College is strange. You walk in on move in day and say hello to some random strangers who you will be sharing a cubicle sized dorm room with. You probably decided to room with them because you have a mutual liking of Taylor Swift. If you are like me, you are used to having a room and, sometimes, even a house all to yourself. Well, my friends, college can be a rude awakening at first.
The "I live in a room with three other people that is how many square feet?" phase
Your beautiful and spacious room has turned into a forced quad that is smaller than your room at home. Your freshmen year (or even sophomore year) housing can be pretty bad. After having your own room for eighteen years of your life, you should be prepared to share that same amount of space with three other people. Sharing is caring and you will be sharing your entire room space, so pack lightly! This is not home anymore!
The "wow, people are weird" phase
You have never met such strange people. Waking up in the morning to shower? Making their bed everyday? Not drinking coffee? Having a whole drawer dedicated to makeup brushes? Going to bed before midnight? Wearing men's deodorant? Thinking that 50 degrees is cold? Impersonating flying monkeys? Eating raw carrots at 3:00 in the morning? Making me massage their back? I feel like I live in the Twilight Zone.
The "What in the world is a shower schedule?" phase
Your parents probably know your shower time by heart and you know theirs. You shower at 2:00 a.m. after finishing your homework and then they shower four hours later when they wake up for work. Unfortunately, a lot of people in college take showers at 2:00 in the morning, so you are going to need to learn to be snappy with your showers and be prepared to wait for the shower for a while.
The "communal bathrooms" phase
Not only are you forced to share showers, but bathrooms too? What is this, prison? No more sitting and going through your entire Insta feed because your bathroom at home is like Plant Fitness and it's a judgement free zone. You will probably walk into the bathroom and the that second you sit, your suite mate will be banging on the door insisting that you hurry up so that she can go. Let me have my peace, people.
The "quiet time" phase
Let me tell you that there is no such thing. Your dorm now houses four people, four majors, and four different sleep schedules. You will never have the luxury of closing your door when you need a moment to debrief or when your parents are screaming at the TV over some football game. Get used to screaming, loud music, and hair dryers going off at weird hours of the day and night while you are trying to study for your Macro exam.
The "waking up in the middle of the night" phase
You cannot sleep because your first real life interview is in the morning and you are freaking out. You open your eyes and realize that there is another person across the room from you snoring away. "Why is this criminal in my room?" you ask yourself. "Oh, yes other people live here too," you reply as you struggle to sleep with the thought of other people watching you drool or sleepwalk. You are constantly being watched.
The "feeling alone and homesick" phase
It is a few months into school and you are missing home--the comfort of your own bed, home cooked meals, and no 8:00 a.m. classes. You are stressed out and tired of everything and everyone. It is midnight and everyone around is you is procrastinating with their homework or watching Netflix while stuffing their face with Domino's pizza. They are not paying attention to you, so you begin to shed a tear and then, all of sudden, you are full on ugly crying. Those roommates who you thought were not paying attention to you are now hugging you and comforting you, making sure that you are okay (and sharing their Domino's with you because pizza fixes all problems). They really are awesome humans.
So now your forced quad is a place for pillow talk, fashion shows, spa nights, and, of course, some crazy karaoke sessions. You should have a Snapchat geotag because your room is the place to be. And it would not be that way if you did not have the sisters that you never actually had right by your side (actually in the bunk above you). Aren't you glad that you sent them an awkward Facebook message because you had a mutual love for Taylor Swift? College is awesome.
