Dorm life is generally the one thing college students are most excited to leave behind after their first or second year of college, and honestly I can understand why this is so often true. I'm tired of seeing other girls' hair stuck to the shower walls and being woken up by people blow drying their hair at 3 a.m. But after living in a dorm this year and getting ready to live in one again next year, I've been forced to come to terms with the disadvantages of living in a dorm and instead recognize the (few) perks of living in a dormitory with 300-plus other people.
1. You won't be lonely very often.
When you live in a dorm with almost 400 other people, it's pretty much a given that there's always someone around to hang out with. This is due in part to the fact that you're sharing a 200 square foot box with another person at all times, but even when your roommate is gone for the weekend it's not hard to find someone else to watch Netflix with or make pizza bagels with at 2 a.m.
2. You have access to at least three other closets.
At this point in the year, I'm usually not even wearing a single item of my own clothing when I go out. By far the most convenient part of living in a dorm is the constant access to all the shoes, skirts, and formal dresses in my friends' closets here.
3. There's always someone to help do your hair or makeup.
Whether they technically volunteer to or not, there will be someone else to straighten the back of your hair or do your eye makeup before recruitment or formal.
4. Late night snacks are never far.
When it's time to settle down and watch Netflix for the night and you suddenly realize you're out of salt and vinegar chips, the vending machine is only a few floors away.
5. Someone is always willing to get food with you.
You want to order a pizza before pulling an all-nighter for GBD? So do ten other people. You really want Skipper's mac and cheese bites while studying for finals? So does everyone else in the study room. You're out of declining balance and have to use a swipe at Martin for dinner even though you'd rather die than eat there again? Everyone else is in the same situation.
6. You don't have to go far to find people to watch The Bachelor with you.
And before too long the boys will even start saving your seat on the couch at 7:45 p.m. because they're just as interested in seeing if Nick chooses Vanessa or Raven as you.
7. Losing an "essential" item isn't even a big deal.
Lost your phone charger? Forgot your hair straightener at home? Didn't tell your friend who's visiting this weekend to bring an air mattress? Haven't ordered a textbook for one of your classes yet and you have a quiz over the material in it tomorrow? You have 400 people to ask for help.
8. Studying doesn't have to be as painful.
Because you can always move five desks, eight people, and a giant speaker into one study room during finals week and make it much more entertaining than studying on your own in the library.
9. If you don't have a car at school, someone else in your dorm does.
And they can probably be easily convinced to drive to Wal-Mart, Chick-fil-A, or even the Verizon store 40 minutes away if you happen to accidentally shatter your phone screen.
10. It's never hard to find someone who likes the same TV shows as you.
There's always someone to suggest new shows you should watch on Netflix, watch Rick and Morty with you when you should be doing homework, or quote Spongebob with you for ten consecutive minutes.
11. You'll meet so many new people while you live there.
And if you like them enough, you might even be stupid enough to agree to live with them next year too.
