The Hard Truth About Living In A Dorm
Going from having your own room and a whole house to a single, 130 square foot shared room, things can be hard.
Coming to college, I was so excited for a fresh start and new experiences. Between the new class style and the social scene, most people could definitely say the same about the thrill of moving away for school. The one thing I personally wasn't so excited for is sharing a glorified shoebox with a stranger. Although many people will argue that it's a “right of passage" or that it helps you make friends, it is kind of rough to live the dorm life.
For starters, there's just not a lot of space. You have a bed, a desk, a desk chair, a set of three drawers, potentially a side table, a closet, and a sink (if you live in a suite style, like me). This doesn't sound cramped, until you add the fact that there are TWO of all of these things, except for the sink. That being said, you are pretty much forced to raise your bed so high so that you have space underneath to store your things- which for me sort of sucked because of my height. Also, nine out of 10 times, you do not have your own bathroom, so you have to store your bathroom stuff in your room. Huge bummer, huge space taker.
It's also hard learning to live with a roommate for those of us that were roommate-free until college. It's a very different experience to not have complete privacy available whenever you want it. Along with this, you have to learn to be considerate of your roommate and their space and learn quick. It was definitely hard adjusting and deciphering boundaries between the two of us, especially when we met for the first time- for real- when we moved in.
Living with a roommate has its ups and downs for sure, but some of the biggest arguments come from sharing space and company. In my personal instance, we only have one mini fridge and mini freezer in our room and are not allowed to have another one. This doesn't exactly cause fights in our case (though I have heard stories where it did), but it does make you think when you grocery shop about your roommate and saving space for their stuff. The worst part truly is the awkwardness of having people over or staying the night/weekend if they're not friends with both you and your roommate. It can be an interesting conversation to ask your roommate to share your already cramped room with an additional person or two for the weekend, especially if they do not know your visitors.
Overall though, as much as I hated not having my own space and the awkwardness of sharing a room and the storage problems that can concur with it, time in my dorm is dwindling with just under one month left of freshman year. There were positives that came out of living here though. I did end up meeting some people, making some friends, and even coming across cute events with free items and FREE FOOD. Pro tip: never skip a hall event with free food. I never thought I'd say this, but I might miss my little shoebox, and I'll definitely miss the person I was lucky enough to share it with.
