Before I became a college student this summer I spent hours on Pinterest looking at dorm rooms. I wanted it to be a cute freshman dorm room that you see on the Internet and in movies. The first time I stepped into my room, my plans seemed a little iffy. The tile floors were ugly and cold, which I hadn't though of before I moved in, I didn't have any shelves and my bed was just laying on the floor unlofted.

But I quickly realized, after the summer camp feel of freshman year wore off, that I kept the things I liked and took home the things I really didn't need. You need to utilize every single spot in a 15x15 foot room that you also share with a stranger. As the first semester went by and I would go home for a night or two, I started to realize that I missed my dorm room. It is my home away from home, convientently smushed together into a bedroom, living room and kitchen. Over break, I couldn't wait to get back into my dorm room, my cozy dorm room with my blankets and Christmas lights, and just be home.

I am dreading the day that I have to move out of my dorm and move all of my stuff back into my room at home, which is about four times bigger then my little dorm room, but it's mine. Some people hate living in the dorms, but I have had a blast. You cannot walk down the hall to the bathrooms without saying hi to someone, you let people crash on your futon and you get to really see who you become freshman year, all in that little room.

My roommate tells me every day how many days we have left until we get to move out, but I'm not keeping track. When are you ever going to get the chance to live in a huge building with hundreds of other people your age, all experiencing things for the first time, just like you? I think living in a dorm is a great freshman year experience and I have truly loved just about every second of it. I will always love that little room at the end of second floor with the waffle ceilings.