When you go to college as a freshman, you are more than likely assigned a dorm room for your first year. You can be assigned to a roommate—the lottery as my school calls it—or you can pick your own if you are lucky enough to know someone going to the same school. Sometimes you get more than one roommate and in my school's case, sometimes five. For me, this dorm room became my sanctuary, my greatest escape. This is your home away from home, your escape from the outside world.
At my school, the freshman are assigned one or two dorms, usually on one side of the school's campus. For my campus, my freshman year, the first years were assigned, West Hall and Colby Hall. This was on the main side of the campus with the Simon Center, the library and one of our biggest academic buildings, where a variety of classes of all majors are taught. From these dorms, the gym and field house are only a short distance. The turf field is down a hill and a river running through campus, is our view from the back—a very picturesque setting when the sun is going down. I felt very lucky to have my freshman building located where it was, as it made my first year a lot easier. I loved my freshman dorm and all the experiences I had with two roommates, one after another. The memories I obtained in that room will never fade, both good and bad.
On the other side of campus, there are four dorms that are considered the "upperclassman side." This was where the sophomores and the juniors go after they "survived" freshman year, as some kind of a reward. These dorms had more single rooms and upgrades. For example, most of them had kitchens inside. One of the dorms were apartment style, where five students could live, two in two rooms with one single dorm included. Because of the kitchens, these dorms were considered desirable. We had the opportunity to cook, instead of relying on the dining hall, the cafe or the three local cheap food places in the center of town. There was better parking, both closer and accessible, and it was conveniently located next to the Wellness Center, where students could go to for counseling and health referrals. For my sophomore year, I was fortunate enough to live in the newly renovated dorm, which boasted a stylishly furnished common room with an actual working fireplace, a flat screen TV and a well-equipped kitchen with two ovens and a stove. There was another kitchen on the third floor, just as equipped, but smaller and next to a dorm room. Both usable and both very helpful. In East Hall, I survived my sophomore year with only one roommate this year, but the best one I ever had. Sure, we had our ups and downs, but this room was even homier than last years. A lot of events went down in this room, both good and bad, and I still would never change any of it. This dorm is where I acquired my first serious boyfriend and met some lifetime friends.
Then came junior year. The ceremonious year, where it is usually your last year in a dorm, as seniors can have the choice to live on or off campus. Most of us turn twenty-one in this year or have already turned it. We celebrate by getting extremely drunk and showing off because we can. At the end of every year, we have one night where everyone gathers and picks a room. The week before, each student who has checked off that they were in fact still going to live on campus, receives a card with a number on it. This number tells you when you can get a room, and usually a telltale sign if you're able to get a single or not. If you have a number that's relatively low, and you are not a senior, you get first pick. It's all based on your GPA and class standing. At the end of my sophomore year, I got stuck in with a mediocre number and eventually picking a double room, the same from freshman year, as the single rooms were all taken up. I was tearful and inconsolable, but I put my name on the singles waiting list. I had no hope. I was in contact with the housing department all summer (sorry about that), bugging them consistently on if there was a room available. As the summer began to close, I gave up hope on acquiring a single. I asked to be moved to a different room, on a lower level and got in contact with my soon-to-be roommate. Turns out, I didn't need to worry.
The day before move in day, I got an email from the housing department saying that there was a single available and I was next on the list. There was no question. I snapped up that baby like the last Krispy Kreme donut left in the world. It was perfect and also extremely ironic. The single was located directly next to my sophomore year room. My neighbor, also named Annie, had that room last and I decided it was fate. Not knowing that this was going to be my last dorm room, I naively went through the motions. Not until March of my spring semester did I begin to appreciate my room. Because this was a single, I was given the luxury of a double bed, while the double rooms got single beds. I had a couch, a coffee table, a full sized wardrobe, a dresser and a nice sized desk. This room became my hallway's hangout room, the lair of "mom" as they put it (my hall mates called me mom for a variety of reasons). When I needed space or was in the middle of a panic attack, I could crawl into my bed and not worry about a roommate coming in or having questions. It was lonely sometimes, but it was a space all my own. When you come to college, you have to learn how to share your space, if you have never done so before, it's strange, different and not very fun, but it's something you must go through in life. Here, I could call everything my own.
This room saw me through heartache and failure, a major breakup (mine), and several smaller ones (my friends). Here was the place where eating ice cream at two a.m. was not strange, but necessary. A place where macaroni and cheese is a major staple in the food pyramid. I was able to curl up on the couch and do some homework and more often that not, slip into my bed and pretend the world doesn't exist. Usually, schools give seniors the option to stay on campus or go out and rent an apartment. I was lucky enough to be able to rent an apartment with my friend in the next town over, starting my life as an adult and being independent. Thanking your dorm room might sound silly, but it was a big part of your life for most people. Some make it their home, and others, it's just a place to sleep in. For me, it was the best place on Earth. So, thank you East 239. You've been a Godsend to me and I was lucky to have such a great space to end my dorm years. Thank you.
