1. You’re not going to get along with everyone you meet.
Throughout life you’ll find yourself in situations surrounded with people you’re not overly fond of. Well, unfortunately that’s life. Whether it be in school, work, or extracurriculars, chances are that you’ll be placed with individuals that you clash with. You might continuously disagree with the actions or decisions of your boss, or clash over the way in which others in your group project preform leadership duties – heck, you might even end up living with them. The important thing to understand is that it’s okay not to get along with everyone – it’s bound to happen, really. Take this experience as an opportunity to grow as a person through communication and compromise – find a common ground between the two of you and it’ll be infinitely easier to get things done.
2. People do things differently – and that’s okay.
Sure, you might go to bed early to wake up early and pound out all your tasks for the day when you wake up, but others may stay up until 4 a.m. and get it done then. College is a time of adjustment, and through that adjustment people have the opportunity to find the schedule that makes them the most productive. Just like in life, as long as you both have the ability to reach the solution of a problem, there’s no use in arguing over how to get there. Instead of having the mindset that your counterpart is doing something wrong, take advantage of their skills and different way of thinking.
3. Your actions affect everyone else.
Too often we get so wrapped up in ourselves: only focusing on our needs and goals and subsequently the ways to achieve those needs and goals. If you go out on a Tuesday night and return home belligerent in the middle of the night, you’re going to affect others – and they won’t be too happy about it. Regardless of what it is, it’s important to always consider the consequences of your actions (good or bad) and how they’ll affect the others who surround you.
4. There’s no shame in ordering cheesy bread at 2 a.m.
Nobody is going to judge you – whether you’re home or in a dorm – for calling Pizza X in the middle of the night for a cheesy bread fix. Not good for your body, but undoubtedly good for the soul.
5. Forgive quickly – what you're holding onto is probably not worth it.
Living in a dorm and constantly being surrounded by other freshmen, issues or disputes may happen frequently. No matter the issue, I’ve learned that there’s little that’s worth actually staying mad over. You’re living with these people for almost an entire year, petty drama is not worth the energy when you see these people every day. As it is in the dorms, it’s not worth it to get so wrapped up in the little issues. One day you’ll look back and laugh at how ridiculous some of the things were that you used to be so mad about.
6. Be responsible or pay the consequences later.
You’re eighteen going on twenty-one and you’ve just stepped into a world far different than you’ve ever experienced before. The minute I got to college, I realized that it was time to grow up. All of the sudden I’m on my own and I’m in charge of doing my laundry, cleaning my room, doing my own dishes, and staying ahead on homework. All this, and it’s still important to get out there and have some fun in your college years. Living in the dorms, there are a lot of rules to follow. As in life, if you’re not responsible with your actions and the stay on top of the tasks you have to get done, you’ll surely pay the consequences for your actions down the road.
7. It’s important to be nice to everyone you meet – you never know where you’ll end up meeting your best friend.
I got lucky – for me, it happened in my dorm a few months into freshman year – but of course it’s not always like that. Whether it be on your dorm floor, the local grocery, or in an airport across the country, you never know when you could end up finding a friend that you’ll look back and wonder how you ever got along without them. Nothing bad ever came out of smiling at a stranger or holding the door for someone with their hands full.
8. Live in the moment – life is too short.
Take advantage of all the opportunities that you encounter throughout life. Living in a dorm with 50 others on the floor, there’s bound to be something happening every night. Sure, sometimes alone time is the only thing you want, but it’s also really important to take advantage of this (most likely) once-in-a-lifetime experience of living in a dorm and have as much fun with it as you can. I’ve learned that life is short – way shorter than you think. Experience something new every week, go out of your way to do one nice thing for a stranger every day, and spend your moments living instead of documenting them through a camera.
