Living on campus is probably the best way to get the full “college experience”, you can learn so much by being on campus whether it is about others or yourself. There is nothing like the feeling of being on campus with your friends and having your own little bubble away from home. However, the struggle is also real when you live in dorms with people and sometimes commuting just sounds so much better. “Here is a brief list of things you need to know before moving into a typical first year dorm.
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Hair in the shower. What more can I say? It is common at an all women’s college to find so many peers with dyed hair. So of course, their hair falls out with the constant hair dying process. As disgusting as this sounds, there is hair everywhere in the showers, in the drains, on the side walls, etc. Whatever you do, always wear shower shoes and do not touch the walls! Sometimes people lack common courtesy to remove their own hair from common places. Do not be one of those people.
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On the weekends, the level of cleanliness in the bathrooms and halls is not high at all. If the trash bin is full, do not continue to put trash in it! The cleaning crew is off on weekends, so the least you could do is be respectful as they come back on Monday morning and see the atrocity.
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People steal food from the fridge. Usually in a hall, there is a kitchen with a fridge and sink. RA’s tell you to write your name, room number and the date on your food, so that they won’t throw it away, or so that another person can’t claim it. However, no matter what you do, that chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream looks appetizing to someone and they will take it.
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It is super convenient to live on campus! For instance, if you ever feel like you are starting your monthly, then you could easily go back into your dorm, get what you need and go on about your day!
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Some people do not respect quiet hours. You are up studying on a late school night or probably struggling to fall asleep, yet you can hear everything outside of your room. People are loudly talking from across the hall, running, and even walking loudly knowing you have old, squeaky, wood floors in the halls.
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When someone has a certain someone in their room, you can usually predict what is about to happen. However, what happens in the room stays in the room.
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You know those fire drills they tell you about during your visit? Yeah, they happen whenever. You could be in the middle of your shower and you suddenly have got to grab a towel and quickly leave to go outside. Even in the middle of night, it will happen.
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You have to have a laundry schedule. Especially towards the school holidays, everyone is doing their laundry the night before, so you have to make sure you plan your schedule accordingly to ensure you are able to get yours done. Also, be mindful about keeping track of your laundry! If your laundry has been sitting in the washer for 2 hours, someone will take it out and put it somewhere for you.
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Hall meetings are the time to voice any opinions or concerns you may have, whether it is shower issues, bathroom cleanliness, or even noise level. Sometimes people will disregard it but if it is a serious enough issue, there will be some improvement on it.
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It is the best thing ever. You meet so many people and get to know your classmates even better. So hang out in the lounge, open your room door so people can walk by and say hi to you and have a chat! Enjoy it all.