As incoming freshmen, we have no choice on where we want to live on campus. We’re basically thrown to the wolves and forced to learn how to survive. It’s hard knowing that everyone else has modern and fancy dorms, private bathrooms shared only with your roommates, and the most important part, AIR CONDITIONING. But no, we had a hot dorm, and community bathrooms shared with the entire floor.

This is when you figure out who is dirty and who has great cleanliness. And yes, I know, it’s incredibly hot in our dorms and taking showers is useless. But it gets better and what if I told you that this will be the least of your problems? Looking back on my freshmen year, I miss living in my “horrible” dorm. And to all of you freshmen, here are 8 reasons on how to survive living in a “terrible” dorm.

1. GET A FAN…OR THREE

It’s pretty much common sense to get a fan for your dorm. Last year, my roommate and I had SIX fans. The heat was excruciating the first month but then around late September, it started getting way cooler. We still had our fans on the whole year but we were barely sweating once it started to cool down outside. Trust me, I am not lying when I said it gets better. But please don’t be that person that only has 2 fans. You will need more. (A trick to make your room even COOLER during the heat waves is to place one fan facing towards the window sill to blow the hot air out, and place another fan next to it, but turned away from the window sill to bring the cool air in. You basically need two fans blowing in opposite directions. You’re welcome!)

2. LEAVE YOUR DOOR OPEN

Leaving your dorm room dorm open is another way to bring the cool air in, and makes the room less stuffy during hot days. It also allows you to socialize with other people who live on your floor. It’s nice to bond with others over your hatred for the heat.

3. SHOWER SHOES HONEY….SHOWER SHOES

Back in my freshman year, we would have custodians who cleaned our bathrooms from Monday-Friday, and on the weekends, girls would leave our bathrooms a complete mess. But the point is, no matter how much the custodians clean the showers, always wear shower shoes because you never know what germs and chemicals you may be in contact with.

4. PICK A TIME TO GO TO THE BATHROOM

Everyone’s biggest fear of having community bathrooms is not knowing how long you have to wait for a shower. To avoid this fear of becoming true, pick an early time to shower or try to find out when are the worst or best times to go. You can ask people on your floor about their class times in order to get an idea of when is a perfect time to shower. When I was living on a community floor, I never had a problem with showering. I always used the same shower and never had to wait. There was usually no one in the bathroom at the time I would shower and it worked out perfectly!

5. GO TO THE BASEMENT/STUDY ROOM

The basement is usually the coolest part of the residence hall. Many residence halls have a TV and couches for studying. Some even have pool tables or even air conditioning. This is a great place to study and meet new people.

6. HANG OUT IN THE LOBBY / GET TO KNOW PEOPLE IN YOUR BUILDING

Hanging out in your lobby is a great place to meet new people. There’s always something going on and it is a great way to meet people from other floors of your residence hall. If there is a TV, make some friends so you can all watch the Bachelor together on Mondays!

7. AIR FRESHENER

Always invest in some air freshener. No A/C = hot and stuffy rooms. And especially if you have dirty laundry, the smell in your room is probably horrible. Use some air freshener to make the room smell nice and fresh even on hot days.

8. GET OUT OF THE BUILDING & BE SOCIAL

Don’t always be the one who hangs out in their dorm room all day. If you still can’t take the heat, get out and meet new people on campus. My advice is to join some clubs and stay out as long as possible until it gets dark and cool enough to go back in your dorm. Remember, living on campus is only part of your college experience. Go out and see the world!