Truths About Dorm Living
Dorm room living is something that everyone should experience. It really does teach you lessons that are crucial in life. You learn about patience, compromise, cleanliness, and respect. Living in a dorm room is a unique experience and one that I am glad I don't have to do again. I loved my roommate, she really was a great person to live with but it's not the most ideal way to live.
Tons of my readers are heading off to college, I've received so many DM's and emails about college life and living in a dorm and we're more than half way through summer (at least for me) so it's starting to get to be that time where we talk back to school -- please don't hate me. Here are some truths about living in a dorm room.
1. No Privacy -- You don't get a whole lot of privacy in a dorm room. This was what I really hated about dorm life. It's tough for me to study without taking out loud. It's just the most effective for me but I couldn't always do that. I love to be alone and just think or decompress and I also just sometimes needed a quick minute to cry and get myself together and I felt like I couldn't do that if there was someone in my room. You're roommate will be out of the room for class from time to time but you won't really find a good chunk of time to be alone.
2. It Gets Messy Quick -- With two girls living in a room, it's going to get pretty dirty and it'll get there pretty fast. Both my roommate and I were pretty cleanly but living so close, your room will just get dirty. With hair, books, makeup, and all of the clothes that we bring to college with us stuff just was everywhere. Make sure that you bring plenty of cleaning supplies with you. A hand vacuum, dry and wet Swiffer, Lysol, wipes, and Windex are all things that should be brought to college with you.
3. Late Nights -- You will rarely have a completely peaceful night's sleep. Your roommate and you could turn in early (11pm lol) but your hall mates could be slamming doors, talking loud, or playing music. If it's a weekend, forget about quiet. Not only will there be so much excitement in the dorm but outside, there will be people walking and talking and yelling. It's tough to get a peaceful nights sleep.
4. Sickness Spreads Fast -- Living in such close quarters with so many people, sickness spreads so fast. If your roommate gets sick, you can pretty much bet your house you'll get sick too. The best thing to do when this happens is to open the windows, Lysol everything, use shower shoes, do your laundry, and clean your sheets often. Make sure you go to school with plenty of cough medicine, cough drops, aspirin, tissues, and anything else you might need when you're sick. It's important to stock up on these things because when you actually get sick you don't want to walk to the drug store to get medicine.
5. Stale Air -- Depending on if you have AC in your dorm (many do not) you might come across some problems with your air circulation. When you have no AC, your dorm room air just kind of sits there and gets dry. In the winter when you turn on the heat, it only amplifies the dryness of your air and makes for horrible sore throats, nose bleeds, coughs, and chapped lips. It's pretty gross during the wintertime. My best advice is to bring a humidifier to school with you. Not only does it make great white noise to fall asleep to, but it also keeps the air moist so your throat survives the winter.
6. Lack of Storage -- There is very little storage in a dorm room. You really have to get creative when it comes to making sure that everything has a place. As girls, we tend to take a lot more than boys to school. They typically move in with some duffle bags of clothing, a mini fridge, and a backpack. Girls literally pack up their life and move into a shoebox of a room and then share it with another person. Honestly, it's a little insane if you ask me. You won't have a lot of storage when it comes to dorm living and if your room is small like mine was, you might have to move your desk under your bed and literally work underneath where you sleep minimizing your storage space. It's a great idea to invest in plastic drawers and storage bins.
7. Roommates are Tough -- When picking a roommate, honestly it's a crapshoot. You never know what you're going to get. If you live with your best friend, you might get too close and ruin your friendship -- trust me, I've seen this happen multiple times. If you go the Facebook route, you might end up with someone who lies to make themselves seem more appealing. You never know who you're talking to thought a computer screen. If you go random you might end up with someone who you have nothing in common with. If it were me, I would suggest going random. There is no pressure to be best friends with your roommate and you can ease into things. Odds are, you're going to room with someone you get along with and can live cohesively with but I know so many people that had roommate issues. If this is you, just think about yourself. If you need to move out, then do. If you want to fix things or try to get close with your roommate, then go for it. Just know that a lot more people have roommate issues that you think and college housing is very aware of that if you need to make a change. I will say though, my roommate, Jess, was awesome! We got along so well and didn't even knew each other when I moved in. I really lucked out when I moved!
Stay Preppy,
Lucy
