Freshman year is the one year in which everyone is excited beyond belief to be living in a dorm. That means socializing 24/7 with people from every hall, sharing a room with someone who can potentially become your best friend, and getting a feel for what dorm life is all about! But after that honeymoon stage of the dorm life being new to you and all, you will get sick of it and wish you could move somewhere else. Somewhere where you will have more space, alone time, and not have to share anything.
Living in a dorm your freshman year is something that I recommend everyone do when entering his or her first year of college. Not only is it super convenient because you are on campus, close to classes and not far from food, but it’s a great way to meet people and get involved! By living in a dorm, aka a tiny room, with one other person, you will learn not to pack as much as you wish you could. Yeah, I know, you’re going to college and you want to bring everything you own with you. I learned the hard way; do yourself a favor and pack as little as possible! It is already going to be hard enough to maneuver your way through you and your roommate’s belongings, so save yourself the trouble and tell yourself, “pack light.”
Between the twin extra large mattress (I truly recommend getting a mattress topper, because that mattress is as hard as a rock) and everything being cluttered in every corner of the room, I knew this was something I was going to have to get used to. The refrigerator, microwave, water jug, cleaning supplies, laundry supplies, caddy for the showers, a chair for your desk, etc. is a short list of all the little things that will be in your way, but just have to be somewhere in the room. I personally like all my belongings to have a place in my room, but from living in a dorm, I learned that nothing is going to have a spot unless you never want to see it again. It was so difficult to get to certain spots for everything in my room, let alone trying to stay organized while doing so!
Now think about how you will not have a kitchen in which to cook anything, only one washing machine and dryer in the basement of the dorm, and a bathroom you have to share with everyone. Dorms will ultimately make you appreciate your mother’s cooking, your laundry getting done for you, and having your own bathroom. Think about it. Living in a dorm for a school year is like going to a sleep away summer camp, except you will have to attend classes. And depending on what school you are attending, laundry machines often cost you money. And for the bathroom part, well, suck it up, because you are stuck sharing a bathroom with three other girls, seven other girls, or potentially your whole hall.
College is a huge change in your life, and the little things are things that you will get used to very easily! You adapt to a new lifestyle as well as doing things on your own, and by the end of the year, you will have everything down.
Knowing that I was moving into an apartment my sophomore year of college was by far the best news I could have ever received. I was so beyond ready to move out of that little box that I called a dorm room. I knew that having an apartment meant that I would not have to share a room with another girl, and I could keep my room clean and organized while not having to worry about my roommate being unorganized and messy. That also meant I would get a full bed, a bathroom, and a room all to me, myself, and I.
This also meant that I would have a full kitchen inside my apartment unit and a washer and dryer right outside my bedroom door! No more walking down to the basement and have to pay to do laundry! Although having an apartment means having more space, it also comes with the responsibility to keep it clean! Yes, it is a bigger space than a dorm, which will require more cleaning supplies and more time to get the job done, but depending on how many people you deiced to room with in an apartment, it becomes a group effort.
I think that going from a dorm to an apartment was one of the best decisions I have yet to make. It really is a great change, with more responsibilities and purchases in order to make the apartment “homey”, but completely worth it! I do not regret living in a dorm at all, because it was a great experience, but it is safe to say that no one will ever hear or see me living in a dorm again.
Living in a dorm is something that everyone should experience at least once in his or her college career, because it will really open your eyes to what college is going to be like when you're on your own during your freshman year.
