So, being a sophomore, I’ve come to the conclusion and the realization that it’s kind of a right of passage at Rutgers that you say goodbye to on-campus housing and switch over to the dark and scary idea of living on your own (Or with your closest friends!) When I first signed the lease to my house with my friends in December, I was happier than a frat boy in a brewery. I didn’t know much, but I knew I wanted to get out of the dorms. I had just about had it with constantly being worried about the R.A raiding in on the party, if I was getting enough sleep because of the noisy next door neighbor, and if I was walking into a clean bathroom.
Now that it’s May, and I’m finally finishing up the year and my stay in Rutgers housing and residence life, I kind of wish I could rewind my two year stay. It’s not like I’m graduating yet, thank God, but it’s a really surreal feeling. You take for granted all the things you have in the dorms, and all the things you’re letting go of. So for my last “on-campus” article, ladies, I bring you all the reasons why you should (and shouldn’t) love your dorm.
Reasons to love the dorms:
Quick Maintenance – There are only so many places you can go where just picking up the phone instantly solves a problem. One of those places is a dorm. Whether broken internet service, or broken blinds, or a bug problem, you’re only one call away from immediate assistance. Living in a house next year with three other girls is going to make it hard to get any handy work accomplished. None of us are anything close to “hardware people,” so it’s going to be a real bummer not to have the option to fill out a maintenance request for our broken microwaves or leaky ceilings.
The Friends– Let’s face it, whether you love them or hate them, you can only share certain experiences with the people you meet in your building. For me this year, I got to meet fifty of the most amazing people just on my floor. From engineers, to frat boys, to sorority girls, to athletes, I lived with a pretty diverse group of people. I’ve made connections I never thought I’d make, and friendships I never thought would happen. I am so happy to call my floormates my friends, even if we stray apart in the years to come.
The campus life– Oh so gone are the days of walking through Bishop Beach and seeing the freshman playing frisbee and tanning, or going through the College Ave. quads to smell the hookah pipes. Now, it’s just whoever is around on my street, or else I need to walk my butt over to my friends’ houses. I love college specifically for its atmosphere. I love walking by the frats and sororities, and seeing everyone out on the green. Now it’s just going to be a lot more segregated than the last two years- I’m going to really miss the idea of being in the typical college setting.
But with the good comes, well, the really bad.
Reasons to look forward to off-campus housing:
There are obviously things I won’t miss. Living in a building with 400-500 other people can drive you insane. Here’s a list of things that will keep you praying to the real-estate gods to get out an off-campus house quick:
Your R.A.– As much as I’ve loved both my R.A.s and the rest of their fellow staff, I can’t wait to be able to be free from the law of residence life. There are so many things that you can and can’t do while in the dorms. Breaking “the law” is almost inevitable. No drinking. no smoking within 100 feet of the building, noises off at 11 p.m. Sure, these are all feasible laws, but in my own space in my own house, I don’t have to worry about being reprimanded if I break any of these silly laws and slapped with a write-up.
The “others”- Yes, we all know who they are in our buildings. Those kids sitting outside your window at 2AM the night before your exam screaming at the top of their lungs. The rowdy girls next door that don’t know how to use their kindergarten inside voice. The people who treat the bathroom as if they were walking into a pig pen. I’ve had to deal with all of this as a result of living in the dorms for two years and, I have to say, I am so happy to be moving away from it.
Communal Bathrooms- Pee on the seats, empty toilet paper and paper towel dispensers, and shower shoes. As gross as it all sounds, it’s what you expect coming from a communal bathroom at any university. The number one thing I will NEVER miss about living on campus is sharing a bathroom with 30 other girls. It seemed like every day this year, someone was vomiting in the showers or dumping foreign objects in the sink. Oh no, goodbye disgusting bathroom, hello bathroom I don’t mind cleaning.
I seriously will miss dorm life. I kind of wish I had one more year, but its time to move on. I’m excited to have my own house with no restrictions.
Hope everyone had a great semester, and has a great summer from all of here at Hercampus.com/rutgers!