The end of the semester is coming up quickly and it will be here and gone before you know it. After two years of living on-campus, I finally get to move into an apartment and be off-campus next year. While this is exciting, I am also a little sad because on campus is where I met my people, and my best friends, and made some interesting memories. While packing up my room I wrote down some things I will miss about on-campus living.
- Carillon Pasta
Listen, if you know, you know. I will BOW DOWN to the carillon just because I could eat their pasta every day. The Carillon Place is a dining hall on campus where you get a ticket and go to a station and order food. They have a pasta place, barbecue place, fake chipotle, and a newly added Indian place. Last year I was obsessed with the fake Chipotle, but I realized why everyone called it fake….(it wasn’t as good). So this year I’ve really hyper-focused on the amazing, mouth-watering, earth-shaking, hunger-busting, yummy yummy carillon pasta. It has literally become my comfort food and now tastes like home. Yes, the noodles are a little crunchy sometimes because the sauce doesn’t cover the parts that are straight exposed, but I’m here for it.
- “The Oaks has good food today”
Continuing with dining halls. I think it’s well-known that the Oaks can be hit or miss. My friends and I always check the menu before going in to see if there is good food or not. Living off-campus means that you don’t have a meal plan unless you get the commuter meal plan. This is definitely bitter-sweet because I’m excited to cook my own meals and meal prep, but I’ll also miss the “free” campus food. If I can influence anyone on anything it’s that the Oaks mac and cheese bites are so yummy. I don’t think I’d pay $12-$13 of my own money just to go there, but it is definitely a phrase I will miss saying with my friends.
- Having a meal plan
It is a luxury but also not amazing. I really do enjoy my meal plan because in my girl-math mind, it’s basically free money. I will say everything on campus is heavily overpriced, but it is good food. My FAVORITE things to get from the markets on campus are the Caesar salads and the obvious pizza rolls. Honestly, it’s crazy to think about the price difference between bagel bites and pizza rolls when they are essentially the same thing, it’s like $1.50 to $2 different. I obviously go with the cheaper price of pizza rolls. Being vegetarian and finding good campus food can be a little difficult, but really BGSU does a good job of catering to different diets. #notsponsoredjustmyexperience I’ve noticed more vegetarian options coming to campus since coming here.
- Recreation center to Kriesher to shower then nap
This is a routine my friends and I have developed within this past year. We would go workout, go to Kriesher to get food, go back to our rooms to shower then nap. Honestly, it really is a good routine because the Kriesher dining hall switched over to swipes and falcon dollars so it was easier to not spend money and use a swipe. They have Burger Bar 325 which is a good protein option, especially after a good workout. It’s also conveniently placed right across the street from one another. We always get a good workout in and some good food after, but the shower and nap after is the most rewarding part. Where I’m living next year comes with a gym so I’ll experience a similar routine, but I know it won’t be the same.
- Checking the bus for a minor walk
Now I know this is lazy of me, but I want to use the resources the campus gives us. Especially after the gym, I think the bus is a great resource. However, taking the bus to and from class when it is a 7-minute walk (yes i’ve timed it) is just easier on my brain. I have also made a great connection with one of the bus drivers which makes the experience that much better.
- Late-night walks from the library
I did just talk about how much I love the bus service, but when it’s finals season and the library is open 24 hours, the bus doesn’t run 24 hours. Those late nights when you leave the library at 2/3 in the morning or longer, you have to walk back. The best part is when you and your friends are loopy from being tired and brain dead from studying and just motivating each other to make it back and go to bed is honestly so fun. Most of the time we just talk about how good our beds sound and other times we debrief what happened in the library. Normally there is about a good hour of us just goofing off or giving each other lectures about random things in pop culture that we are thinking about. But really the walks back are my favorite because I can then go to bed and do it again the next day.
- Being humbled for living in a dorm
My freshman year I got to stay in Centennial Hall. Which I know is not everyone’s experience. Anyone who lived in Centennial most likely experienced the hatred anyone who didn’t live in Centennial gave you. It was always the way to start a conversation with any freshman “Where are you living?” if you said Centennial the response was most likely “Ohhh okay” and normally a sarcastic eye roll. Which was humbling honestly. But regardless, living in any dorm is humbling. The tiny space, living with other people in close proximity, THE PAPER THIN WALLS. The thin walls were honestly traumatizing, from hearing your neighbors argue and other things… Regardless I made my best friends living in a dorm and I’m so glad we all got to experience it together.
- Walking room to room to gather your besties
When you live in a dorm with your friends but not in the same room as them walking to everyone’s room just to see if they’re busy or just to say hi. I would bug my friends every day and now that we get to live together next year I won’t have to hunt them down. However, I will miss just aimlessly walking the halls to go get/find them. It’s almost like Russian roulette but the punishment is them not being there. It’s sentimental but also nice not having to do it again. It’s such a niche thing but I love it.
- “Goodnight roomie”
Okay, yes, I will still get to say this but it’s different because we’re in dorms right now and there’s just something in the air that makes it more special. It feels like there is less responsibility in going to bed but then saying goodnight to your roommate that you actually like just makes it all the better. I feel like it’s sentimental right now because finals are coming up which means that the semester will end soon. With all the endings coming up that means that you won’t get to say “goodnight roomie” over the summer because at that point they aren’t your roommate.
Really I guess this whole thing is like a love letter to my friends and the experiences we’ve had, but I really will miss it. I definitely romanticized dorm living, but it really isn’t bad when you find your people and spend time with them. Just know that it may start out bad but it does get better.