Dear 412-A,

First of all, thank you for letting me temporarily live within the narrow boundary of your four walls for the last nine months. Climbing what seems like a million flights of stairs everyday to get to you wasn't easy, but somehow I always made it home to you.

Thanks for being my refuge when it's been a long day of class and I need a nap. Thanks for letting me hang pictures of friends and family all over your walls so I could feel more at home.

I can't forget to thank you for introducing me to some of my best friends. Keeping the door open the first couple weeks of school helped me meet people who I now couldn't imagine my life without. Thanks for being the place my friends and I can study together, jam to music together, and do our hair and makeup as we get ready for a night out.

Thank you for showing me how to live with other people successfully. I never thought I would like the idea of sharing a small box with two other girls, but I will surely miss saying goodnight to them every night and having built-in best friends that live with me.

Thanks for giving me a tiny glimpse of what life will be like when I'm officially on my own. The floor doesn't vacuum itself, and the dishes will pile up if you don't wash them regularly. Mom, if you're reading this, I'm sorry I took your crazy vacuuming for granted.

Thank you for forcing me to condense my wardrobe to what will fit in my small closet. I didn't need to pack every sweater I own, when I clearly only rotate between the same couple of them. On that note, thanks for letting me test how long I can go without doing my laundry. Paying $5 for a coffee is no big deal, but spending $1.25 to wash my beloved clothes is just too much.

As move-out day approaches, it's so bittersweet to leave you. Of course, I won't miss hitting my head on the ceiling nearly every morning when I wake up in my lofted bed. I won't miss your cold, tile floor, because I miss the feeling of carpet under my feet. However, this room meant so much to me. I can only hope next year's resident will cherish you and create as many memories in this room as I have.

With grattitude,

412-A resident