It's that magical time of year again where college students across the globe are beginning to make their journeys to the school of their dreams! (Or something like that.) I am about to make this quest for the second time, and I thought I would share this word vomit of the inevitable things you will hear, see, or do when you move into your dorm room, be it the first time or the last time.
1. People get very territorial with their boxes and crap.
"I claim this portion of the sidewalk with my jumbo-sized fan that we all know is not going to fit anywhere in the room!" or "We're going to build a wall of people around all our boxes, and it's going to be huge!"
2. A lot of side glances and staring.
Mainly judging the sheer amount or lack of stuff a person has, or wondering where the heck that genius mom found the refrigerator cart. "Dammit, George, I told you we should have looked at Bed Bath & Beyond!"
3. The sweating. It is very real.
Thought you were going to make a good impression on your new roommate by looking super cute? You thought wrong. Your shorts have stretched out because you're sweating in places you didn't think were possible, and combined with your little brother moaning about how he needs water, you're ready to abandon ship.
4. Checking out the people who are living on your floor.
You finally make contact with the cute boy or girl you saw earlier, when your mom yells your childhood nickname and asks an embarrassing question, usually about an ointment or retainer.
5. The mailroom. Oh, my word.
It's a battlefield that you need to approach with a game plan. People will be elbowing, taking up way too much of your personal space, and moaning about how Timmy's twentieth box is missing, when you cannot even get the two you shipped a month ago. Tread carefully, my friends.
6. If you are fortunate enough to actually have an elevator, good luck catching an elevator.
And when you finally do, you find yourself saying an extra prayer as you start doing the mental math to see if your group is over the weight limit. Otherwise, hey, stairs. Yay! Planning to train for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics? Now is your chance! Cardio to the max.
7. The rearranging of anything and everything.
You never knew there were so many ways to position six pieces of furniture in one tiny portion of a dorm room until this day.
8. If you are a returning student, reuniting with friends after a seemingly endless summer is the best feeling ever.
Plus, extra hands to help everyone to get settled in.
9. Once all the chaos has ended and you finally have your room situated, take a deep breath.
Step back and smile. You survived! Enjoy the ride, and welcome to college!
