College is all about change. And one of the indicators of that change is having the mysterious community bathroom. This is something that really takes some getting used to, but truth be told, having a community bathroom really is not all that bad.

Thus, here are five things I have learned from community bathrooms.

1. Girls are disgusting

Yep. This is true. There is hair everywhere, I mean everywhere. And I am pretty sick of it, but it has opened me up to the truth about girls. Whether that is in the shower, you're going to find awful hairballs in the drains and even hair on the walls. It ain't fun, but it sure is a reality we all have to face.

2. Who is friendly, and who is not

In communal bathrooms, one can quickly find out who will say "good morning!" and "have a great day!" rather than those who don't say a word the whole time during their morning/nightly routine. You learn who the talkative ones are and who the shy ones are, and even the ones-who-want-nothing-to-do-with-you are. This is good knowledge to have, however. I at least am grateful for it.

3. It can be a competition

If I wake up late for an 8:30 class, let's say 7:30 am, I am certain the bathroom will be busy. I walk into a handful of occupied sinks, girls brushing their teeth and washing their faces. This leaves me to no friggin sink, with me knowing I have class soon. Truth be told, there is a competition for those sinks. It is a fight to the death in there. Therefore, if I wake up at an earlier time and find that there is one sink left in the bathroom, I will sprint as fast as I can to reach that sink and claim that sink as my territory for the time being. Girls are ruthless.

4. Showering with your shoes on isn't all that bad

However, when I come home for breaks, I realize how liberating it feels to shower without shoes on.

5. It is incredibly hard to shave

Actually, I have come to the conclusion it is impossible to shave in these things. Impossible. There is nowhere to put your foot when you are trying to shave your legs, and this can be a huge problem when it comes to kind of injuring yourself in the midst of this task (and I know this from personal experience).

6. It is a social fiesta

You can have a really great conversation in these things. Whether that is while you are showering in the shower next to a friend and asking how their day went, or if you are all attempting to talk while brushing your teeth, or if you are all discussing how "everyone is sick" and laughing about how much sleep you get, it can be a real social party in the bathrooms.

7. They can start great friendships

One of my first friendships in college stemmed from these lovely community bathrooms. Before my first class ever of my college experience, at the crazy-early time of 7am, I started a conversation with a girl in the bathroom. We talked about how exhausted we were, how early it was, and how nervous we were for our very first class of college. After asking what class she had first, I quickly learned that this girl was heading to the exact same class as me. What are the odds of that? This was great for me too at the moment because I was relying on my map to get me to my class, which would have made me look very, very freshman. We ended up walking together to class and sitting together. Now we get breakfast before class, and our friendship is only getting stronger.

Before you start to think community bathrooms are awful, think again. After all, college is all about the experience. We will look back on these days and think even though these days weren't perfect, they were pretty darn fun. Community bathrooms make our college experience just a little more unforgettable, and that is completely fine with me.