Dorms get a bad rep. Now, don't get me wrong, they probably deserve it. Yes, people are noisy. What do you expect from a group of teenagers who come straight from their parents' houses? They're going to be noisy. They're going to break boundaries. Yes, people are disgusting. Your roommate may have bad hygiene or maybe they're just messy. It happens. Yes, people pull the fire alarm. It sometimes happens in the middle of the night. It sometimes happens when you're in the shower and you have to march your happy bottom down countless flights of stairs and stand outside in a towel until you get the "all clear." And yes, people drink. This comes with a whole slew of issues that mostly involve bodily functions (puke in the hallway, poop in the shower).

While these are all pretty big deterrents, the benefits of somewhat communal living heavily outweigh the drawbacks. I know you're probably thinking to yourself, "Sure lady..." But, they do. I lived in the dorms at UW-Whitewater for two years. Both years, I was on the fourth floor of Wells West. It is currently the largest dorm on campus, and that was the appeal. It was also co-ed. Some of the dorms are not. Some divide the genders by floor. Mine has a mix of men and women all living on the same floor. All of the bad things I mentioned above happened to me at one time or another. I was occasionally the noisy one. Mostly, I was quiet. I was messy. I am still messy. I had to go down four flights of stairs in just a towel, shampoo still in my hair. This happened more than once. And, we had a shower pooper. This wasn't a once in a while thing. It was quite regular and quite disgusting. The mystery of the shower pooper is one of the great unsolved ones.

Since living in the dorms, I've moved to a series of apartments and houses. I've never lived alone. I've had good roommates and terrible ones. You never truly get to know someone unless you've lived together. But, here's why I think living in a dorm is important.

You learn to appreciate what you have. Even if what you have is half of a 10-by-13 foot space. It is your space. When you move out into a larger space, you're always happy to have more room for all of your things.

You learn to only purchase what's necessary. You aren't afforded much space for impulse buys. The dorm is not going to get larger. So, you buy only what will fit into your space. This is a very useful skill for later in life. You do not want to move mountains of crap. It also helps you to learn to get rid of what you do not need. When move out happens, you're only taking what you love. The rest is getting dumped. This is a principle I've applied to all of my moves. I throw out and/or donate things that I haven't used since my last move. I obviously do not need them.

You learn to get over insecurities and shyness. When you live with someone in a tin can, holding in your gas causes some serious stomach issues. So, you eventually learn to let it go. You also get over bathroom shyness. My non-dorm friends do not always find it easy to use public toilets. I do. It's awesome to be able to do my business whenever and wherever I need to. I don't care if others hear what I am doing. I feel better afterwards. Gross, I know.

You learn to compromise. When you live with someone, you learn to take turns cleaning things. You take turns with things like music and television as well. You give feedback to one another and take suggestions to heart. You're stuck living with this person, like it or not. So, you get along as best you can.

You learn to expand your horizons. Living with a stranger teaches you things about yourself and exposes you to things you've never done before. You might learn about a new religion. You might learn that you like a new food or that you hate the smell of burned Easy Mac at 3 a.m.

The moral here is that you become a more well rounded person when you live in a dorm. You learn to adhere to restrictions (just barely) and learn how to have fun while doing so. You expose yourself to things that you would not do on your own. You expand your horizons. You meet new people, make new friends, the kind that last a lifetime. And, ultimately, you become more comfortable with who you are as a person.