If you are a sophomore and you chose to live in the dorms again for your second year at school, you know that there a lot of struggles that didn't bother you in your freshman year as much as they do now. Here are 10 struggles I have had personally in my sophomore year while living in the dorms.
1. Communal Bathrooms
Taking showers or going to the bathroom in communal bathrooms is always uncomfortable, but in your sophomore year, all you crave is to have your own shower again. You don't want to be that person that everyone can hear singing in the bathroom.
2. Smelly hallways
Every floor of a dorm has their own interesting yet disgusting smells. Sometimes all you want to do is run through the halls while spraying air freshener. You also vow to never let your own house or apartment to smell that bad once you live in one.
3. No privacy
Sure, you get some privacy in your room, but the room is so small that you and your roommate are forced to be too close for comfort, all the time. You just miss the privacy of having your own space to get dressed and to be alone.
4. Thin walls
I'm sure countless people have been cursed with thin walls in their dorms. Either you hear every word of your neighbors conversations or you hear... you know what... that is way too loud for dorm living.
5. Floor meetings
In Freshman year, floor meetings were important to understand how things worked on campus and how to prepare for breaks throughout the school year, but in your sophomore year when you know how everything goes, you ask yourself, "What is the point of me going to these floor meetings?"
6. Lack of freedom
Living in the dorms makes you feel trapped sometimes, and you don't have much freedom to do what you want. You have to abide by the rules that you wouldn't have if you lived in your own place. By the second year of college, it just gets frustrating to follow someone else's rules.
7. Too many (rude) neighbors
Some neighbors are extremely understanding when you ask them to be quiet. Some are not. I have banged on my walls multiple times while trying to sleep because my neighbors were being so loud. One night I was kept up until 4:00 in the morning because the people who live above me were so loud.
8. No control over thermostat
Most dorms do not have a thermostat where you can control the air conditioning or the heat. Sure, you may have a window unit air conditioner, but they do not work as well as internal air conditioning. Also, at my school, we do not have control over the heat temperature, so we either have to sweat ourselves to death in the winter or open the windows and freeze to death.
9. Uncomfortable beds
The first year sleeping in a dorm bed isn't that bad. You kind of learn to just deal with it. By the second year, you are completely over the twin sized beds in your dorm. You just want more SPACE, especially if you move around in your sleep a lot.
10. Not enough space for food
Finally, your dorm typically only has room for a few snacks and a small fridge. You have to deal with eating in the dining halls, which are usually full of gross food. You can't really cook your own meals when living in the dorms, so you have to stick with limited options.
