If you are as lucky as I was, your freshman dorm experience was one of your favorite years to date. How I found my roommates is unique to me and not exactly the normal route for most incoming college freshman. With connections through siblings, I was able to find three amazing girls whom I lived with starting in August until the middle of May. Before I moved up here for school, I was warned with nerve-wrecking stories of college freshman not enjoying their living experience because of roommate conflicts. With those stories, and the fact that I had only met my roommates once for dinner in the summer, you could say I was just a little nervous. But those nerves calmed down during the second week of living here when I was already forming a close friendship with all three ladies and was comfortable showing my goofy personality. Jokes that were made within the first month of living together are still brought up and bring smiles to our faces. My freshman year has been a crazy roller-coaster and would not have been the same without some of my closest friends whom I can turn to for laughs, cuddle-sessions, movie-nights, Jimmy John orders, and vent sessions. I’m here to share with everyone that not all dorm experiences are bad, and sometimes the people you barely know are those you will turn to in any situation.

I am living in one of the all-girls dorms here at K-State and although it is not always filled with as much liveliness as other dorms, I don’t regret living in Ford Hall. It has been the reason I’ve made such great friendships that have gotten me through times of struggling with classes and crazy moments throughout the year while making me feel like I am at home. I have a place of comfort and a place of happiness and am incredibly thankful for the amazing friends I have in my life from living on the third floor. Your roommates are the girls you stay up late with talking about the latest dating drama, spend hours studying with, the ones who order late night Insomnia Cookies, and the girls who will have your back no matter what. Living in the dorms allows for a mix of personalities, and if you're in a sorority like me, it allows for the opportunity to get to know girls in other houses and know people from all over during your freshman year.

If there is one thing I am glad K-State recommends every freshman do, it is living in the dorms. I have a little advice to those doing so next year. Whether you end up as lucky as I did or you get the short end of the stick in the roommate situation, there are still things to look forward to and so many opportunities to meet people that are on the same floor as you. Leave your door open, spend time on your floor's general lobby, get to know the girls in both wings of the dorms, and give it time. Things aren't always easy your first few weeks of moving in. Relax. Take a breath. Get ready to meet some of your best friends and make some of your favorite memories.

(Shout out to the three best roommates I could've asked for! Peace, Love, and Ford310)