Ah, Joan C. Miller Hall. It’s such a sought after dorm for girls going through recruitment. I remember desperately reloading the housing page trying to get through and onto the server to chose my dorm. Messages were flying in group texts, and finally the dreaded “Miller is FULL” came about. That was the exact way it appeared on my screen. I think I cried. I may have thrown a tantrum. I’m not really sure. It was a blurry, tense moment. I selected the next best thing I could think of, McVoy. That was obviously completely unacceptable.
In a panic, I called everyone I could think of that possibly had “swing” at LSU. As if a room could just magically appear for me. Please don't judge me, I was panicking. During the summer before school, after corresponding back and forth with housing, I got in. After much moving around, I got to room with two friends of mine from home. The world was right at last.
So why do we want Miller Hall so badly? Location, location, location. It’s just a mere cartwheel and two skips to sorority row. It literally has not one other redeeming quality. The parking lot is a glorified obstacle course. Honestly, it’s made for Smart Cars, not actual vehicles. I’ve had to crawl out of my trunk more times than I would’ve liked to due to the tight spaces. The outside appearance of the dorm has a haunted hospital/insane asylum feel. The inside isn’t much different. I feel for our RAs as they desperately make posters and decorations to try to make the interior more pleasant. There really isn’t much you can do, but they try their best.
I reside on the seventh floor (the penthouse has 2-inch taller ceilings, peasants) and when there’s often only one elevator working, my life is ridiculously slower. The hot water runs out more than it should. There’s always some type of “health and safety” violation to look out for. Our lively and jovial custodians wake us up pretty early in the mornings yelling jokes back and forth in the hall. As much as I like my sleep, I admittedly like them more. It’s definitely worth it to be greeted with a smiling, happy face every day without fail. Living in Miller is no vacation, but is it worth it? Absolutely. Almost everyone that lives in Miller is Greek. It provides an atmosphere to meet people and build relationships with not only girls in our particular sororities, but also girls from down the row.
While it probably doesn’t provide the best study atmosphere, it’s more fun that I ever knew it could be. I have seen some really crazy things during my short time in Miller. From girls simultaneously doing wall-sits and taking shots to a cow running around the parking lot, nothing is entirely surprising about our little slice of heaven on campus. Cop car parked out front? I probably didn’t even notice it. Boy in the bathroom? Happens. Living in Miller Mansion has been an essential part of my college experience and exposure.
Most girls I know definitely complain about our dorm (myself included), but if you asked us if we’d like to be anywhere else for our freshman year, the answer would definitely be no. It has become a sort of rite of passage, something very important to experience. I’ve gotten to meet a lot of great girls by living here and I have some amazing, hilarious memories and relationships. I wouldn’t trade my time here for anything!
