Room selection is the most stressful part of the year. Last year, it didn’t stress me out too much compared to this year, trying to get junior housing (which is even worse).
I was lucky enough to love my freshman year roommate, Makayla. We were going to do a double again. The upperclassmen’s options for that are Dev (Devereux), Doyle, and Francis. You were basically guaranteed a double no matter what.
My worries stemmed from the fact that we might get Dev. The dreaded one that not one person talked positively about. I heard everything in the book: creepy hallways, gross bathrooms, and the worst one… mice and big bugs as your roommates.
Dev is so beautiful on the outside and is home-like. There is ivy that covers the building and changes with the seasons. It was hard to believe, but I was taking everyone’s word for it!
I wanted Doyle. That is the one everyone raved about. There were renovated and clean bathrooms, just like Freshmen year, kitchens, and big rooms.
Room selection came around, and let’s just say I was not happy. We didn’t have the same luck last year as we did this year during registration.
I know I sound dramatic, but I cried when picking my room in Dev. I was strategic with it, though. We wanted the third floor, not too many stairs, but also not the first floor, where the supposed rats would be. We picked a corner room too, for limited neighbors and windows on both sides of the wall. And we were on the inside, facing the big and stunning tree.
I wish I could go back and tell myself that it was okay. It was not as serious as I made it out to be. Makayla and my dad made sure to tell me that too, but I still didn’t believe them.
Most people would call me crazy for saying this, but Dev actually wasn’t that bad. I loved it, actually.
Dev is an old building, so it wasn’t perfect, but that’s any dorm room or any living space. I had complaints like the laundry machines never drying our clothes, communal bathrooms, or the one massive, unimaginable, fast bug we had running around our room one time.
Dev has personality for sure. The good part is that it is in the middle of campus, making it a short walk to the dining hall, library, and classrooms. You don’t know how much you will appreciate this when it’s snowing, and you are just trying to eat dinner.
Even though the layout of the freshmen bathrooms was more private, I found that the cleanliness levels in Dev are much better than last year, which might have just been a disaster.
We also have the pavilion in our backyard. There were so many long talks around the firepits. We had meals, did art projects, soaked up the sun, did homework, and napped outside when it was nice.
Apart from the building itself, there was our comfy little room, where all the memories were made.
It never really mattered about the specific place I was in, but instead the people I was living with. I am so beyond grateful that I met Makayla at orientation. I plan to live with her every year of college I can. I am thankful for Samantha, too, whom I met on the first day of college, and we have all been friends since.
The time I spent with them is what gave Dev the special, heartfelt meaning that I now associate with the building.
Every late night talk when Makayla and I should have been going to bed, every time we sat on the hard ground to watch our show off a small iPad, every time Samantha came knocking on our door, every game night, every weird Tik Tok dance we did, every face (or foot) mask worn, every spontaneous trip we were packing for, every new quote added to our quote wall, every snack shared, every laugh, made it all worth it.
I never thought I would be saying this, but I loved my room in Dev. I am happy to be moving out and living in a townhouse next year, but I will always remember this building that didn’t deserve the slander!