Dear Dorm Room,

We've been through a lot together, you and I. I spent hours in Bed Bath and Beyond searching for the perfect decorations for you. I searched through dozens of comforters, curtains, desk laps, and string lights until I found everything I was looking for.

I wanted to make you as familiar as my room at home. While doing this I had a very important realization: I shouldn't make you like my room at home. My room at home was organized and decorated by the person I was in high school. For the most part, it hasn't changed in four years.

You, on the other hand, have been arranged and decorated by the person I am now. You aren't stuck in your ways yet, and you are going to change with me for the rest of the year. New pictures will get hung on your walls, and new books will adorn your shelves.

You won't ever see my high school varsity letters, or my dream catcher collection, because those parts of me were not carried over to this new adventure that you and I are on. Instead, you will see the exam I spent hours studying for sitting on my desk as a reminder that hard work pays off. You will see the dozens of empty coffee k-cups in the trash after finals are over, and you will see the long hugs shared with my roommates as we leave for winter break.

Speaking of my roommates, I should thank you for them too. Unlike my room at home, I've had to share you. Of course, this was a daunting reality I faced all summer.

Going from being an only child to having two roommates was a bit of an adjustment, but thanks to you, we've managed to pull it off. You seem to expand and show us all of your hidden corners we could use for storage so everyone could keep everything they wanted with them.

You might feel a little crowded at times, but somehow, you make it work. You forced three very different people to learn how to get along and share almost everything, which is no small feat. Your four walls also formed an amazing trio of friends, who would otherwise just be more faces in the crowded classrooms.

It's been a crazy semester, Dorm Room. It seems almost impossible that half of our time together is finished. Just a few weeks ago I couldn't help but feel we would be in it together forever. I don't know what it will be like without you for a whole month.

Please don't be offended that your three residents are excited to go back to their respective rooms at home, it doesn't mean we love you any less.

And don't be offended when we talk about where we want to live next year. If it were up to me, I would pick you up and move you across campus and keep you exactly the same on the inside. I've gotten used to the way your air conditioner sounds in the middle of the night, and I don't even mind that sometimes your light takes two or three tries to turn on.

So even though I'm taking most of my things home this break, don't worry, I'll be back and ready for another semester with you soon.

Until then,

Liz

(and the other residents of the legendary Katherine 109 trio)