Living in a dorm is fairly new to me, so I was expecting after a week or so I’d have a lot of new friends. I thought a dorm was supposed to have an abundance of people to hang out with at any given time.

What I wasn’t expecting, was for our hallway to be a ghost town every time I go to the elevator. I wasn’t expecting the urge to creep to the bathroom, afraid of disturbing the eerie silence. My floor has nearly one hundred girls, yet I hardly see any of them. Even rarer is finding someone to talk to.

This is a big surprise considering my mom regaled me with stories of her dorm days where she became best friends with her hall neighbors. My dad still keeps in contact with his college friends. I was looking forward to nonstop talking and laughing with my new friends whose doors would always be open and inviting.

It sounds like some college fairytale to me now, but a month ago, I was sure it was going to be like that. I was even dreading the nonstop noise. I couldn’t wait to find that one friend to eat breakfast with every morning or group to pass the time while waiting on laundry.

So, what’s wrong with my floor?

The biggest thing I’ve seen is that people are hiding behind a screen. Even I’ve found myself guilty of keeping my door closed for long stretches of time while I’m on my laptop.

I love technology and I believe it’s a great tool for communicating, but sometimes it hinders face to face relationships.

The few times I’ve seen room doors open, people are always on their laptop or phone. That’s not inviting for conversations.

This doesn't apply just to residence halls. In dining courts, people watch TV shows while eating. During club call outs people scroll endlessly through Instagram instead of talking to the person next to them.

And while walking anywhere, people listen to music through earphones which clearly sends the “don’t talk to me” vibe to anyone who passes by.

I understand people want privacy. They have to study or want “me time,” but like me, aren’t any of them lonely? Don’t they crave human conversation? It’s hard to make friends while technology is a constant distraction and hindrance.

From my experience so far, college students are the friendliest group of people I’ve ever met. But they are so plugged in, sometimes they miss out on social opportunities right next to them.