As my freshman year of school wrapped up and it was time to figure out housing for the next year, I wasn’t quite sure what I was going to do. At that time, I had three other roommates, two of which already knew they weren’t going to be on campus, and the other knew that she wanted a single dorm. With really no other options for roommates, and the idea of a single dorm sounding wonderful, I decided that was what I was going to do.
The Process
With limited single dorms and many students wanting one, there is a process you have to go through in order to actually secure one. This process involves stating that you want a single, then waiting for that magical email saying you actually got one. When my roommate at the time got that email and my inbox remained empty, I started to panic. Regular dorm housing was already in process, and that meant I had to scramble to find someone — anyone — to room with. Those few days were extremely stressful and left me feeling dread for the coming year. I was frustrated and honestly pissed off that I was left high and dry to fend for myself.Â
Then came a glorious notification: there were single rooms left. They had assigned rooms to the first round of people and still had some left over for the rest of us. I was overjoyed and picked my room immediately. Though that miracle happened to me, it doesn’t to everyone, and I’m so thankful that I was lucky.
My Own Space
What I looked forward to most about a single dorm was obviously having my own space. As someone who is more introverted and enjoys (needs) her alone time, this was exciting to me. I decorated the entire room how I wanted, and it created a wonderful atmosphere for the whole year. I could be on my own schedule, not having to worry about waking up roommates or being in their way. I watched whatever shows and movies I wanted. I could do homework in the comfort of my room without distractions. I even got my cat Quincy registered to be an emotional support animal and was able to have her in my dorm with me. Having my own space allowed me to explore what I truly enjoyed doing, what helped or hurt my academic motivation, what routines I liked to have, and so much more. It helped me reinforce my independence and discover how to navigate being in complete control of my life.
Dorm Life (or lack thereof)
My dorm was on the third floor of Snyder-Phillips hall, which was a floor of almost all single dorms. This made the floor pretty quiet, and though I met and talked to some of the people around me, it didn’t seem like anyone was really looking for more friends. On the positive side, it was a great experience for my independence, as it more so felt like I was living by myself in an apartment complex. On the not so positive side, it got kind of bleak and lonely at times. Not really knowing a lot of the people around me was hard, and when I walked around the building and to the dining hall, I was usually by myself. Overall though, I loved getting to know a different side of myself and how I handle living alone.Â
Community Bathrooms
Going into the process of getting a single dorm, I knew that there was no possibility of having my own bathroom, because they were all community-style. I was not looking forward to this, as sharing a shower and toilet space with a bunch of other people isn’t ideal. I thought it’d be like camping or summer camp, where you’d have to wait in line for half an hour to take a shower in a gross bathroom. To my surprise though, I really didn’t mind it. I only had to wait for a shower twice or three times throughout the entire year, the bathrooms were cleaned often, and there was a separate single bathroom too. It definitely wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.
As someone who didn’t think they’d secure a single dorm, I’m so happy and thankful that I did. For my last year living on campus, it was a great experience to learn more about myself and how I can handle being on my own. I will definitely miss my little sanctuary, and I highly recommend looking into single dorms if you are considering what it might be like.