Over the course of close to eight months of dorm living, I learned the ins and outs of living in a dorm. Now I'm here to share my wisdom. I hope these simple yet effective tips make your first year living away a little bit easier.
1. Keep hand sanitizer in your dorm.
Living in a building with other kids your age can be a blast. There's always someone to talk to, eat with, or do homework with. But with all this socializing comes germs and a lot of them. Sickness spreads so fast in dorm buildings, so keeping hand sanitizer in your dorm and in your bookbag will at least minimize your chances of contracting whatever illness your weird next-door neighbor has.
2. Use a reusable water bottle.
It's 2019, people. No matter where you're going to school, there should be filtered water fountains at hand. No need to waste plastic and clutter up that tiny almost unusable fridge with water bottles.
3. Organize your things for the next day the night before.
Skipping class is so much easier when your bed is so comfy and all of your school things are all over the place. In order to combat that strong and consistent urge to skip class, get your things together the night before. Knowing all of your belongings are together and prepared will give you that little motivation to get a move on.
4. Don’t go back to bed between classes.
This might be the hardest one to follow. If you have an 8 A.M. and then an 11 A.M., that gives you an hour and a half break in between. Instead of napping and waking up groggy as hell, be productive for that hour and a half. You'll thank yourself later.
5. Keep healthy snacks in your room.
The dining hall is either a hit or miss. You either find food that you love or you gag at the thought of the day-old mystery meat they try to force on you. For those days when you're not feeling that weirdly-colored mystery meat, you're going to want to keep some snacks in your dorm. Rice cakes, peanut butter, PB & J's, and cheese and crackers are some simple and easy meal replacements that you can easily keep in your dorm.
6. Do your homework anywhere but your dorm room.
I can guarantee you that if you do your homework in your dorm, you will end up in bed watching Netflix. I learned this the hard way. The library is open to students (usually until super late for all of you procrastinators like me) and perfect for some peace and quiet without the comfort of your bed pulling you to sleep.
Follow these tips and I guarantee you'll be thanking me when your whole floor has the flu and you're just fine.
