Before coming to college, I had some ideas of what living in a dorm would be like. I was excited to decorate my dorm, have sleepovers, and enjoy independence. Some of the expectations I had did come true, but some experiences were a surprise to me. Here are some things that no one tells you about when living in a freshman college dorm.
The first thing is that you hear EVERYTHING. From a door closing to someone clearing their throat down the hall. The doors and walls are like paper, especially at night. When I first moved in, I wanted to know what every noise was, so I would look through the peephole to see what was going on. After a while, the constant door slamming and talking became background noise, and I stopped caring so much.
The communal bathrooms. This topic is one of many that causes anxiety about dorm life. The moral of the story is: you truly appreciate your bathroom at home when living at college and regret taking it for granted. Unfortunately, there is no way to get around using the bathroom or showers in college; you just have to do it. It’s one of those things where you do it once, and the experience gets somewhat better. One thing I was dreading was showering. Being so vulnerable in a public place can cause tremendous stress, but after a few times, you just worry about the water becoming ice-cold when the toilets are flushed. There are times when you will find something very disgusting in the bathroom, and it makes you question all your life decisions and why you decided to live in college housing. I was warned that some things would be dirty now and then, but some days were worse than others.
This topic can vary from person to person, but living without air conditioning. Most freshmen dorms do not have air conditioning, and it can get extremely hot at the end of the year when the warm months roll around. In my freshman year, I had to sleep on the floor on really hot nights in May, and I woke up in a puddle of sweat. My advice is to bring lots of fans and cooling sheets after spring break! In the winter, most dorms have no way of turning down the heat. The dorm becomes an oven, and you most likely will have to sleep with the windows open.
Another topic is the bugs and spiders. The dorm I lived in my freshman year had a spider infestation in the cold months. The spiders loved the bathroom and the corners of my dorm, but I would call my guy friends to come upstairs and bring them outside. There were lots of stink bugs and silverfish that appeared now and then, but those are common. I suggest bringing a fly swatter.
One more thing that no one told me about dorm life was the number of socks that would go missing in the laundry. I would start with 10 pairs of socks at the beginning of the month and end up with 6 by the end of the month. I have no idea where the socks go or why the washers/driers eat them so often, but make sure to bring extra socks.
Despite these topics I’ve listed and talked about, dorm life is extremely fun and freeing. Being away from home is a big step and a huge responsibility, but it allows for personal growth and maturity. The way I think of it is that once you live in a college dorm, you’re able to live anywhere.