Dorm life is not always a paradise. In fact, it’s really a burden a lot of the time. There are so many times I wish that I could just be home in my room by myself. Even so, there are things about living in a dorm that have been some of the best experiences of college. I’ve learned so much and gained so many positive things from living in my dorm that I wouldn’t change or give up for anything. There are good sides and bad sides to everything, of course. Here are some pros and cons to the wondrous life of dorms!
Pro: You learn not to sweat the small stuff.
When you live with a bunch of people in a collective building, there are going to be some small annoyances that irk you on a day-to-day basis. However, even small issues like hearing the random movement of furniture at midnight, random discussions through the walls, or random sprinting down the hallways tend to not bother you so much once you get used it to and realize there are much bigger issues you have to worry about (like those upcoming finals and projects you’ve been procrastinating working on…). Overall, yes, some of those small things will always be irritating, but it can also teach you to be more flexible and less uptight, which is generally a good thing.
Con: The strict/ridiculous rules are absurd.
Some of the rules in the dorms are there for a reason but some just don’t make any sense. The weird rules about the guest policy? Quiet hours starting and ending way too early? We’re not allowed to enter through the back doors of our dorm anymore? Rules like this are a little too strict and can be really annoying to deal with. Not really a big fan.
Pro: You learn to be more considerate of other people and less egocentric.
When you live with a bunch of people, you hopefully learn to think a bit differently and your thoughts revolve a little bit less around you and a little bit more around other people. Especially if you live with a roommate, the actions you engage in have the potential to affect other people. Obviously, you will never be able to please everybody and sometimes you may do things that will annoy other people. Even so, if you’re at least a halfway decent person, you’ll think more about how you as a person will affect others and understand that the world doesn’t revolve around you.
Con: RA favoritism will be the death of you.
Easily one of the most annoying things about dorm life is the favoritism of the RA’s. To clarify, RA’s in general are not a problem. Their job is to carry out the rules of the residence hall so enforcing those rules is not why RA’s can be particularly irritating. The reason why RA’s get on my nerves at times are because of the favoritism they sometimes show toward certain residents. A problem arises when some people get in trouble for simply talking in their rooms and others don’t get in trouble when they are borderline screaming in the hallways. If all RA’s could just remain impartial, that would eliminate one of the biggest problems of dorm life.
Pro: You’ll always have someone to lean on when you need it.
There are so many times where living with a huge group of people is overwhelming and just too much. But it can also be really great. Having so many people around all the time means that whenever you need someone to lean on or to talk to, someone will be available to talk or help you. Even for small homework questions, it’s easy to walk across the hall and knock on someone’s door and get help. For bigger issues, like if you’re having a bad day or just feeling lonely, someone will be there for you to hang out with in that case too. Most people are all going through the same thing as you, whether it may be friend issues or academic stress and can at least relate to you on some sort of level. It’s always a great feeling to know that you have people to help you whenever you need it.
Con: Congregations in the middle of the hallway will make you want to pull your hair out.
Yes, some issues are small enough to get over, but I consistently wonder why people choose to have a party in the middle of the hallway when they all have rooms they could hang out in. This is just plain rude and one of the most irritating things about living in a dorm that I have found. Especially when this hallway party is right outside of your door and you can hear every single word being said. Please… take your enthralling discussion into a room. Despite what you may think, not everyone has an innate desire to hear every word of your debate about what the best kind of cereal is.
Pro: The people in your dorm/hall become your family.
Despite how loud they are, how much they talk in the hallway, how overwhelming they can get at times, you know that the people you live with are so ingrained in your day-to-day life now that you couldn’t imagine living without them around. Your dorm is your home away from home while you’re living at school and the people around you are your family. Family annoys you and know how to push your buttons. But, at the end of the day, you still love them all.
*All images courtesy of Giphy and Pinterest