Don't ever expect to go to bed before 10:00 p.m. unless you invest in a handy pair of ear plugs. A plus is that you can communicate pretty easily with your next-door neighbors, all you have to do is knock on the wall and yell. Thin walls can be a blessing or a curse, all depending on how late your neighbors stay up and how great their taste in music is.
2. There's hair everywhere.
You think Rapunzel had it bad? At least she lived by herself. Think about how much the average woman sheds in one day, then multiply that by 600. That stuff gets in every crevice of every inch of your room. And when you and your roommate have different color hair, you get very confused and suspicious of the places you'll find some of your roomies' long blonde locks (I'm talking a lot of unwanted hairy socks). I don't think us ladies understand quite how much we shed until we're forced to lived in a shoe-box sized room and every surface seems to be covered in hair. Just apologize to your vacuum now, because chances are, things are going to get real hairy, pun intended. Disclaimer: slippers and socks must be worn at all times.
3. Community bathrooms can be terrifying.
If you live in a community bathroom style dorm, you hear the horror stories and get to witness them firsthand. There always seems to be one toilet that's clogged, one stall that doesn't lock, and there's never enough toilet paper. The stories about the showers themselves could fill an entire novel. When you live in an old building filled with 600 plus girls who all love to take long, hot showers, there's bound to be issues. You're constantly fiddling with the knobs until you settle for either scorching hot or ice cold. There is no in between. For those of you lucky souls who get to have your own bathroom or share one with suite mates, cherish it; you don't realize how much you love not having to wear shower shoes until you're too scared not to. Let's all take a moment of silence to thank our amazing janitorial staff. You the real MVP.
4. Pinterest isn't just a hobby, it's a way of life.
The first week of move-in is by far the best time to search other people's rooms for layout and decor ideas. Let me just say this: girls are crafty. Within the first couple of hours of move-in, I think I saw the entire Michael's craft section go through the doors of my new dorm. There was homemade headboards, knitted blankets, and what looked like someone's entire DIY Pinterest board come to life in the form of glittered canvases. I'm not even going to mention the amount of things I saw monogrammed. But there's no better way to spruce up those eggshell colored walls like some good old fashioned crafting.
5. Going shopping is as easy as walking next-door.
I was thrilled to come to college and realize that everyone is so open and willing to let you raid their closets anytime, that it's like you have five closets instead of just one. Need a black dress for a dance? Come on over. Not sure if those shoes match that outfit? Chances are the majority of your hall has the same shoe size as you and is willing to share. If you're ever running low on anything from bobby pins to hairspray to jewelry, your friendly neighbors down the hall have got you covered. So thank you ladies, for saving me from being a walking fashion faux pas, and for making me put on something other than sweatpants for a formal event.
6. You meet some of the coolest people on earth.
Helpful tip for anyone who's going to be living in an all-girls dorm in the future: buy a door stopper and use that sucker every single day. Keeping your door open invites anyone who walks by to poke their head in and say hello. This is how I met some of my best friends, the people who have stood by my side through thick and thin, my ride-or-dies. My very first week I met most of my floor simply because people saw an open door and decided to stop by and introduce themselves. Want to make friends in college? Open your door and invite the world in.
