Every college student that lives in the resident halls knows the following struggles. It is not easy living with 500 other people let alone the one, or more, roommate(s) you have. After living in the dorms for a year or two, you quickly learn how badly you need to get out.
The Communal Bathrooms
There is nothing worse than this, especially as a girl. You go in to shower expecting to blast your own music, but no, someone else is already doing that so you get left listening to whatever they have on. Which only makes your shower worse because the showers either don’t supply enough water pressure or squirt off in other directions making a relaxing, pleasant shower impossible. Not to mention the amount of hair you see EVERYWHERE, you would think someone was going bald. On top of this you have absolutely no privacy in there and are stuck using one ply toilet paper which is just outrageous. It is an overall horrible, disgusting place that you are happy to be leaving.
Living with Someone(s)
Roommates are either a hit or miss, if you’re lucky, you’ll never get a bad roommate. It can be tough sharing a space with someone you don’t like. You lose half a wardrobe when you don’t get along with your roommate because you don’t want to wear any of their clothes, that is if they are willing to let you borrow something. They are always in your personal space which can be kind of weird because it’s supposed to be your home and your room but someone else’s too. It is the worst when you want to talk to them about things but you’re just not comfortable with them so it’s always silent in the room.
The Fellow Residents
Fire alarms going off at 2 AM and then again 15 minutes later will not be missed. The distraction and annoyance of fellow hall mates and residents get to be intolerable. You will be dead asleep and be woken to them running and screaming down the hall or blasting music during a late night shower or as they chill in their room at 1 AM. The only time you may see these people are at the annoying hall meetings you have to go to. Other times, you may see them in passing but if you don’t leave your door open and get to know these peoples, odds are they are going to get on your nerves more than be nice to you.
Dealing with the RAs/CAs
While your RA and CA are great people, or even friends, they are someone you won’t miss having to deal with. They are really sweet people that just want you to have the safest but also best college experience for you. However, you have to be careful walking past them on desk duty, and other moments when they could get you in trouble. They can bug you to go to certain programs held in the dorm. Room checks become super annoying if you know you’re not breaking any of the rules. It can be nice to have someone to talk to if need be, but at the same time, they can start to get on your nerves just like your parents or siblings would. Which you don’t need at college.
Not Having a Kitchen
The food provided by the school isn’t always that bad, but nothing beats a home cooked meal. Going to the dining halls on campus offer the same thing practically every day. Being able to make your own food and when you want is the best. If you’re craving grilled cheese at 2 AM, you can make it yourself and it’ll taste better than one you would get on campus. You can literally make whatever you want and not settle for the same thing everyday. Having friends over to cook/bake with you or even just to make a meal for is always a blast.