One of the coolest parts of going to college for the first time is moving into a dorm. Unpacking your things, organizing your room and meeting your roommates -- this can be a very exciting time. Living in a dorm is something that the majority of students grow tired of after their first year or two (myself included). However, living in a dorm has its benefits -- especially for first year students.

The dorms are typically where you meet the majority of your early friends during your freshman year. Whether they are your roommates, or people that live on the same floor, it is not uncommon to start bonding with people who you are, for better or worse, forced to live with. Making friends with at least a few people in your dorm can lead to an overall better experience on campus. Even if you just know one other person, that’s one person that you can eat lunch with, go to the gym with or just pal around with after class.

One of my personal favorite parts of moving into a dorm was organizing all of my belongings. Ignoring the fact that I’m an obsessive neat freak, I think that this notion applies to most students. While I can’t speak too authoritatively on girl’s dorms, I can safely say that most male dorms are outfitted with some combination of mushroom chair, futon, stereo and novelty poster (and microwave if the dorm allows it). These items are so commonplace, because they are tried and true dorm life staples.

The coolest part of living in a dorm is probably the fact that, at least during freshman year, all of your friends live in dorms as well. This means nobody has to drive or go very far to hang out with each other. I can’t even begin to describe how many nights during my freshman year were spent staying up way too late playing video games and watching movies. Special mention to Grand Theft Auto V, which came out that same year -- I’m pretty sure at least 96 percent of my dorm had that game, and often played with the door open so other people could come in and get a turn.

While having an apartment off campus is awesome, I’ll stand by the fact that the dorm life has its benefits as well. I’m not saying that you have to stay in the dorms for your entire collegiate career, but one or two years can lead to some great experiences, and long lasting memories.