Last spring, when I was deciding on housing for the following fall, I contemplated all of my options: an off-campus apartment, an apartment-style dorm, a suite-style dorm, or a traditional style-dorm. Of course, the last choice on my list involved communal bathrooms- having to share the shower and toilet stalls with 30 other girls didn't seem appealing to me at all.
But looking back, I wouldn't trade the experience for anything, even if it meant more convenience.
The first week of school during the fall semester, I met more girls than I had probably ever. My roommate and I propped our door open frequently in the beginning as a way to hopefully meet people and make friends. I went to most, if not all, of the floor socials. I got to know my floormates. We spent countless hours just sitting in the hallway talking, annoying our RA (and other residents) to no end- I'm sure.
Through doing so, though, I found irreplaceable friends.
Now, I never have to go anywhere- to the POD market (our on-campus convenience stores) or the dining hall or even to do laundry- by myself. I have friends to spend the weekends with, whether we go out or spend hours "studying" (when in reality, we just talk, laugh and snack on popcorn, chocolate or goldfish).
Sure, having to get out of bed and walk down the hall to use the bathroom at 2 a.m. isn't the most ideal situation. Neither is having to carry all of your shower necessities while trying to keep your body hidden beneath your bathrobe. But the conversations had and friendships made in the process are worth the inconvenience.
I found friends who invite me out, whether it's to dinner at Satchel's or downtown on the weekends. I found friends who knock on my door just to say hello or to study together. I found friends who I know I'll still talk to over the summer and for the rest of my time at UF and even beyond.
Yes, the bathrooms get dirty over the weekend. Yes, it's difficult to share one oven or microwave with 60 other girls. Yes, sometimes, your favorite shower stall is taken and you have to use a different one. But I can promise you there isn't another style of residence hall that will allow you to build friendships in the same way a traditional hall will.
Some of my favorite memories from my freshman year so far have been ones that just happened when I walked to the common room to fill up my water bottle.
Through good times and bad, stressful exam season or during weeks where we just coast through, my floormates-turned-friends are always just two or three doors down at all times. Even though we're all going our separate ways next year, I know that the friends I've made while living in my dorm are friends I will always know and love.
